Assessing engagement with Indigenous perspectives via virtual reality and concepts of ungrading

Abstract

An innovative virtual reality (VR) prototype has been developed at an Australian university, in collaboration and consultation with Indigenous Community, providing experiences of immersive engagement with Indigenous Australian peoples’ perspectives. However, appropriate methods for assessing student learning through this culturally specific VR module have yet to be explored. An innovation grant supported the establishment of appropriate assessment principles and strategies to suit this context, including consideration of ungraded assessment as an option. To inform this exploration (and to enable subsequent and timely integration of these principles into assessment design), a rapid scoping review of the literature was conducted. Focussing on the past decade and following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 relevant citations were qualitatively reviewed. These citations reveal a range of assessment types for demonstrating learning of Indigenous perspectives, inclusive of reflection coupled with one or more other methods. They also exposed challenges at the interface of Western and Indigenous assessment practices. A summary schematic, illustrating key principles and strategies, offers a tool for prompting assessment design. For example, this tool will be employed in the subsequent stage of this project to implement the new VR module with an ungraded assessment of student learning into two business education courses.