• Justin Masandi Kisuku Lez

Assessment practices in higher education remain largely dominated by summative and certification-oriented approaches that insufficiently support learning and student self-regulation. Research has consistently highlighted the limitations of assessment systems primarily focused on measurement, ranking, and accountability. Drawing on humanistic pedagogy and formative assessment theory, this article proposes DIDIMAL (Didactic Integrated Model for the Assessment of Learning) as a pedagogical framework for assessment innovation in African higher education. DIDIMAL reconceptualizes assessment as a continuous, ethical, and relational learning-support process grounded in humanitude, formative mediation, and systemic pedagogical coherence. The framework responds to the structural and pedagogical challenges faced by higher education systems in African and Global South contexts, including massification, limited resources, and entrenched examination cultures, while remaining aligned with internationally recognized principles of assessment for learning. DIDIMAL provides a conceptual foundation for rethinking assessment practices and for guiding future empirical research and institutional reform aimed at improving the quality, equity, and humanization of higher education.

DIDIMAL; assessment innovation; formative assessment; humanistic pedagogy; higher education; Africa

"DIDIMAL: A Pedagogical Framework for Assessment Innovation in African Higher Education", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no.c790-c792, January-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601298.pdf

"DIDIMAL: A Pedagogical Framework for Assessment Innovation in African Higher Education", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no. ppc790-c792, January-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601298.pdf