‘None of my other teachers know my face/emotions/thoughts’: digital technology and democratic assessment practices in higher education physical education

Digital technology and its use within democratic pedagogy has been an under-researched area in physical education (PE) and higher education (HE). Furthermore, we know little about how democratic assessment methods are experienced by students in HE. As such, this paper explored student perceptions and experiences of democratic assessment practices through video narratives in HE PE and how these video narratives allowed students to demonstrate their learning. Using student responses from an e-questionnaire, the findings discuss how the video narratives elevate students’ self-awareness, generate emotive and affective responses, elicit performative acts and provide an authentic assessment experience. In particular, the consideration of a student’s environment is presented as a novel finding in comparison to previous literature. We discuss these findings in relation to teachers’ democratic practices and video narratives as a vehicle for supporting authentic assessment experiences.