Personalised and Inclusive Assessment Approaches in Engineering Education: Embracing Diverse Learning Styles

Practice Paper Recommended citation: Carden, M., Murphy, E., Nolan, M., & Goodman, L. (2025). Personalised and Inclusive Assessment Approaches in Engineering Education: Embracing Diverse Learning Styles. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Järvinen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53rd Annual Conference. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), Tampere, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17632044. This Conference Paper is brought to you for open access by the 53rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. PERSONALISED AND INCLUSIVE ASSESSMENT APPROACHES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION: EMBRACING DIVERSE LEARNING STYLES M Carden a, 1 , E Murphy b, M Nolan c, L Goodman d a ATU Sligo, Sligo, Ireland, 0009-0007-5022-831X b ATU Sligo, Sligo, Ireland, 0009-0003-6850-3739 c ATU Sligo, Sligo, Ireland, 0009-0003-8955-1481 d UCD, Dublin, Ireland, 0000-0003-2714-746X Conference Key Areas: Digital tools and AI in engineering education, Diversity, equity and inclusion in our universities and in our teaching Keywords: Personalised assessment, Reflective Practice, Engineering Education ABSTRACT This paper explores the use of Microsoft Sway© as a multi-format assessment tool in engineering education, grounded in Personalised Learning Theory, which emphasises tailoring education to the individual needs and preferences of each student. As higher education evolves to accommodate a broader range of learners, the ability to personalise both learning and assessment becomes increasingly important for engagement and improved outcomes. In engineering education, supporting diversity is vital not only in terms of who participates, but in how they participate. Engineers face global challenges such as sustainability and complex "wicked problems" which require input from a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and ways of thinking. This makes it essential to create learning environments that value varied cognitive approaches and experiences. To genuinely increase diversity in engineering programmes, assessment methods must move beyond standardised formats and instead provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate understanding in ways that align with their individual strengths and learning preferences. By analysing student feedback and interaction data, the research demonstrates how Sway supports student-centred, inclusive pedagogical practices. The flexibility of format empowered students to demonstrate not only their technical knowledge but also their reflective thinking in ways that felt authentic and meaningful. The findings suggest that tools like Sway can enhance inclusivity in engineering programmes by enabling assessments that reflect diverse ways of knowing and expressing understanding. Such approaches are key to preparing engineers who are equipped to address the complexities of the modern world. 1 INTRODUCTION Increasing demands on engineering graduates to tackle complex global challenges, from improving sustainability to addressing “wicked” problems, require evolving approaches in engineering education. “Wicked” problems are defined as complex, illstructured, real-world issues that resist easy solutions (Lönngren et al., 2017). Research has shown that a lack of diversity in engineering and design can lead to unintended consequences that could be avoided (Murphy & Goodman, 2022). So, for engineering educators, attracting a diverse student body capable of approaching such challenges from varied backgrounds and perspectives has become essential. To support diversity, intentional changes in pedagogy and assessment are needed to ensure that students from all backgrounds can engage meaningfully and demonstrate their competencies. In recent years, personalised learning has emerged as a strategy to address diversity in education, especially in STEM fields. Personalised Learning (PL) takes place when educational content and assessment methods are incorporated to suit individual learners' needs, strengths, and interests (Fariani et al., 2023). Research indicates that diverse student groups benefit when assessments can accommodate a variety of learning preferences (Gunawardena et al., 2024). Gunawardena et al. (2024) define personalised learning as aligning instruction with student strengths, needs, and interests while supporting agency through choice and flexibility. Downey et al. also found that engineering solutions that incorporate a range of cultural and intellectual perspectives are better suited to meet the needs of a global society (Downey et al., 2006). So, by giving students opportunities to approach assessments in ways that reflect their unique strengths and perspectives, tools like Microsoft Sway© can contribute to a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. In engineering, where technical skills must be paired with innovative problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration, assessment tools need to reflect these diverse ways of engaging and thinking. Microsoft Sway© is a web-based tool that allows users to create interactive, multimedia presentations, portfolios and digital stories. It supports the integration of text, images, video, and audio in a scrollable format, making it accessible across devices (Microsoft, 2015). Therefore, it offers a flexible, personalised approach to assessment that meets the varied needs of students and encourages a deeper, more inclusive learning experience. 