Conventional assessment in project-based learning (PBL) prioritises polished final outcomes, inadequately capturing the iterative, non-linear processes central to design innovation. In achievement-oriented educational contexts such as Singapore, this misalignment is particularly acute: students are implicitly discouraged from intellectual risk-taking, and the generative value of failure remains unrecognised. This paper proposes the Process–Progress Assessment Model (PPAM), a framework that shifts assessment focus from product to process across four integrated dimensions: Exploration and Risk-Taking, Iteration and Responsiveness, Reflection and Learning Agility, and Value Translation and Application. Uniquely, the PPAM is grounded in Mary Douglas's Grid-Group (GG) Typology, which serves as a theoretical lens to anticipate and accommodate plural learning preferences - Hierarchical, Individualistic, Egalitarian, and Fatalistic, thereby purposefully ensuring no learner disposition is systematically disadvantaged. The framework operates through three temporal checkpoints (Initiation, Mid-Action, Consolidation), drawing evidence from reflective logbooks, curated portfolios, and process prototypes, while embedding safeguards such as rater calibration and co-constructed analytic rubrics. A pilot survey of 17 undergraduates enrolled in a healthcare innovation elective revealed that students rated PPAM more favourably than traditional rubrics across nearly all dimensions, with the largest improvement in risk-taking and iteration (+0.71). Over half surveyed preferred a hybrid model integrating PPAM with traditional assessment, while none favoured a return to purely conventional rubrics. Workload emerged as the primary concern. These findings suggest that the PPAM offers a structured, transferable approach to assessment reform in design innovation and STEM education globally.

Authors:
Agnes Xue, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
Renjie Zheng, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
Desmond Y. R. Chong, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Agnes Xue is currently an Associate Professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology as well as a Visiting Senior Academician at SingHealth.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnesxuelishan/

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