Rate My Professor Rob Wass

Wass's research specializations encompass metacognition, assessment practices, peer review, critical thinking, and student engagement in higher education settings. He is currently investigating metacognition awareness as professional development for sessional teachers. His highly cited publications include 'Sharpening a tool for teaching: the zone of proximal development' (Teaching in Higher Education, 2014; 494 citations), 'Scaffolding critical thinking in the zone of proximal development' (Higher Education Research & Development, 2011; 367 citations), 'Good teaching as care in higher education' (Higher Education, 2020; 211 citations), 'An assessment arms race and its fallout: high-stakes grading and the case for slow scholarship' (Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2015; 173 citations), 'Photovoice as a research method for higher education research' (Higher Education Research & Development, 2020; 105 citations), and 'Student peer review as a process of knowledge creation through dialogue' (Higher Education Research & Development, 2021; 61 citations). Wass has led initiatives such as the Good Teaching Project, the PASS peer learning programme—which earned a national award in 2020—and Teaching and Learning Circles. He received the HERDSA TERNZ Research Medal in 2022 for contributions to first-year student experience research and became the first University of Otago recipient of the HERDSA Fellowship in 2021, developing an academic development mentorship programme. Additionally, he serves on the Committee for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching. His scholarship has amassed over 1,800 citations on Google Scholar.