This paper proposes the use of visual assessment methods for students in the social sciences at the University of the Future. The current hegemony of the written word does not assist students seeking a degree to further their employment aspirations and the orthodoxy also restricts the development of effective research methods. The incorporation of visual methods such as photography can overcome these problems and provide appropriate learning experiences for the digital world. A new approach to assessments can also reconfigure the student role from a passive consumer into an active producer of knowledge.