Assessment reform has long been a prominent topic in higher education, and the emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) has put it firmly in the spotlight once again. Despite increasing discussions around assessment security, however, little attention has so far been given to the transformative potential of open pedagogy, and even less so the concept of renewable assessment. These key concepts can form a powerful approach that offers a path to designing authentic, student-driven learning experiences, particularly through renewable assessments.
This blog is inspired by a presentation from guest speakers Dr. Julie Lazzara and Dr. Virginia Clinton-Lisell, who shared their experiences during UTS Open Education Week. With this summary, I hope to encourage academics and learning designers to view renewable assessments not merely as an alternative, but as a crucial strategy for fostering deeper, more meaningful student learning.
Open pedagogy and renewable assessments
One of the great parts of open education is being able to share […] assignments with each other and hearing how it went for one person, and then building on that and trying it yourself.
Dr Julie Lazzara
Open pedagogy is about designing teaching and learning practices that actively engage both educators and students in using, adopting, remixing, and creating open educational resources (OERs). It involves leveraging open data, replacing traditional textbooks, and building inclusive learning environments. At its core, it’s about co-creation and connection, with an open license serving as a tool, not just a badge, to foster sharing and inclusivity. This means designing learning experiences where students don’t just consume content, they create it, so their work lives beyond the assignment brief and becomes part of a broader educational commons.
Renewable assessments serve as a natural extension of this philosophy of co-creation and collaboration. They invite students to contribute meaningful, lasting work that can be shared, reused, and refined, making them a central part of the learning process. During our session with Julie and Virginia, participants shared some defining features of renewable assessments, including:
- Authenticity: connected to real-world issues and student interests;
- Public value: often shared beyond the classroom;
- Open licensing: reusable, revisable, and remixable;
- Meaningfulness: students take pride in creating something that matters.
Julie explained that renewable assessments differ from ‘disposable’ ones because they create lasting value. Students’ work doesn’t end up in the recycling bin, it becomes a resource for others.
Why renewable assessments matter for learning design
How do we know if learning is occurring?
Julie posed this powerful question at the start of the session – a question that every educator and learning designer should carry into their design of assessments. As someone who works in learning design, I believe that practicing open education and embracing renewable assessments are crucial for building authentic learning experiences. Renewable assessment is not just about attaching a Creative Commons license to student work. It’s a journey, where:
- Students are introduced to the idea that their work can live beyond the classroom;
- They consider audience and purpose, key pillars of real-world communication;
- They engage in structuring content, co-creating knowledge, and publishing openly;
- At each step, there are opportunities for deep reflection and learning.
This journey demands careful scaffolding and intentional design, and while it does require substantial work from educators, it ultimately empowers students in profound ways. So in response to Julie’s question, I see the learning as happening in this journey.
Where does GenAI fit in?
While renewable assessments foster student-driven learning, emerging technologies like GenAI have the potential to enhance the process even further. Initially, David Wiley suggested that GenAI could surpass traditional OER in expanding access to education. As a long-time advocate for open education, I was surprised by this shift. However, Wiley’s point isn’t that OER has lost value, but that open education is ultimately about improving access, and GenAI might accelerate that more efficiently than content alone.
This idea became clearer when I heard Virginia’s experience with GenAI in practice, which provided a tangible example of how GenAI can enhance open education in line with what David suggested. Virginia didn’t ban GenAI; she integrated it critically. Her students were invited to use ChatGPT for brainstorming, but they also had to analyse and fact-check ChatGPT outputs, learning to identify inaccuracies and deepen their understanding.
This approach highlights a vital point. GenAI can enhance the quality of the process and output of renewable assessments, not replace human learning. I believe that over time, GenAI will become so ubiquitous that the debates about whether to allow it will feel outdated. Instead, new challenges and new innovations will emerge. Renewable assessments give us a practical foundation for facing that future thoughtfully.
Challenges, opportunities, and an invitation to start
The biggest challenge towards renewable assessment I see today is simply awareness. Many academics are reluctant to adopt renewable assessments, often because the benefits aren’t visible upfront and the workload seems overwhelming. But like any innovative practice, the first try is about experimentation. The next iteration becomes easier and better. Renewable assessments are not a magic bullet, but they transform the learning experience, giving students agency, purpose, and pride in their work.
If you’re an academic or a learning designer, you don’t have to start from scratch. I invite you to take the first step:
- Explore the Integrating OER in renewable assessment resource I developed with Eseta Tualaulelei from USQ, which supports creating authentic and renewable assessment tasks.
- Learn from Virginia and Julie’s examples to see how it’s already being done.
- Check out Virginia’s Faculty Guide to Open Pedagogy
As Julie put it beautifully:
The first time, we copy others. The next time, we innovate.
Consider this an invitation to do the same, and to ensure our students don’t just earn grades, but also leave a mark.
View the event this blog post was based on (duration: 61 mins):