Blogging as a form of creative authentic assessment for inclusive education.

Abstract

Whilst some disciplines in HE encourage creative practices and expression in their assessments, they are less common in others, leading to a disparity in creative skillsets which are beneficial for multiple cognitive activities, such as critical thinking and leadership skills (Karunarathne & Calma, 2023). Educators may also fear that implementing an assessment which has more flexibility and opportunity for students to express themselves in a format which benefits their learning, would be harder to grade in an equitable way. Therefore, creative assessments sometimes pose a risk to educators which could lead to perceived failure and lack of self-efficacy (Creely et al., 2022). Students in turn might feel anxious with different options for assessment and looser ways of presenting knowledge without a more structured and scaffolded approach. However, the implementation of creative, sustainable assessments can be integral in the learning journeys of students to think differently, which can create space for innovation and development of critical thinking skills for employability. This paper explores the use of blog writing as a sustainable creative option in assessing student knowledge and development of reflective practice. It will comment on the prevalence and affectivity of blog writing in the development of IT-based technical skills and in the promotion of original development of ideas, reducing the potential misuse of AI in facilitating learning. It will also comment on the need for sustainable assessments and joy of learning to enhance student engagement and performance.