In MAHEQ, teaching and assessment are closely connected. Learning is organised around active participation, dialogue, and engagement with real questions and situations. Students are expected to take an active role in shaping their learning, in collaboration with peers, teachers, and partners.

Assessment is part of this learning process. Throughout the programme, assessment supports reflection, feedback, and development, while also serving a formal role in decisions about progression and completion. These moments of judgement are embedded in the learning activities and guided by clear criteria and shared expectations.

This integrated approach creates a learning environment that is both challenging and supportive. It recognises that developing professional judgement takes time, practice, and responsibility, and that assessment contributes not only to evaluation, but also to learning how to work thoughtfully in complex and uncertain contexts.

Learning activities in MAHEQ are designed so that teaching, learning, and assessment reinforce one another. Courses combine seminars, collaborative work, guided inquiry, and engagement with practice-based contexts. Rather than separating “teaching time” from “assessment moments”, learning activities are structured so that assessment grows naturally out of the work students do across the programme.

Students work both individually and in groups, and across disciplines and contexts. Dialogue, peer learning, and shared reflection are central elements, allowing students to learn with and from each other. Engagement with external partners and real-world contexts is used to bring theoretical perspectives into conversation with practice, and to support learning that is grounded, critical, and situated.

Assessment tasks are closely aligned with these learning activities. They are designed to support exploration, integration, and reflection over time, rather than to test isolated knowledge or skills. Feedback is provided throughout the programme and is used actively to support learning progression, helping students develop clarity about expectations, quality, and their own professional judgement.

This integrated design supports a gradual progression across semesters. Students are given increasing responsibility for their learning and assessment tasks, while receiving structured guidance and feedback. In this way, learning and assessment together support both development and formal decision-making, without separating evaluation from the learning process itself.

Assessment in MAHEQ is understood as a shared and dialogical process in which learning and decision-making functions are embedded. Students take an active role in making their learning visible and in demonstrating how they meet the programme’s expected levels of competence and capability.

Across the programme, students work with a range of assessment formats, individually and collaboratively, to document and reflect on their learning. Through portfolios, projects, practice-related work, and reflective analyses, students assemble evidence that demonstrates how they integrate knowledge, experience, and judgement in relation to the programme’s learning outcomes.

Assessment involves professional judgement by academic staff and external partners, based on this evidence and guided by transparent criteria. Dialogue and feedback are integral to the process and support students in articulating and strengthening their claims to competence. In this way, assessment also becomes a space where students learn to justify, explain, and take responsibility for their professional development.

Formal decisions about progression and completion are made at defined points in the programme, in line with joint procedures and academic regulations. These decisions are grounded in documented assessment evidence and collective academic judgement, ensuring that assessment remains rigorous, fair, and consistent across the joint programme.

Progression in MAHEQ is organised clearly and transparently. Expectations and minimum requirements are communicated at each stage of the programme, and students receive regular feedback to help them understand how their work relates to these expectations. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning and to discuss their progress openly with teachers and peers.

Support for learning is shared across the programme. Teaching staff provide supervision, guidance, and assessment, while peer learning and collaboration are actively encouraged. Students learn not only through individual work, but also by working together, giving and receiving feedback, and engaging in joint reflection. External partners contribute by bringing practice-based perspectives into learning and assessment activities.

The programme is organised around collaboration across courses, institutions, and practice settings. Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined: students are responsible for documenting and explaining their learning, teachers are responsible for providing feedback and professional judgement, and the programme provides structure, criteria, and coordination. This shared approach supports fairness while allowing space for dialogue and co-creation within learning activities.

Quality assurance and progression decisions follow agreed joint procedures and academic regulations. These procedures ensure that assessment and progression are consistent and fair across the programme, while still allowing for variation in teaching and learning approaches across different contexts.

Further details on progression, assessment procedures, and student support are provided in the MAHEQ Student Handbook and programme documentation.