Reflections on Assessment, Art Criticism, and Student Attainment
Assessment plays a critical role in shaping students’ learning influencing how they engage in creative practice. The reading of Dimensions of Assessment (Anon, n.d.) highlights the need for different methods of evaluation that balance formative and summative approaches, while bell hooks’ Talking Art as the Spirit Moves Us (1995) critiques the power structures that shape artistic validation. Reflecting on these readings within my role as a technician, I recognise the challenge of ensuring students value formative feedback while advocating for assessment practices that acknowledge diverse artistic expressions.
The role of formative feedback in technical learning
In my workshops, I primarily provide formative feedback and offer students real-time guidance for their technical and creative decisions. However, as Dimensions of Assessment suggests, formative work is often perceived as less critical when it does not contribute to the final grade (Anon, n.d.). This is consistent with my observations — students sometimes overlook the importance of these sessions to their academic progress. To remedy this, structured reflection and peer feedback mechanisms are needed to help students recognise the formative process as essential to their learning.
Beyond the product: Assessing process and artistic intent
Traditional assessments in creative education often emphasise the end product, such as a fashion campaign or a 3D rendering, over the actual creative process. hooks (1995) refers to Sylvia Ardyn Boone’s discussion of the Mende aesthetic, in which true artistic perception requires a deep intellectual and cultural initiation. Similarly, assessment should move beyond superficial judgement and consider artistic intent and process. By encouraging students to document their experimentation, decision-making, and influences, a more holistic approach to assessment can be developed (Anon, n.d.).
Addressing power structures in assessment and art criticism
hooks (1995) critiques how mainstream art institutions often validate artists of colour if their work conforms to prevailing narratives. This raises critical questions about assessment in arts education: Who sets the criteria for success? Whose artistic values are given priority? Standardised grading systems run the risk of reinforcing dominant perspectives and excluding diverse, situated knowledge (Anon, n.d.). As educators, we must advocate for assessment frameworks that recognise multiple artistic languages and perspectives.
Using ‘Make the Grade’ to reduce referrals and resubmissions
The Dimensions of Assessment (Anon, n.d.), suggests that students often lose marks because they misunderstand the assessment criteria or overlook key elements (Anon, n.d.). One possible solution is to implement structured interventions, such as the Make the Grade approach. Finnigan (n.d.) explains that Make the Grade aims to help students manage assessment expectations by unpacking assignments, building checklists, and conducting structured workshops. By integrating this approach into technical workshops, students can gain a clearer understanding of what is expected, reducing the amount of revision and improving performance. In addition, using self-assessment checklists prior to submission can help students identify gaps in their work and make necessary adjustments (Finnigan, n.d.).
Conclusion: Rethinking assessment as a space for dialogue
hooks (1995) calls for a more engaged and dialectical approach to art criticism — one that encourages meaningful discourse rather than prescribing a rigid framework. Similarly, assessment should not just be a tool for judgment, but a space for dialogue, reflection, and growth. By integrating structured feedback, process-based evaluation, and inclusive assessment practices, we can better support students in bridging technical skills with conceptual depth, ultimately fostering a more critically engaged learning environment.
References
Anon. (n.d.) Dimensions of Assessment. Unpublished document.
Finnigan, T. (n.d.) Make the Grade. University of Derby.
hooks, b. (1995) Art on My Mind: Visual Politics. New York: The New Press.