2026-11-02 12:38:39
From assessment to shared action: PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors met in Budapest
How can institutions turn assessment experiences into meaningful support for teaching development? This question guided the International Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors’ (IPA) on-site meeting in Budapest on 26–27 October 2026. Through practical international peer exchange, participants explored institutional roles, responses to assessment challenges and opportunities for future cooperation.
The meeting continued the work of the IPA Network and the 2026 Joint Course Design Competence Assessment. It brought institutional representatives together to reflect on their experiences and consider how teachers, students, colleagues and institutional leaders can contribute to improving teaching and learning. The workshop was developed and facilitated by Dr Laura Sinóros-Szabó, with contributions from Jan Beseda, Dr Linda Huszár and Szilvia Besze.
Connecting assessment, development and institutional roles
The first afternoon focused on institutional assessment experiences and the Continuous Development Cycle (CDC). Participants reviewed how assessment can inform development priorities and mapped the actions needed at different stages of the cycle.
The discussions also examined who can support this process. Participants explored the roles and competencies of IPAs and other institutional stakeholders, considering how responsibilities can be shared across different institutional contexts. This placed assessment within a broader development process, connecting feedback with shared goals, practical support and follow-up.
Digitalisation, internationalisation, inclusion and diversity, and sustainability provided cross-cutting perspectives throughout the programme. Participants explored how these dimensions should be integrated into the design and implementation of both assessment processes and support programmes.
Working through challenges and sharing practical responses
On the second morning, participants explored assessment challenges through “worst-case scenarios” and discussed possible responses. These activities created opportunities to examine difficulties in implementation and compare approaches from different institutions.
The exchange then moved towards good practices and recommendations for each stage of the CDC. Participants considered how institutions can prepare and engage stakeholders, support meaningful participation and use assessment findings to guide further development.
A further session looked beyond the meeting itself, exploring potential joint projects, funding opportunities and priorities for continued cooperation within the IPA community.
Bringing institutional and teacher perspectives together
On 27 October afternoon, the ambassadors joined participants of the PROFFORMANCE On-site Peer Learning Activity, “Upgrade your course: Make it truly student-centred”. The joint session connected institutional approaches with teachers’ experiences on institutional assessment and development of teaching and learning.
Participants shared and reflected on their experiences with self-assessment, explored ways of meaningfully engaging students in the assessment process, and discussed the challenges, opportunities and practical approaches to implementing peer assessment. Particular attention was given to how the different perspectives – self-reflection, student feedback and peer input – can complement one another and provide a more comprehensive understanding of teaching and learning practices. The discussions highlighted how assessment results and feedback can be translated into concrete development actions, supporting meaningful improvement at both individual teacher and institutional levels.
Institutional support, motivation and recognition were central themes. Discussions addressed the conditions that enable teachers to participate in professional learning and put development ideas into practice.
The meeting connected three strands of work: understanding institutional roles across the CDC, exchanging practical responses to assessment challenges, and identifying support for continued development. It also provided space for ambassadors to strengthen professional connections and explore how their institutions could continue learning and working together.
