How to create a more inclusive learning strategy in large upper-year undergraduate courses: The use of differentiated evaluation

Abstract

Classrooms have consistently grown larger in the last decade, and moving higher education from an elite model to one of near universal participation has resulted in more diversity in the student body. While several teaching techniques have been developed to address these challenges, other initiatives have centred on the manner in which classroom assessment is conducted, and how it can stimulate student learning and improve real inclusiveness, despite students' varied backgrounds and special needs. Differentiated evaluation describes the impact of pedagogical differentiation on the evaluation process. It offers all students choices regarding evaluation that are deemed equivalent and fair. While it has most often been used at the primary and secondary school levels, it stands as a valid strategy to be used at the undergraduate level, where we are observing growing diversity within the student body.