Authentic assessment asks students to apply their skills and knowledge to real-world tasks and scenarios, demonstrating their competencies in a way that mirrors how they would need to in their prospective careers.

What makes an assessment authentic?

  1. Realism

    • real context

    • authentic tasks

  1. Cognitive Challenge

    • require higher-order skills

    • require students to demonstrate performances (such as critical and reflective analysis) and concrete products (such as a diagnostic report)

    • aim to develop cognitive and metacognitive skills

  1. Evaluative Judgement​:  foster students’ abilities to anticipate, monitor and improve the quality of their work and that of others

    • transparent criteria

    • feedback dialogue

    • self and peer assessment

Types of Authentic Assessments

Here are some general categories/types of authentic assessments:

  • Case studies

  • Role-playing Simulations

  • Writing to a real audience

  • Community-partnered research or project development

How to Create an Authentic Assessment? 

Step 1: considering the intended learning outcomes and workplace context

  • Graduation profile: How does my subject connect and contribute to achieving the competences of the graduation profile that this program is committed to develop in students?

  • Work requirements: How is the knowledge and skills learned in my subject related to the typical problems faced by professionals in the world of work?

Step 2: designing authentic assessment

  • Drafting rich context.

  • Creating a worthwhile task: to whom would it be important that my students learn this knowledge?

  • Requiring higher order skills.

Step 3: learning and applying standards for judgement

  • Assessment criteria and rubrics.

  • Engage students with criteria.

  • Judgement-making practice: providing students with the opportunity for self and peer assessment using those criteria

Step 4: giving feedback

  • Formative feedback.

  • Summative feedback.

  • Sustainable feedback: helping students gradually become able to make judgements about their own performance.

Practical tips

  • Balance Challenge, Skill Levels and Workload: Ensure that tasks are challenging enough to be engaging but also match the students’ current abilities, avoiding frustration or disengagement. Break down the assessment and provide feedback and guidance along the way. Offer support structures that aid students in the completion of complex tasks, such as checklists, timelines, or benchmarks.

  • Integrate Reflection: Have students reflect on their own academic performance on each assessment. Having them identify their own misconceptions and mistakes enhances their learning, helps to develop their metacognitive abilities, and is representative of what a professional must do when they err.

  • Emphasize Process and Product: Focus not just on the final outcome but also on the process, including planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. Create clear rubrics that reflect this.

  • Connect with Community: Whenever possible, link assessments with community or industry partners to add authenticity and professional networking opportunities.

DKU Student Perspectives

(to be added)

Resources
 
References

(PDF) Authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design (researchgate.net)

Creating authentic assessments | Online Teaching (umich.edu)