Conference Agenda

Assessment in project-based design education remains a persistent challenge due to diverse institutional contexts, learning objectives, accreditation requirements, and disciplinary traditions. The Design Learning Assessment Dimensions (D-LAD) Framework offers a structured approach for analysing, reflecting on, and redesigning assessment practices across five key dimensions: Output vs. Process; Summative vs. Formative; Teacher-led vs. Student-led; Assessment of Learning vs. Assessment for/as Learning; and Individual vs. Team Assessment.

This interactive workshop introduces participants to the D-LAD framework through hands-on, reflective activities in which they apply the framework to their own courses or modules. Through small-group discussions, guided mapping exercises, and collective reflection, participants will examine how their current assessment strategies align with intended learning outcomes, accreditation standards, and industry expectations. Case examples and shared educator experiences will illustrate how D-LAD can support balanced, transparent, and developmental assessment design in project-based learning contexts.

Each participant will develop a personalised D-LAD assessment map based on a real teaching case. This tangible outcome enables educators to critically analyse and visualise the distribution and balance of assessment practices across the five dimensions, providing a concrete foundation for redesigning assessment strategies, improving feedback and fairness, and strengthening alignment between learning outcomes and professional competencies.

Beyond individual reflection, the workshop creates space for cross-institutional exchange and benchmarking of assessment practices, fostering a shared understanding and a growing community around design education assessment.

Designed for design educators, programme leaders, and researchers seeking to enhance the coherence and transparency of assessment in project-based design education, the workshop also serves as a dissemination and evaluation activity for the D-LAD framework. Participant feedback and workshop outputs will directly inform the framework’s ongoing refinement and wider adoption.

Key outcomes

• Participant-generated D-LAD assessment maps based on real teaching cases, directly applicable to participants’ own educational practice.
• A synthesis report capturing key insights on the practical use of the D-LAD framework and outcomes of the workshop.
• A journal publication addressing contemporary challenges in design assessment and demonstrating how the D-LAD framework can support improved assessment practices through case-based examples.