Exploring the use of multiple intelligences in formative assessments as part of a visual course

Abstract

Students enrolled in visual courses often display stronger visual spatial intelligences (Cooper 2009) but are still assessed focusing on linguistic intelligence. The purpose of the article is to explore whether utilisation of Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory in the assessment process will improve the student experience of the assessment process. A questionnaire accompanied by a mock assignment was utilised to obtain views from respondents enrolled in a predominately-visual course where the assessment process is predominantly linguistic. The results do not indicate a preference for a single intelligence, but rather a preference for various questioning style that cater for various intelligences. The recommendation based on this study is that the summative assessment should allow the student the option to choose how to display acquired knowledge according to their individual intelligence.