Date: July 2026
Authors: Dr. Fatima Lopez Castellanos
Themes: Assessment and feedback; Authentic learning and employability; Future skills development
Subject area: Business Education
Faculty: Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences
The Practice
This co-created pedagogic research project investigated how inclusive assessment design can enhance student agency and better prepare Business School graduates for an increasingly digitalised job market. Conducted in partnership with an undergraduate student researcher —who simultaneously used the project as their dissertation—this practice amplifies and prioritizes student voice in identifying what forms of assessment choice they find meaningful and what competencies they see as critical for their future careers.
Findings
The Impact
A new individual assessment was designed for the unit and validated with students through a focus group. It will be rolled out in the AY 2026-27. Assessment features that students valued the most:
- Clear indication of equivalence between formats, including word/time equivalence.
- Inclusion of format-specific marking criteria, with equivalent levels of challenge.
- Inclusion of a Skills development and articulation table, so that students can explained how each format supported the development of specific skills.
- Inclusion of a Human–AI Workflow Audit & Reflexive Statement as graded appendix.
Findings of relevance to the broader School were presented in June to the Deputy Education Director for Quality, Innovation and Rankings. These included:
- Embed a programme-wide skills communication strategy.
- Support students in translating academic experiences into evidence for applications, interviews and career development.
- Identify opportunities for further integration of long-term, future-relevant digital and technical skills across curricula.
- Use assessment choice where it offers genuine educational benefit — without excessive complexity or anxiety.
- Position AI-use reporting as a mechanism for responsible use and AI literacy, more than compliance.
Operationalise the Bristol Skills Profile by linking unit activities and assessment to concrete skills evidence.
Next Steps
The new assessment will be rolled out in the AY 2026-27, hoping to further strengthen the unit’s position as one that clearly supports students with different learning preferences while helping them develop skills for their future careers. Feedback on this will be collected through the Blue survey.
Findings will be further disseminated in the School through relevant channels – the BERS network and tea-time talks focused on Education and Pedagogy. They will also be shared with relevant UG Programme Directors currently working on programme reviews.
As of July 2026, this work has been presented in the 2026 Teaching and Learning conference from Advance HE, and the 2026 BILT conference.
Contact
Dr. Fatima Lopez Castellanos, Lecturer in Sustainability and Operations,
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