The Transition Assessment Design Framework: an assessment-centered model for first-year course design

Supporting student transition into higher education remains a persistent challenge, particularly in large first-year courses. This paper introduces the Transition Assessment Design Framework (TADF), a practitioner-informed model that places assessment at the centre of transition pedagogy. The framework comprises two interconnected cycles. The inner cycle emphasises how authentic tasks, structured through scaffolding and iterative feedback, allow students to gradually build disciplinary confidence and capability. The outer cycle extends beyond task design, aligning relational support, co-curricular resources, and student-informed practices to strengthen belonging and motivation. Together, the cycles show how assessment design decisions can be intentionally aligned to support both academic development and affective adjustment as students enter a new disciplinary space. Drawing on an exemplar from a large first-year business course, the paper offers both a conceptual model and practical strategies for embedding transition pedagogy through assessment design.