Authentic assessments are performance-based evaluations that ask students to apply what they are learning to real-world situations, similar to those they will encounter in their professional lives (Frey, Schmitt, & Allen, 2012). Sometimes referred to as workforce-relevant assessments, they shift the focus from traditional tasks like essays or exams to more practical applications of skills in realistic contexts (Raymond, Homer, Smith, & Gray, 2013).
Benefits for students
From a student perspective, authentic assessments make learning more meaningful and engaging. Instead of completing assignments that feel disconnected from their goals, students work on tasks that mirror real responsibilities in their field. This approach encourages deeper critical thinking and reflection, as students must evaluate their decisions and monitor their progress while completing complex tasks (Poindexter, Hagler, & Lindell, 2015; Ashford-Rowe, Herrington, & Brown, 2014).
Most importantly, authentic assessments help students see the connection between coursework and career readiness. By working through real-world scenarios and producing work similar to what professionals create, students build practical skills they can carry into the workforce (Litchfield & Dempsey, 2015). Research shows that graduates value these types of experiences, with many reporting that more real-world applications in their coursework would have better prepared them for employment (Cengage, 2021).
The development process
Click to learn more about each step of the process.
Begin by asking yourself, “What should students know and be able to do at the conclusion of the assessment?” This question kicks off the development of all assessment types and content additions in your course.
The answer to this question will help you to develop or identify the objective to which you need to align the assessment.
It’s important to note that your authentic assessment will likely ask students to complete tasks at the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Once objectives have been identified, you’ll then need to identify what tasks students will need to complete to complete the objective. Authentic experiences often occur in multiple parts, so you might consider scaffolding the experience across multiple weeks or modules.
Tasks might include activities like interviews, guest speakers, case studies, simulations and role play, writing or presenting to a real audience, community-partnered research, or project development.
In order to adequately communicate your expectations and help your students understand the purpose of the assessment, you will need to develop clear evaluation criteria.
Consider: What does a good or a bad performance on each task look like? Sketching out criteria will inform your description of the assessments for students and help you identify important resources they will need to be successful, and it will also help you develop grading criteria.
If you’re developing an assessment from scratch, consider how well you believe students will perform on the assessment. Or, if you have offered this once before and are making modifications, ask yourself, “How well did the students perform?”
Student performance, or levels of performance, when paired with your identified criteria will inform the creation of rubrics. A rubric should be provided for any tasks students will complete, graded or otherwise.
At this point, you have identified your objective, identified and scaffolded authentic tasks, identified supporting materials, and created a rubric that defines criteria and level of performance. Now, it’s time to consider how you will guide student performance.
Consider: How should most students perform on the assessment? This is a good opportunity for you to create (or identify) exemplars and non-exemplars of student performance. For example, if students are asked to craft a solution to a case study in small groups, provide examples of high-quality and low-quality work. Consider including an example completed rubric to help show students how the work corresponds to the grading criteria.
References
- Amos, L.K. (2016). Baccalaureate nursing programs. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/bsn-article - Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J., & Brown, C. (2014). Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 39(2), 205-222. DOI:10.1080/02602938.2013.819566
- Barber, W., King, S., & Buchanan, S. (2015). Problem based learning and authentic assessment in digital pedagogy: Embracing the role of collaborative communities. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 13(2), 59-67.
- Chong, E.J.M., Lim, J.S.W., Liu, Y., Lau, Y.Y.L., & Wu, V.X. (2016). Improvement of learning domains of nursing students with the use of authentic assessment pedagogy in clinical practice. Nurse Education in Practice, 20, 125-130. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2016.08.002
- Carter, A. G., Sidebotham, M., Creedy, D. K., Fenwick, J., & Gamble, J. (2015). Strengthening partnerships: The involvement of health care providers in the evaluation of authentic assessment within midwifery undergraduate education. Nurse Education in Practice, 15(4), 327-332. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2015.01.013
- Coben, D., & Weeks, K. (2014). Meeting the mathematical demands of the safety-critical workplace: medication dosage calculation problem-solving for nursing. Educational Studies In Mathematics, 86(2), 253-270. doi:10.1007/s10649-014-9537-3
- Frey, B. B., Schmitt, V. L., & Allen, J. P. (2012). Defining authentic classroom assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 17(2), 1-18.
- Georgakis, S., Wilson, R., & Evans, J. (2015). Authentic assessment in physical education: A case study of game sense pedagogy. Physical Educator, 72(1), 67-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1700478916?accountid=35812
- Hensel, D. d., & Stanley, L. (2014). Group simulation for “authentic” assessment in a maternal-child lecture course. Journal Of The Scholarship Of Teaching & Learning, 14(2), 61-70. DOI:10.14434/josotl.v14i2.4081
- Litchfield, B. C., & Dempsey, J. V. (2015). Authentic assessment of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. New Directions For Teaching & Learning, 2015(142), 65-80. DOI:10.1002/tl.20130
- Poindexter, K., Hagler, D., & Lindell, D. (2015). Designing Authentic Assessment: Strategies for Nurse Educators. Nurse Educator, 40(1), 36-40. DOI: 10.1097/NNE.0000000000000091
- Raymond, J. E., Homer, C. S. E., Smith, R., & Gray, J. E. (2013). Learning through authentic assessment: An evaluation of a new development in the undergraduate midwifery curriculum. Nurse Education in Practice, 13(5), 471-6. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2012.10.006
- Sabin, M., Weeks, K. W., Rowe, D. A., Hutton, B. M., Coben, D., Hall, C., & Woolley, N. (2013). Safety in numbers 5: Evaluation of computer-based authentic assessment and high fidelity simulated OSCE environments as a framework for articulating a point of registration medication dosage calculation benchmark. Nurse Education in Practice, 13(2), e55-65. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2012.10.009
