This practice-led technique integrates design/production methods to execute a multifaceted project. The piece can take any form as process is emphasised over output. The technique comprises several scaffolded assessments: an oral pitch/proposal (20%); workbook (10%); portfolio (prototype + report) (50%); and reflection (20%).

Students write a 1500 – 2000 word document (in a form decided by the convenor) in the language being taught. This is paired with an oral presentation based on the written piece. Students are assessed on grammatical proficiency and their ability to conform to stylistic conventions of the written genre.

As a class students are set a collaborative task to produce a creative item relevant to their discipline (e.g. in MUSC3020, an original Album recorded and produced by students) and attend weekly laboratory sessions focused on relevant skill acquisition. This is scaffolded with written reflections where students outline their contribution.

One of my elective law courses, Asian Legal Systems, presented a challenge. As well as enabling students understand how law and legal institutions in Asia operate in different and distinctive ways, the design of this comparative law course was to facilitate discussion and the sharing of perspectives thus maximising student input. Keeping these dynamics alive in Zoom classes led to several modifications in assessment.

Designed explicitly to provide student flexibility and cater to diverse learning styles, this technique has students produce a piece of written or audio-visual content in response to a provocation from a course practicum or theoretical perspective. Content can take numerous forms including a blog, critical review, documentary, or reflexive essay.

Students travel to a relevant cultural institution or public space (e.g. gallery, museum, landmark), imagining they are appointed as industry experts, curators, attachés or tour guides. In groups, each student delivers a brief presentation on an assigned piece (e.g. artwork, artefact, or monument) so as to replicate professional presentation contexts.

Designed with an explicit focus on developing writing skills in first year students, this assessment adopts a design approach to a staged writing project. This assessment is divided into several scaffolded tasks that must be completed and submitted cumulatively throughout the semester.

Informed by an active learning pedagogy, this technique sees students co-create an online wiki to which contributions are individually marked. Students work collegiately to prosecute an overall argument that responds to a set question, but receive marks for the quality of their individual input; which addresses potential discrepancies in contribution.

In small groups students create a short YouTube video production communicating an otherwise complex or scholarly argument (developed out of an essay assessment item) in a form appropriate to an open audience. Ideally scaffolded with reflexive assessment items, this technique emphasises key workplace skills in production, messaging and interpersonal communication.

This assessment is primarily designed to test students' compositional dexterity by focusing on emulating the selected genre. A portion of the overall mark is allocated for originality and creativity. While students must adhere to stylistic requirements they are free to write on a topic of their choosing, thus offering a personalised approach to learning.