“If you don’t climb the mountain, you can never appreciate the view”  (Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet)

Think back to when you were a kid — wasn’t there something thrilling about embarking on a long journey during those summer vacations? Whether it was a road trip with family, an impromptu adventure with friends, or simply wandering into the unknown, those moments stayed with us. Not because they were easy, but because they challenged us, changed us, and gave us stories to tell and cherish. In fact, the more we ventured into the uncertainties of the destination, the more enjoyable the trip became.

Yet, as adults, we often become risk-averse, even when we know that sometimes, taking that uncertain road is necessary for meaningful change. One such road that our higher education system has embarked on is the transformation of our existing assessment system from episodic and fragmented towards holistic and programmatic.

In this blog, we invite you to ride along as we navigate the winding pathways of programmatic assessment (PA), using a familiar metaphor — the road trip. This blog reflects our ongoing journeys, filled with insights, challenges, and lessons learned along the way. So, buckle up—it’s time to hit the road that leads to reshaping the existing terrain of assessment.

What is programmatic assessment and why do we need it?

Embarking on a large journey requires preparation, but we must understand how much and what we are planning for. One of us is a child raised in the 80s and visiting the grandparents involved a +1000 kms journey. To do this, my father will come up with a detailed plan, while we as kids would be in the back seat of the car. The ride will start at 5am in complete darkness, arriving at our destination on the same day, minimal stops allowed. These were the times of no safety seats, iPads, air conditioned, or even sun protection shields. Despite all of this, time to be spent with the grandparents made the journey worthwhile.

The same holds true for PA - a shift that requires us to embrace complexity, just as we once embarked on long and uncertain journeys. PA involves the collection, collation, and connection of meaningful bits of information from multiple contexts, mapping a student’s learning journey toward the attainment of key competencies. Unlike traditional models that separate formative and summative assessment, PA operates on a continuum, using student data to identify strengths, learning gaps, and goals. This data then serves as the foundation for feedback, diagnostic insights, and high-stakes progression decisions — ensuring that assessment is not just an endpoint but an ongoing roadmap for learning.

Which problems might PA solve and have?

The university students in ‘80s relied solely on lectures, handwritten notes, and textbooks for learning, whereas today, they carry entire encyclopedias at their fingertips, accessing digital resources, online discussions, and AI-powered tools. Education has evolved — not just in how content is delivered, but also in our perspectives on learning itself. We now understand that learning is an active, social, and contextualised process. Yet, assessment systems still rely on outdated models and theories. This is precisely the problem that PA seeks to address.

But PA requires a clear articulation among all stakeholders due to the large and ongoing adjustments required. Risks around overassessment, fatigue, suitability for raw vs specialised content, among others may hinder its implementation. From this, timing appears to be one of the most critical ones, as the continuous quality assurance processes mean that PA might never be finalised.

Back on the road trip, join us in the backseat continuously asking, “are we there yet?”. The adults in the front seat would say something in the line of “stay quiet and don’t fight… we will get there ‘soon’”. Not considering pitstops to check the car and the passengers can take the road trip going from an adventure to a nightmare in a couple of hours. The same applies to PA, stops and check-ins are compulsory.

Why do we need to travel and celebrate that we might get lost along the way?

Every great road trip comes with a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and unexpected detours. While we may start with a detailed itinerary, it's often the unplanned moments that make the journey truly memorable. The same is true for PA. Traditional assessment methods often operate like rigid routes — mapping a direct path with no room for ‘un-standard’ deviation. But real learning, like real travel, is not always linear. PA embraces this uncertainty, recognising that competencies develop over time, through multiple experiences and contexts. The quality assurance and validity of this sort of assessment system comes from embracing the inherent subjectivity and bias in human judgement and hence, a need for high stakes decisions to be made of a committee using a well triangulated data across different competency domains.

Implementing PA should not be a nightmare road trip. While you still need to come up with a detailed plan, be prepared for a ride full of eventualities. Get snacks, enough water, a memorable soundtrack, appreciate the always changing landscape, and amaze yourself with the hidden treasures along the way. Be mindful that at times you will need to trust your inner GPS (based on your local needs, experiences and knowledge), rather than what you are hearing from the external one (describing experiences which might not be assimilated to yours). Regardless of where you are in the car, embrace and celebrate your role, and be mindful of the other passengers in the car. It is a long ride for everyone!

Safe and happy PA travels!

Recommended resources (also known as PA snacks and route maps)

Authors:

- Dr Daniela Castro de Jong

- Assoc. Prof. Priya Khanna

Image source: Microsoft Designer