This blog is a reflection of a cross programme event held by Dr Neil Currant.

What does it mean to practice and deliver compassionate assessment and
feedback?

It was helpful that this lecture started with a re-establishing of what it
means to be compassionate. Compassion can be interpreted and categorised by
some as being sensitive, patient, kind, empathetic. It can means different
things to each of us as demonstrated when the group was ask to share what
being compassionate meant to them.

Dr Currant shared this definition: ” Compassion means the noticing of
social or physical distress to others and the commitment to reduce or prevent
that distress”. (Gilbert 2017:189)

My immediate thought on this was…..ok so making assessment and feedback
easier, However Dr Currant explained that compassion in assessment and feedback
is not about lowering standards or making things easier. In fact, students
actually want to maintain standards. It’s about minimising distress.

There are many reasons why we assess, and the list of reasons shared by my
fellow classmates was endless: To engage, reflect, check understanding,
motivate, help develop, for validation, check engagement, course success and
learning.  We understand the principle aspect of assessment well enough.

Assessment is so fundamental, and the QA aspects and assessment regulations are
very important, but is it compassionate?

“Compassionate assessment and feedback must be underpinned by equality not
equity”.

I found this to be an interesting quote from Dr Currant, as one of my
questions during the session was what about parity for all students and isn’t
one of our responsibilities as teachers to prepare and support students to take
challenging feedback, because we are preparing them for an industry that can be
brutally judgmental and opinionated! I think that compassionate assessment and
feedback can be a mixture of both equality and equity because part of it comes out
of the awareness that some students find certain forms of assessment distressing
so we create an environment where all can flourish fairly………

References:

Gilbert, P. (2017) Compassion : concepts, research and applications. London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

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