Supporting universities with assessment, feedback and AI-era change
- Naomi Rowan
- Apr 17
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Universities are under growing pressure to rethink assessment and feedback in the context of AI, staff workload, student expectations and increasingly complex digital ecosystems.
The pressure is multifaceted. Tools and policy need consideration, but these need to align with conversations about how learning is evidenced and evaluated: what students are being asked to show, how staff make defensible judgements, and how assessment workflows hold up in practice.
New ideas help, but most institutions also need practical, workable change.
What this work is really about
Through Gratitude Worldwide, I support universities and other higher education organisations with assessment and feedback change in the AI era.
That can include reviewing assessment design, mapping marking and moderation workflows, strengthening Moodle/platform processes, clarifying requirements, shaping pilots, and supporting staff adoption.
I work directly with clients. I am not an agency, and I do not outsource the work. The person helping to scope the problem is the person doing the thinking, facilitation and delivery with you.
My approach is collaborative, thoughtful and grounded in the realities of higher education.
What interests me most is the part of change where good intentions meet real complexity: where academic practice, professional services, systems, evidence of learning and stakeholder needs all need to make sense together.
Why this work needs a practical approach
My work sits at the intersection of academic practice, assessment operations, digital platforms and implementation.
I help institutions turn complexity into practical next steps by working across educators, professional services teams, senior stakeholders and suppliers.
Sometimes the issue sits in the assessment task itself: what it is trying to evidence, how students show judgement, whether process or feedback response should be more visible, and how AI use should be framed.
Sometimes the issue sits in the workflow around the task: marking, moderation, feedback, Moodle/platform use, grade handling, exceptions and staff guidance.
Sometimes the issue is that a tool, workflow or redesigned assessment approach needs testing before wider rollout.
With more than 15 years of experience across higher education, international education and digital learning, I bring both a strategic perspective and hands-on delivery experience. I have worked across contexts, including the London School of Economics, Aula, Nord Anglia Education, MIT–Nord Anglia and Juilliard–Nord Anglia, supporting complex projects that combine pedagogy, systems, stakeholder needs and change in practice.
Clients tend to value the combination of expertise and approach: calm, careful work with a strong focus on making change usable in real institutional settings.
How I help with Assessment and Feedback in HE
My current work is structured around three core routes of support.
Assessment & AI Workflow Diagnostic
A focused review to clarify current assessment and feedback practice, identify friction points, understand AI-era risks, and shape practical 90-day priorities.
This is often useful when a team needs to understand whether the issue sits in assessment design, workflow, Moodle/platform use, staff guidance, pilot readiness or wider implementation.
Assessment Workflow Redesign Sprint
Practical support to redesign marking, moderation, feedback, Moodle/platform workflows, requirements, pilot planning and decision materials so people, processes and systems work together more effectively.
This can include assessment design considerations where the task itself needs attention as well as the workflow around it.
Fractional Assessment Transformation Partner
Ongoing senior support for institutions managing live assessment, feedback, AI, platform or implementation change where continuity, stakeholder alignment and practical momentum matter.
Alongside those routes, I also support more focused work in AI-era assessment design, assessment pilot workflow, Moodle assessment workflows, staff guidance and adoption.
Ways to work together
Most institutions begin with an Assessment & AI Workflow Diagnostic if the problem is still unclear, an Assessment Workflow Redesign Sprint if the workflow challenge is already visible, or fractional support if a live programme needs ongoing senior input.
If the concern is assessment design, the work may focus on what the assessment is trying to evidence, how students show judgement, how feedback supports learning, and how AI use is framed.
If the concern is a tool or platform pilot, the work may focus on workflow, integration, success criteria, staff/student communication, risk and evaluation.
A diagnostic is often the best place to begin when an institution knows something needs to change but needs a clearer picture before deciding what to do next.
Who I work with
My core clients are universities and other higher education organisations.
That includes digital education teams, assessment and quality teams, academic development teams, learning technology teams, registry colleagues, project and programme leads, and professional services teams working across systems, processes and implementation.
I also work with departments and programme teams where assessment design, feedback, AI guidance or evidence of learning needs more careful attention.
I take on selected work in digital learning, professional learning and education strategy where it supports the same broader goal: practical, people-centred change.
Why this matters now
Assessment and feedback sit at the heart of student experience, academic standards, workload and institutional complexity.
In the AI era, that pressure is increasing.
Universities need to protect evidence of learning while reducing avoidable friction for staff and students. That means thinking carefully about assessment design, workflow, platform use, student guidance, staff confidence and implementation together.
This work needs more than broad transformation language. It needs careful review, clear workflow thinking, realistic implementation, and support that takes people seriously.
That is the work I care most about.
Book a scoping conversation
If your institution is reviewing assessment and feedback practice, refining assessment for the AI era, planning workflow or platform change, or preparing to pilot a new tool or process, I’d be glad to hear more.
You do not need to know the exact shape of the project before getting in touch. A short outline is enough. I can help identify whether the most useful starting point is assessment design, diagnostic review, workflow redesign, Moodle support, pilot planning or ongoing advisory input.
Do it with care. Do it together. Make it workable.
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