2 RELEVANT LITERATURE 2.1 Personalised Learning Theory The concept of Personalised Learning (PL) serves as the primary theoretical foundation for this study. PL suggests that learning experiences should be adapted to each student's strengths, needs, and preferences to encourage optimal engagement and success (Fariani et al., 2023). Traditional education often fails to address the diverse learning styles, cognitive approaches, and backgrounds students bring to the classroom, especially in complex fields like engineering (Wang et al., 2024). By providing students with choices in their learning and assessment methods, personalised learning supports student-centred, adaptive education models. PL is grounded in constructivist theory, which holds that students build knowledge through meaningful, self-directed experiences (Dewey, 1986; Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). When assessments support self-expression, such as through multimedia reflection, students are more likely to engage, internalise content, and achieve deeper learning outcomes (Zimmerman, 1990). Reflective practice is a well-established method for enhancing learning, particularly in professional disciplines like engineering, where the ability to assess one’s skills, decisions, and ethical implications is essential (Schön, 2017). Digital tools like Microsoft Sway© allow students to engage in reflective practice through various formats text, audio, video, and images. This variety enables learners to choose modes of expression that align with their strengths and comfort levels, enhancing the inclusivity of the assessment. Reflective assessments contribute to a more holistic understanding of students’ competencies, as they can showcase not only technical skills but also cognitive and metacognitive abilities. 2.2 Diversity and Inclusion in Education Diversity and Inclusion in educational settings have been recognised as important for some time (Downey et al., 2006), with recent pedagogical research continuing to emphasise their relevance, particularly in engineering education where varied perspectives are essential for addressing global challenges (Cao et al., 2023; Singh & Kittur, 2024). Engineering problems often require a collaborative approach, where team members' diverse cultural and intellectual backgrounds enhance the depth and creativity of problem-solving. Including diverse students in learning and assessment processes is not merely an educational obligation but a way to prepare students for real-world, interdisciplinary challenges. The inclusion of students with varied learning preferences, backgrounds, and cultural perspectives enriches the educational environment and aligns with the goals of modern engineering education to develop global competencies in students (Liu et al., 2023). 2.3 The Role of Technology in Inclusive Assessment Digital tools support inclusive assessment by accommodating diverse learning preferences and backgrounds through multiple media formats.(Wei, 2023). Tools such as Padlet, Wakelet, Flip (formerly Flipgrid), and OneNote have all been used to support reflective assessment. For instance, Flip (formerly Flipgrid) has been found to support effective self-reflection and oral science communication through video, enhancing student engagement in ways that differ from traditional written tasks (Kiles et al., 2020) ,while OneNote allows flexible input like drawing or audio but lacks the structured guidance offered by Sway. Microsoft Sway© was chosen for this study due to its availability through Office 365, requiring no additional logins, and its ability to scaffold reflection with a clear template. Its multimedia features allow students to respond in formats aligned with their strengths, promoting personalisation and accessibility. In this way, Sway supports an inclusive learning environment that aligns with personalised learning goals, particularly suited to engineering contexts where diverse perspectives and communication styles are essential. 3 METHODOLOGY The study took place over a three-week segment of an Introduction to Engineering module for first-year students from various disciplines. While learner types were not formally recorded, the cohort represented diverse educational backgrounds and assessment experiences, typically oriented toward structured, technical formats. The broader programme assessment strategy remains largely traditional, prioritising technical knowledge and discipline-specific skills. The module included a section on Inclusive Design, where students were introduced to the principles of designing for diverse user needs. The study aimed to implement an assessment strategy that allowed students to participate in a reflective process using Microsoft Sway, to encourage personalised reflection in line with inclusive educational practices. Students attended three class sessions, each focusing on a different component of Inclusive Design: foundational concepts, persona development, and redesigning a product, service, or space to be more inclusive. 3.1 Student reflection submissions A Microsoft Sway template (Figure 1) was used to scaffold student reflections, featuring structured prompts based on the Rolfe model: "What?", "So What?", and "Now What?"