Assessment - Words of Wisdom

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Sustainability assessments embody the transformative and innovative Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) pedagogical approaches which include being learner centred, flexible, future thinking, experiential, collaborative, interdisciplinary, authentic, affective and enquiry based (Nicholson & Vargas, 2021). Nicholson and Vargas (2021) also argue that sustainability assessment involves a shift from focusing on assessment of learning towards assessment for learning and assessment as learning.

Whilst there is no one assessment approach that is ‘best’ for supporting ESD, authentic assessment approaches have been identified as a central thread within sustainability assessments (Kemp & White, 2025). Authentic assessment encourages students to use their judgment and creativity, engage more deeply with their learning, and apply their knowledge in realistic, meaningful ways. This includes simulating real-world scenarios, tackling complex tasks using a range of skills, and offering opportunities for practice, feedback, and refinement. Authentic assessment approaches can help make the concept of sustainability more tangible and personally meaningful whilst also developing key sustainability competencies, values, attitudes and knowledge.

References

• Nicholson, D. and Vargas, D. (2021). ‘Design principles for assessment of sustainability teaching.’ In AdvanceHE. Assessment and Feedback in a Post-Pandemic Era: a time for learning and inclusion, pp. 183-195. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/assessment-and-feedback-post-pandemic-era-time-learning-…
• Kemp, S., and White, R. (2025). ‘Innovating Assessment for Education for Sustainable Development’, in White, R., Kemp, S., Price, E., Longhurst, J. (eds). Perspectives and Practices of Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Guide for Higher Education. (1st ed). Routlege. Pp. 129-161. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003451563