From Romeo to Rubrics or why I 'ship' Romeo and Juliet

In this blog, Rebecca Dowbiggin links the ‘linguistic divide’ students may face when reading Shakespeare to the importance of clearer assessment language. She argues for a culture in which "assessment is not a mystery, but a tool for growth. Where the language of learning is one that we build together". Rebecca is an Assessment Network Ambassador, Education Consultant, Tutor, and Academic Supervisor on our Postgraduate qualification.

Do you 'ship' Romeo and Juliet? Ever since one of my students asked me if I “shipped” Romeo and Juliet, I have been thinking about language. Not just the poetic kind that Shakespeare gives us, but the living, changing kind my students speak every day. To “ship” (for the uninitiated) is to support a romantic relationship between characters, real or fictional." The term caught me off guard. I hadn't heard the expression before. After a brief laugh of surprise, I paused, realising they were doing something quite profound. My student was not asking a rhetorical question about star-crossed lovers. They were inviting me into their world, using the language of fandoms and social media to make sense of 16th-century literature. In that moment, I saw the creative ways students use their own cultural references and digital native language to interpret traditional content. They were not just engaging with Shakespeare; they were translating it into something that felt alive and personal. It was then that I became aware of the linguistic divide between us: at times, I speak a completely different language from many of my students and not just in terms of slang. Why communication matters in assessment I spoke about this very moment during the Assessment Horizons conference back in April. As part of the panel session, where James Beadle, Dee Arp, and I were invited by Chair Paul Ellis to reflect on the skills we most rely on in our day-to-day roles as panel members, I highlighted communication as one of the most essential. I discussed how communication has evolved to include the ability to use technology to connect effectively across cultural contexts and time zones, whether through video calls, collaborative platforms, or instant messaging, and how vital this has become in fostering inclusive, responsive dialogue.

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