(Freshwater & Rolfe, 2001). These prompts guided reflection on three sessions focused on inclusive design, persona development, and redesigning for accessibility. Section 1 of the template included editing instructions and suggestions for integrating text, video, images, or audio. Figure 1: Sway Template The Sway template was distributed to students through Moodle, the virtual learning environment, where they could access the link, make a copy, and edit their version of the template. Detailed assessment instructions were also provided, explaining how to make a copy, edit the Sway, complete the reflection sections, and submit their work. For submission, students were instructed to use the "Share" option in Sway to generate a link to their completed reflection and to upload this and a PDF version of their Sway to a designated submission area on Moodle. A total of 63 students submitted their Sway reflections. The submitted reflections were then analysed to examine the level and type of interaction with the template, as well as the content provided in response to each prompt. The data from the Sway submissions were analysed to understand student interaction with the technology, focusing on participation, multimedia integration, interaction with the template, and submission methods. Although designed for this module, the Sway template is adaptable to other learning contexts. Reflection prompts and complexity can be tailored to different disciplines, assessment goals, and student needs, making the approach suitable for broader application. 3.2 Survey Following the final class session, students were invited to complete a survey capturing their experience with Sway as a reflective tool. The survey questions, detailed in Appendix 1, were designed to elicit both quantitative and qualitative feedback. Quantitative questions assessed ease of use and effectiveness in facilitating multimedia reflections, while open-ended questions encouraged students to elaborate on their engagement and perceived flexibility with the Sway tool. Survey responses were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods to identify general trends in user experience and specific insights into the ways Sway supported or limited student engagement with the reflective process. These findings provided a comprehensive understanding of Sway's potential to enhance inclusive, personalised reflection in engineering education. 4 RESULTS 4.1 Student reflection submissions Participation and Submission Rates Out of 81 students registered for the module, 68 were identified as likely to engage based on attendance to the three sessions, with 63 submitting their Sway reflections (Figure 2(a)). This indicates a 93% submission rate among students who attended the sessions, showcasing high levels of participation. However, 13 students neither attended the sessions nor submitted the assignment. Multimedia Integration Among the 63 submissions (Figure 2(b)), 38 students (60%) uploaded additional images.1 student (1.6%) incorporated both images and a video. 24 students (38%) focused solely on filling in the reflection text, opting not to use multimedia features. Template Interaction Students interacted with the Sway template in various ways (Figure 2(c)).18 students (28.6%) edited placeholders provided in the template.14 students (22.2%) added new sections, expanding beyond the original structure.12 students (19%) personalised their Sway with themes, colours, or unique elements. 38 students (60%) incorporated visuals (e.g., images, diagrams).19 students (30%) reorganised sections to better align with their reflection. Submission Methods Students used a variety of methods to submit their reflection highlighted in the bar chart (Figure 2(d)).Twenty-seven students submitted the share link to their Sway, and 50 uploaded a PDF version as instructed. Ten students (15.9%) submitted their reflections in alternative formats, including HTML exports, image sets, Word documents, direct Moodle text entries, or combined uploads. 4.2 Survey Following the completion of the reflection sessions, students were invited to complete a short survey evaluating their experience using Microsoft Sway. Responses were received on various aspects of the tool’s usability, functionality, and impact on engagement. Ease of use Students rated the ease of use of Microsoft Sway with an average score of 3.57 on a 5-point scale, where 1 = very easy and 5 = very difficult. Multimedia Integration The average rating for how effectively Sway supported multimedia integration (e.g. use of text, audio, video, and images) was 3.33, on the same 1–5 scale. Engagement and Creativity Responses were evenly split when asked whether Microsoft Sway enhanced their engagement with the reflection process, with 50% indicating it did and 50% stating it did not. Functionality and Features Most students responded with "No" or "None" when asked whether any additional features or functionalities were missing from the tool. Comparison to Traditional Methods Students provided varied responses when comparing Sway to more traditional reflection formats such as essays or reports. Preferences appeared to be evenly distributed between those who favoured the Sway approach and those who preferred conventional methods. 