Campus Talks: How to create university assessments that serve learning

Campus Talks: How to create university assessments that serve learning

Author: Campus by Times Higher Education May 21, 2026 Duration: 43:10
What purpose does, or should, assessment serve? How can educators shift the focus of assessment towards feedback? Who is really driving higher education’s unhelpful obsession with grades? And how does GenAI affect all this? In this episode of Campus Talks, we explore all these questions and more with David Boud, Deakin distinguished professor at Deakin University and a leading scholar on assessment and feedback. David is the foundation director of Deakin’s Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. He has been a pioneer in learning-centred approaches to assessment and is one of the most highly cited academics in the world on teaching, learning and assessment in higher and professional education with dozens of books bearing his name, including The Impact of Feedback in Higher Education (2019) and Assessment for Inclusion in Higher Education (2022). We discuss what constitutes good feedback, strategies for engaging students in the feedback process, how to design assessments that centre feedback and learning and where universities have been going wrong on assessment and grading.

What does it really take to run a modern university? Campus Talks by Times Higher Education moves beyond the headlines and policy papers to explore the human stories and practical challenges shaping colleges and universities today. Each episode features candid conversations with the academics, administrators, and staff on the front lines, offering a ground-level view of the forces transforming education globally. You’ll hear nuanced discussions about reinventing teaching methods, navigating the complexities of international partnerships, pursuing meaningful research, and building institutions that are both excellent and sustainable. This isn’t a series of abstract lectures; it’s a forum for genuine problem-solving and shared experience. The podcast draws on the extensive network and editorial expertise of its host, Campus by Times Higher Education, to connect listeners with diverse voices from campuses worldwide. Whether you’re a faculty member, a university leader, or simply fascinated by the inner workings of higher education, these dialogues provide actionable insights and a deeper understanding of the academy’s evolving role in society. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that respects the complexity of the issues while searching for tangible solutions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Campus Talks by Times Higher Education
Podcast Episodes
Campus: How to prepare for university leadership [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:04
This episode of the Campus podcast comes at a time when many UK universities are changing leaders. A total of 30 institutions have either had a new leader start or have begun the process of finding a replacement in 2024,…
Campus: Cross-cultural communication in the international classroom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:48
One way to future-proof students in our globalised world is to improve their cross-cultural communication skills. With students and academics more mobile than ever, the ability to reach across divides – be they language,…
Campus: What does the UK election mean for higher education? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:55
Will the UK general election offer a ray of hope for the beleaguered university sector? On this episode of the Times Higher Education podcast, two policy experts give their take on opportunities that 4 July may bring and…
Campus: Bringing an outsider’s eye to primary sources [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:25
For this episode of the Times Higher Education podcast, we talk to award-winning author, cultural historian and literary critic Alexandra Harris about the research and writing practices behind her new book, The Rising Do…
Campus: How to lead a university from the front [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:52
Katie Normington, vice-chancellor and CEO of De Montfort University, has proved to be adept at both leading by example and change management. Not only did she join the Leicester institution during Covid amid the longest…
Campus: The future of XR and immersive learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:02
Imagine a learning environment where an AI professor fields infinite student questions, where business students practise difficult conversations with an avatar that models an array of personas and reactions, where automa…
Campus: Human connection and the student experience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:54
What difference does human connection make to student success? Does it matter if students come to in-person lectures? And what if students turn to AI for help with academic tasks rather than asking libraries or someone i…
Campus: What is open access? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:44
In this episode of the Times Higher Education podcast, we talk to two experts – one in the US and one in the UK – about open access, the global movement that aims to make research outputs available online immediately and…