How risky is transformative learning? Evaluating Pedagogy of the Heart assessment in a first year topic through a lens of risk

Learning that engages the soul as well as the intellect can be‘transformative’. Our innovative Pedagogy of the Heart approach, using evocative arts-based assessment, seeks not only to direct first year students to integrate evidence-based knowledge with the critical and practical, but also to enter into the lived experience of others to understand how these forms of knowledge shape their own human selves. This pedagogy invites students on an unfamiliar, unpredictable learning journey, asking them to engage with their deeper selves, with various layers of risk for both students and tutors. Although initially unlikely to be appreciated by students, awareness of these risks often becomes acute at the moment of assessment, as emotional responses inherent in being assessed and assessing others’ transformation come into sharp relief. This presentation uses the lens of risk theory to re-evaluate recent research into the novel evocative arts-based assessment used in this pedagogical approach