5 DISCUSSION 5.1 Student reflection submissions The findings reveal high participation rates among students who attended the sessions, with 93% submitting their Sway reflections. This suggests that the use of Sway as a reflection tool was broadly accessible and achievable for most engaged students. The high participation rate among students who attended suggests that the Sway-based reflection task was manageable. This aligns with Zimmerman’s (1990) theory of self-regulated learning, which emphasises the importance of learner autonomy, goal setting, and self-monitoring factors likely at play when students engage with reflective tasks. However, the 13 students who neither attended nor submitted, along with the five who attended but did not submit, highlight a small group of non-engaged learners. These students may have faced barriers such as a lack of clarity on expectations, technical challenges, or broader disengagement from the course, warranting further exploration. The use of multimedia features, while promising, reveals an interesting divide in student preferences. While 60% of students included additional images, only one student incorporated a video, and 38% opted solely for text-based reflections. This suggests that while Sway’s multimedia capabilities were utilised by the majority, a significant portion of students preferred simpler, text-focused submissions. This preference could reflect a lack of familiarity with multimedia tools or a comfort zone with traditional text-based methods. The relatively low use of advanced multimedia features may reflect students’ varying levels of digital fluency and confidence. As Wei (2023) argues, digital literacy significantly shapes how learners navigate and engage with educational technologies, particularly in contexts where tools like Sway offer unfamiliar forms of multimodal expression. Providing additional examples or guidance on using multimedia features effectively might encourage broader adoption and enrich the reflective process. Template interaction data highlights a range of engagement, from basic adherence to the provided structure to creative customisation. While 28.6% of students only edited placeholders, 22.2% added new sections, and 19% personalised their Sway with unique design elements. This range demonstrates that while some students preferred minimal interaction with the template, others explored its flexibility to align it with their reflection style. Encouraging such creative engagement could be fostered through targeted support or showcasing exemplars to inspire students to experiment more confidently with the tool. The varied submission methods highlight both strengths and challenges in the assessment process. While most students followed the PDF upload instructions, others submitted in alternative formats, such as HTML, Word documents, or direct uploads of text or images. This variation suggests that while the instructions were clear for many, some students either misunderstood them or preferred simpler submission methods. The presence of image-only submissions also indicates potential gaps in understanding the multimedia requirements. Supplementing written instructions with video tutorials could reduce confusion and ensure more consistent adherence to submission guidelines, accommodating diverse learner needs. Overall, these findings underline the potential of Sway as a flexible and inclusive reflective tool but also highlight areas for improvement in supporting student engagement with its multimedia features, encouraging creative template interaction, and providing clarity in submission processes. Addressing these areas could enhance the effectiveness of Sway as an assessment tool and further support personalised learning in engineering education. 5.2 Survey The findings from the survey of this study provide valuable insights into the use of Microsoft Sway as a reflective assessment tool in an introductory engineering module. The mixed responses highlight both the benefits and challenges students encountered with Sway, particularly around ease of use, multimedia integration, and engagement. These insights underscore the need for digital tools in education to be adaptable to a range of student preferences and technological comfort levels. Ease of Use The average score of 3.57 for ease of use indicates that students found Sway somewhat challenging, which may have impacted their overall experience. This difficulty suggests that while Sway has potential as an inclusive assessment tool, certain usability issues may hinder its effectiveness for first-time users or those less familiar with digital tools. To address this, incorporating additional guidance, such as step-by-step instructions or tutorials, could help students navigate the tool more confidently. Future studies might also explore whether continuous exposure to Sway over longer periods reduces these usability challenges as students become more familiar with its interface. Multimedia Integration Sway’s multimedia capabilities received an average rating of 3.33, indicating that students found it moderately effective for expressing reflections through various media. While multimedia integration is a notable advantage over traditional text-based formats, the lower-than-expected score suggests that students may have struggled with either the technical aspects of incorporating media or the relevance of these features to their reflective content. Offering practical examples of multimedia integration or allowing students to experiment with these features could enhance their comfort and creativity in using multimedia to enrich their reflections. Engagement and Creativity The split responses on engagement reveal differing preferences and highlight the importance of offering diverse assessment options. Half of the students found Sway more engaging than traditional methods, likely due to its interactive and creative format. However, the other half did not experience increased engagement, possibly because they were more comfortable with traditional, text-based reflections. These findings suggest that while tools like Sway can boost engagement for some students, a mixed-method approach—offering both digital and traditional formats—could be beneficial. Allowing students to choose the format best suited to their learning style may result in greater overall engagement and satisfaction.