Future-facing assessment and feedback in geography: navigating an evolving landscape

ABSTRACT This paper begins by outlining five forces that have prompted geographers in higher education to reconsider the principles of assessment and feedback. What emerges is an impetus to develop an assessment approach that evaluates both what students are able to do and who they are becoming, placing greater emphasis on metacognition, agency and wellbeing. I term this approach holistic assessment, which is enacted through student dialogue with their teacher and/or peers and engagement in ongoing reflection about their development. I delineate the challenges and opportunities to delivering holistic assessment, which relate to resourcing and scaling within programmes, evaluating outcomes, dealing with emotional labour, training teachers appropriately, and interfacing productively with GenAI. Holistic assessment offers a relational and inclusive assessment as learning approach, encouraging students to actively participate in and self-evaluate authentic assignments. It sustains positive learner wellbeing and enables true expressions of individual proficiency. But institutions will need to demonstrate focused leadership and genuine strategic investment in policies, regulations, infrastructure and staff development to succeed in delivering future-ready holistic assessment. Success in this endeavour will meaningfully prepare geography graduates to be life-long learners who are confident to challenge socio-ecological injustices and to create a better world.