Optionality in Assessment – Friend or Foe?

Together, we’ll examine how offering students different pathways to demonstrate their learning can enhance agency, motivation, and equity — while also considering the practical and pedagogical tensions it can introduce for educators. Through real case studies, group discussion, and collaborative activities, we’ll unpack what optionality can look like in practice, and how it might support (or challenge) assessment standards, workload, and curriculum coherence.

Designed to prompt critical reflection and practical takeaways, this session will help you consider how optionality might play a meaningful role in your own teaching and assessment strategies — and whether, in your context, it’s a friend, a foe, or something in between.

Dr. Miri Firth is an accomplished Senior Lecturer in Education Management and Leadership at the University of Manchester's Institute of Education. A passionate advocate for Vocational Education, her expertise lies in Vocational Education, Employability in Education, and Flexible Assessment in Higher Education. Beyond academia, Dr. Firth is an influential leader, serving as Chair of the national AGCAS Creative Industries Task Group, School Governor for Delamere School in Flixton, Governor for Edgehill University's Students Union, and spearheading innovative assessment strategies for the Flexible Learning Project at the University of Manchester. With decades of experience in UK Higher Education, Dr. Firth has collaborated with many national stakeholders in Higher Education, for example the Higher Education Statistics Agency, Quality Assurance Agency, JISC, and Advance HE. Her work includes publishing widely used textbooks on employability, designed to empower vocational students for success in dynamic industries. A trailblazer in assessment innovation, Dr. Firth led the Quality Assurance Agency Optionality in Assessment Project, driving forward flexible assessment practices. Her expertise is highly sought after across the education sector, where she continues to inspire meaningful change and champion the future of vocational learning.