%0 Journal Article
%T Managing the sublime aesthetic when communicating an assessment regime: The Burkean Pendulum
%A Alexander Kofinas
%J Management Learning
%@ 1461-7307
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/1350507617738864
%X The importance of understanding students¡¯ engagement is prominent in higher education. Assessment is the main driver of student engagement, a phenomenon known as backwash. I propose in this paper that students¡¯ engagement with learning is often driven by an aesthetic motivation. I establish the connections between Burke¡¯s (and Kant¡¯s) conceptualisation of aesthetics as a dichotomy of beauty and the sublime (which I label the Burkean Pendulum) to motivation. I explore the links between this aesthetic motivation and the assessment regime focussing on the Burkean/Kantian sublime and suggest four communication strategies that can help manage the sublime when it arises in students¡¯ education journeys. Thus, my contributions are twofold: firstly, I introduce the Burkean Pendulum as a means for educators to reflect on the aesthetic aspects of their designed assessment regimes. Secondly, I propose a framework of communication strategy narratives (Thriller, Horror, Exploration and Action) that could be used to manage the sublime of the assessment regime
%K Aesthetics
%K assessment regime
%K communication strategy
%K student engagement
%K sublime
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1350507617738864