Some tips for the design of authentic assessments
Authentic assessment is a form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills.
Here are some tips for redesigning existing assessments so that they may become more authentic:
1. Real-World Relevance: Create assessments that reflect the complexities of the real-world situations students might face in their chosen field of study.
2. Skill Application: Design tasks where students need to apply knowledge and skills, not just recall facts.
3. Open-Ended Tasks: Use open-ended tasks that require critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
4. Collaboration: Encourage collaboration in assignments where appropriate. This could include team projects or group presentations.
5. Reflection: Provide opportunities for students to reflect on their learning journey and outcomes. This could involve self-assessments or reflective essays.
6. Multiple Formats: Allow students to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways. This could be through presentations, portfolios, or multimedia projects as alternatives to more traditional reports/essays.
7. Ongoing Feedback: Provide ongoing, constructive feedback that can help students improve their performance on future tasks.
8. Realistic Expectations: Ensure that the tasks you set are challenging, yet achievable with the knowledge and skills the students have been taught.
9. Integration of Skills: Develop assignments that require students to integrate and apply a variety of skills and knowledge from different areas of their course.
10. Ethics and Responsibility: Incorporate aspects of professional ethics and social responsibility into assessments to help prepare students for future employment.
In addition, you may find it helpful to take a look through this resource which focusses more on the role of ‘digital in authentic assessment.