Equitable and alternative assessment is possible across disciplines

A researcher who focuses on alternative assessment is determined to make tools that better reflect student learning, and she will share her knowledge in this area at the upcoming Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching at UCalgary.

Dr. Eliana El Khoury, PhD’18, has held many roles throughout her time teaching and learning at universities, which have all informed her perspective on assessment. She recalls being bored with standard assessment styles as a student, and feeling equally uninspired when she became an instructor and found herself stuck in the cycle of grading essays. It wasn’t until she became a researcher and witnessed the incredible achievements of her colleagues that her perspective broadened around what could be possible with student assessment.   

El Khoury’s in-person keynote address will take place on April 30 at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. In advance of her appearance at the conference that runs from April 28 to 30, El Khoury answered a few questions to debunk myths associated with alternative assessment and to share what conference attendees can expect from her talk. 

Tell us a bit about who you are and your area of research/interest.

I have a PhD from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Prior to my PhD, I earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts at universities in Lebanon, where I’m from.  I currently work at Athabasca University as an assistant professor where I research alternative assessments. I take a cross-discipline approach where I focus on assessments for international students, Indigenous students along with chemistry, history and other disciplines.

What is one of the biggest misconceptions (by both instructors and students) around alternative assessments?

There are two misconceptions that come to mind. The first is that alternative assessment is for students with exceptionalities. In other words, for students who may reach out to accessibility services for other options to complete an exam, but this is not the reality. 

Alternative assessment is an approach to assessment that helps us to remove barriers around assessment for all students. It does help students with exceptionalities, of course. But it helps everybody by guaranteeing success of all students. It is a way for students to demonstrate their learning regardless of the barriers they encounter. 

The second misconception is that alternative assessment is not valid, or it’s not reliable, because it’s not objective. I always say that it’s valid, it’s reliable, it’s rigorous, but in a different way. The definition of these terms needs to change. An assessment that allows me to help every student demonstrate their learning is a valid assessment.

What does reassessing assessment in post-secondary education mean in the context of your focus area?

Content is everywhere in 2025. With the emergence of generative AI and the pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning delivery, we’re not in an era where content needs to be taught. The content is already available to students. We need to focus on teaching skills. 

The amount of content is overwhelming. It’s not structured, curated, and only sometimes reliable. Creativity, critical thinking, engagement, empowerment and personalization is needed. I want my students to know how to make meaning of their knowledge, and these are the areas that assessment needs to be defined for. The goal is for assessment to be part of the experience.

What can conference attendees expect from your keynote presentation?

Expect inspiration! What I hope that people get is an inspiration for what’s possible. So many people are looking for new and more equitable ways to assess students, but they don’t have the tools. They worry that it won’t be accepted in their discipline, but I’m here to show them how it’s possible. As part of the presentation, I’m excited to share examples, videos and other examples of people doing this work.

Registration is now open for the in-person conference taking place at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning from April 28 to 30.

Check out the rest of the keynote speakers and stay tuned for the full schedule.