Reimagining Assessment: From High-Stakes Exams to Skill-Building Sketchnotes

The pandemic-driven shift to online learning necessitated a re-evaluation of traditional exams, revealing their limitations in fostering essential scientific skills and potentially disadvantaging some students. This paper presents sketchnoting, a visual note-taking method, as an authentic alternative assessment. By integrating scientific concepts, peer review, and graphical literacy, this approach aimed to cultivate skills like critical thinking and communication while assessing content. Student feedback indicated enhanced learning, skill development, and preference for sketchnotes over exams, despite similar workload. Notably, this flexible assessment correlated with reduced performance disparities. This study advocates for reimagining assessment to prioritize skill development, promote equity, and improve learning outcomes, emphasizing the value of pedagogical collaboration in driving innovation.