Improving satisfaction in design education
An ungraded approach to support student engagement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19379142 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Emily Wright (0000-0001-6787-8713, Swinburne University of Technology), Nicki Wragg (0000-0002-0259-504X, Swinburne University of Technology, corresponding author), Lyn Kee (0000-0001-9662-4683, Swinburne University of Technology), Andrew Haig (0000-0002-8441-3456, Swinburne University of Technology) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-11 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0260-2938 • E-ISSN: 1469-297X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02602938.2025.2584138 |
| OpenAlex | W4416115980 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
Design shapes our understanding of the material world and our experience within it, and is taught in universities worldwide. Design students’ development relies heavily on feedback processes that mirror authentic professional practice. Professional designers must consider feedback from stakeholders throughout the design process and consider its application in the development and production of a final design outcome. The important skill of receiving, interpreting and applying feedback has become increasingly difficult to cultivate, because students often prioritise grading and project completion over visual experimentation and iterative exploration. To solve this problem, ‘Assessment for Learning’ (A4L), an ungraded learning strategy, was implemented across core units in an Australian Bachelor of Design course. Its aim was to redirect students’ focus from numeric grades towards meaningful engagement with the design process, encouraging intrinsic motivation and reflective practice. To evaluate the initiative, we analysed student feedback data from five first-year units (2018–2023), across three timeframes: pre-A4L implementation (2018–2019), the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020–2021), and post-A4L implementation (2022–2023). Topic modelling was applied to identify themes about the best aspects of units and areas for improvement. The results show A4L was associated with more reflective and satisfied student responses and greater student engagement with the feedback and learning process, suggesting ungraded learning improves the student experience
Higher education · Instructional design · Qualitative research · Student engagement · Teaching method · Art Education and Development · Higher Education and Employability · Higher Education Practises and Engagement
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| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |