April 26, 2026 – Changing My Mindset

I need to invest some time in time management… LOL. Ironic, I know. I try to set up the demonstrations of learning so that people can be successful without compromising the expectations or standards, but people are not the same. People don’t interpret what you say in the same way. People don’t articulate their ideas in the same way. And, people don’t assess or evaluate in the same way. I teach the assessment course for one of the cohorts at the university and I often describe assessment as a very complex, non-linear process. The goal is to acquire enough evidence of work to make a good decision or judgement. This mantra is a good reminder for me. Another good reminder is, don’t assume anything. You have to look at the work and success criteria to evaluate the student’s achievement. Admittedly, assessing student learning is not easy work.

Gosh, I wished that I could just give a 100-question multiple choice exam at the end of a course. It would be quick and easy. No judgement to be made. A 100% final to conclude a course would be ideal… in terms of workload. It’s been curious making for me as an instructor at the university to work with folks in the undergraduate, graduate, and teacher education programs. The expectations are different and so are the outcomes. At the graduate level, you get deep engagement during class, work output through reading reflections that are intrinsic driven, and final assignments that embody praxis by bringing theory and practice together through inquiry with hopes of making change from action.

The teacher candidates, on the other hand, are learning about practice and the intention of teacher education is to bring theory and practice together. This intentionality takes some scaffolding and may not be as visible as the master students during coursework because they are early in the program and have not yet entered practicum. Attendance and assignment completion are mandatory. So, it can be difficult to see if the motivation is intrinsic or extrinsic. In the end, these students want to become teachers and will do what it takes to be one. Finally, the undergraduate students, most of them take a course in education as an elective. Some have it as part of their list of required courses, some want to become teachers and are aiming to enrol in a teacher education program, and others are looking for credit. Assignments and attendance does vary a lot.

My shift in mindset is to be curious about what the students have learned. I get caught up on deadlines, expectations, and the marking process that I cannot find the joy in marking and grading. I want to be generous and kind, but there are limitations and standards to comply to. Making the judgement can be difficult. At some level, it does feel personal because you have built a relationship with the students, and on another level, it’s transactional where a response to the demonstration of learning provided needs a grade and possibly some feedback. I wonder about feedback in the summative assessment. Is there a next time? How to you keep the learning moving forward at the end of the course (aka., end of the learning process). Holistically, it makes sense, if one believes the student will keep learning beyond your course, which they will.

What I do know for sure is, I do need to be in the right mindset to mark and grade papers. I need to be sure that I can look at the work objectively and grade with fairness and kindness. It’s interesting to see how the three programs offers different challenges in grading, much of the student’s work depends on their motivation and program expectations. Another aspect that needs consideration is AI. How much is being completed by AI, and how to design assessment that would use AI as a tool, if needed or used, and still ensure student learning and engagement are at the forefront of the course to assess student achievement. Assessment is not a science, but rather a human judgement of one’s learning.