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Dr Miri Firth’s pioneering work on rethinking assessment through choice and purpose continues to shape national and international conversations on assessment design. On 22 October, Higher Education Digest featured her research on optionality in assessment, exploring how flexibility and purpose-driven assessment can improve student engagement, wellbeing, and achievement.

In November, Dr Firth will share this work across a series of prestigious events: as a keynote speaker at the Advance HE Assessment and Feedback Symposium (4 November); a keynote at the World Conference on Research in Teaching & Education (16 November); and as an invited panel member for Universities UK’s national event on Access, Participation and Student Success (20 November).

Together, these invitations highlight both the relevance and the impact of her research, which has already influenced assessment practice in more than a dozen universities. Her continued leadership demonstrates the Faculty of Humanities’ contribution to transforming assessment and enhancing the student learning experience across the higher education sector.

Evidence of sector use of this work to date : 

• University of Liverpool&²Ô²ú²õ±è;—&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Formal Flexible Assessment Guidance and Code of Practice define flexible assessment and parity/equivalency expectations. 
• Sheffield Hallam University â€” Public guidance on Assessment Choice (students choose questions/methods; emphasis on inclusivity and parity). 
• University of Glasgow&²Ô²ú²õ±è;—&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Flexible Submission Guidance adopted institutionally; reported reductions in extensionsand improved manageability. 
• Teesside University â€” LTE guidance on Flexible / Hybrid Assessment (choice and authentic formats aligned to hybrid delivery). 
• Loughborough University â€” Case study on student choice of assessment format (poster, vlog, infographic, etc.) to remove barriers. 
• University of Sussex â€” Case study on introducing optionality for accessibility and inclusion (student reflections). 
• University of Northampton&²Ô²ú²õ±è;—&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Assessment snapshot: optionality embedded and signposted across a programme to build assessment literacy. 
• University of York â€” Institutional workstream on assessment optionality; staff resources and funded projects exploring subject-specific cases. 
• UCL â€” Digital Assessment Team blog series on optionality, reflecting work with Manchester, York and Imperial in the QAA project. 
• Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) â€” Policy/guidance updates and staff hub referencing flexible assessment practice (plus public comms on assessment reform). 
• Newcastle University â€” Curriculum framework and learning-and-teaching resources highlight programme-level assessment design aligned with inclusive/flexible practice. 

Sector-level foundation / cross-institutional reference

• QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project – Optionality in Assessment (Firth et al., 2023): report and resources underpinning many of the above adoptions.