Affiliated Institution/Organization(s): Northwestern University
Session Format: Workshop
Session Tracks: AEA – Accessibility, Equity & Access
OP – Online Pedagogy & Instructional Strategies
SS – Student Success
IT – Innovation & Trends
Session Description
Reflective writing assignments are widely used across higher education to support self-assessment, professional identity formation, and transformative learning. However, traditional reflection papers may inadvertently privilege a single mode of expression and, in an era of generative AI, raise new questions about how educators assess authentic reflection. This presentation describes the redesign of a graduate health professions reflection assignment from a traditional essay into a multimodal assessment that allowed students to demonstrate reflection through journaling, storytelling, visual art, music, culinary projects, and other creative formats. Grounded in reflection theory and principles of learner-centered design, the redesign shifted assessment from evaluating written products to evaluating the reflective process itself: noticing, processing, and planning future action. Participants will examine the rationale, implementation, rubric redesign, and lessons learned from this curricular innovation. The session will explore how multimodal reflection assignments can support accessibility, student engagement, and authentic demonstrations of learning while maintaining academic rigor and intended learning outcomes.
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between reflective learning outcomes and the traditional written formats commonly used to assess learner reflection.
- Identify potential accessibility and authenticity challenges associated with conventional reflection paper assignments.
- Apply principles of multimodal assessment and learner choice to redesign a reflection assignment while maintaining the intended learning outcome.
Session Facilitator(s)
- Marissa Liveris
Bio(s)
Marissa Liveris, MMS, PA-C, AE-C, is Assistant Professor and Director of Academic Education for the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. She has served on the program faculty since 2018 and teaches across the didactic curriculum, including problem-based learning, clinical medicine, professional development, and assessment.
A practicing physician assistant and award-winning educator, Ms. Liveris’ work focuses on learner-centered curriculum design, professional identity formation, reflective practice, and equity in health professions education. She previously directed the program’s Behavioral and Preventive Medicine course, where she redesigned reflective assessment activities to incorporate multimodal approaches that support learner choice, accessibility, and authentic demonstration of learning. She completed Northwestern University’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Practicum and has additional training through the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project, with interests in creating inclusive learning environments and designing assessments that maintain rigor while expanding access.
Ms. Liveris serves on the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Exam Development Board and is a member of the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Higher Education at Loyola University Chicago, where her scholarly interests include the learning environment, professional identity formation, and equity in higher education.