Professor Naomi Winstone, Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK, Professor Sam Elkington, Professor of Learning & Teaching at Teesside University, UK & Dr. Karen Gravett, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Research) at the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK.
Opening the Black Box: Designing Process-Focused Assessment for the Age of AI
As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) reshapes higher education, educators face the urgent task of rethinking assessment for authenticity, engagement, and integrity. This masterclass introduces Black Box Assessment as a practical framework that empowers educators to design assessments which capture the process of learning rather than relying solely on polished final outputs. Drawing on the concept of Black Box Thinking, participants will explore how focusing on the journey of creation, including errors, missteps, and responses to feedback, can provide richer, more valid evidence of learning in an AI-saturated educational landscape.
Through a combination of guided activities, exemplars, and collaborative design exercises, this session translates the theory of Black Box Assessment into actionable strategies. Participants will learn how to:
- Embed process tracking and reflection checkpoints within existing assignments;
- Use digital tools and learning platforms to document and evaluate iterative student work;
- Design rubrics that recognise experimentation, error, and refinement as indicators of cognitive growth;
- Balance transparency and agency by giving students ownership over how they demonstrate their learning journey.
Participants will leave with a clear understanding of the four core principles underpinning Black Box Assessment (process, error, transparency, and trajectory), and how to implement them within their own disciplinary contexts. The session will also address practical challenges such as workload management, student buy-in, and institutional alignment, offering tested solutions and adaptable templates.
By the end of the masterclass, participants will not only grasp the conceptual rationale for Black Box Assessment but will also possess the tools, examples, and confidence to “open the black box” of learning in their classrooms, building assessment systems that value thinking, creativity, and progress as much as final performance, and that remain resilient in the era of GenAI.
Biographies
Prof Naomi Winstone is Professor of Educational Psychology in the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey and an Honorary Professor in the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University, Australia. She is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a UK National Teaching Fellow. Naomi is a cognitive psychologist specialising in the processing and impact of instructional feedback, and the influence of dominant discourses of assessment and feedback in policy and practice on the positioning of educators and students in feedback processes. Using her research and institutional leadership experience, Naomi works with schools, universities and organisations across the world to embed learning-focused approaches to feedback into practice.
Holding both a National Teaching Fellowship and Principal Fellowship of Advance HE, Professor Sam Elkington is Professor of Learning & Teaching at Teesside University, heading their university-wide Learning & Teaching Enhancement portfolio since September 2018. Professor Elkington has over 15 years of experience in higher education across teaching, research, academic leadership, and policy. Having previously worked as the national lead for assessment & feedback and flexible learning at Advance HE, he is a prominent voice in UK higher education pedagogy, focused on transformative assessment, inclusive learning environments, and flexible, student-centred teaching. His blend of academic leadership, research, and public engagement makes him a leading figure in shaping effective and equitable learning experiences.
Dr Karen Gravett is Associate Professor and Associate Head (Research) at the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK, where her research focuses on the theory-practice of higher education, and explores the areas of digital education, belonging, and relational pedagogies. She is Co-Director of the Language, Literacies and Learning research group, an Associate Editor for the journal Sociology, and a member of the editorial boards for Teaching in Higher Education, and Learning, Media and Technology. She is also a a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and an Honorary Associate Professor for the Centre for Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University. Karen’s latest books are Critical Practice in Higher Education and Relational Pedagogies: Connections and Mattering in Higher Education.
ahenetwork.org 