Assessment in Higher Education Conference 2025
Thomas recently attended the Assessment in Higher Education Conference, where he shared his research on equity in exam design and explored new ideas for enhancing student learning and engagement.
Thomas Malcomson
7th July 2025
The opportunity to attend the conference on Assessment in Higher Education proved to be even more of an informative, inspirational, and invaluable experience than I had originally predicated. Not only was I able to present a poster highlighting initial findings on how we can ensure equity in exam design; but I was also able to lead a discussion on how we can promote productive engagement with feedback and continued, structured skill development for both students and academics.
As someone who is early in their career as a lecturer, and occasionally needs to remind myself as such, attendance at the AHE conference was a chance to make my voice heard as someone with a passion for educational research within the biosciences. An unexpected surprise was that is also provided both a confidence boosting, and grounding, experience through seeing that my thoughts and ideas were not only welcomed but well received, prompting questions and discussions that may not have happened otherwise.
Finally, the networking potential that came from attending this conference truly cannot be understated, leading not only to several new project ideas of my own and the chance to refine both ongoing and upcoming studies, but also the formation of new collaborative and mentorship relationships with both academics and industry partners.
It is far from hyperbolic to say that attendance at the AHE conference has been inspirational and will be influencing my academic and educational career for several years to come.
Thomas attended the Assessment in Higher Education Conference with funding from the Biochemical Society and also the School of Biological and Behavioural Science’s Scholarship fund.