Assessing student learning in transdisciplinary learning environments

Transdisciplinary learning prepares students to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and societal needs, where they can directly make a meaningful impact in society. Research shows that assessment plays a crucial role in shaping how students learn and engage with the learning process. However, there is a significant gap in our understanding of assessing student learning in transdisciplinary environments. The key question is how can we evaluate student learning in these settings in a way that not only measures their progress but also actively enhances their learning experience ? So that we can make the learning of students visible and allow students to develop their professional identity. Before we can answer this ‘how-question’, we need to explore the why and what of assessing student learning in transdisciplinary contexts. Therefore, this research will be conducted in four phases: • Exploration phase: explore the why behind student learning in transdisciplinary education. This will guide us in determining why we assess students in transdisciplinary education. • Identification phase: identifying what should be assessed in transdisciplinary education in line with the answer of the exploration phase. What do we assess? • Design phase: addressing the how and who of assessment. Creating tools and approaches for the different stakeholders, together with experts, students and teachers, that aligns with the why and what of assessing students learning in transdisciplinary contexts. How do we asses student learning in transdisciplinary context, and who are the assessors? • Evaluation phase: evaluating the effectiveness of the designed assessment in practice: does the assessment stimulate the desired learning processes (knowledge integration and development of knowledge for action) and does it help develop and support the professional identity of the student? The ultimate goal is to create an assessment strategy that not only aligns with the objectives of transdisciplinary learning but also proves to be effective in fostering and measuring the student learning processes.