Finding the Missing Link

Abstract

In art and design education, engaging students as partners in practice is a pedagogical necessity. Research shows that it is also an ethical necessity. However, art and design education are deeply entrenched in traditional modes of assessment that are sometimes counterintuitive to the landscape of progressive and innovative learning. There is evidence that assessments are based on subjective values in disciplines where objectivity is difficult to ascertain. Is there a link between the deceleration or arrest of the learner’s participation in communities of practice and lifelong learning because of ambiguous assessment methods? Can these deficits be addressed by educational interventions?