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Authentic Assessment Dr Mojtaba Ammari

One of the biggest challenges of the HE sector is producing graduates who are ready for the workplace. Six pillars of the Coventry University education strategy encourage academic staff to bring authenticity to the design of learning and assessment. This guide will assist educators in developing their knowledge about authentic and inclusive assessment and providing them with simple models for implementing authenticity in their module/course.

Introduction

Inclusive Assessment

“Inclusive assessment refers to the design and use of fair and effective assessment methods and practices that enable all students to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do” Thomas & May, 2010:13

Designing Inclusive Assessment

How to make my Assessment Inclusive?

Three Cs

Choices, Communication, Cut-off dates
  • Make sure to consider a mixture of assessment methods,
  • Communicate these assessment methods with students,
  • There must be a clear cut-off point for each assessment task.
Inclusive assessment & Aunthenticity!

Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessment aims to integrate all activities in the classroom with what needed to be applied in the real world problem solving situation.

Authentic Assessment bridges knowledge and skills with real life. Real world problem-solving situations can be embedded into curriculum by contextualisation and problematisation of the curriculum. This will assist students with the skills and knowledge they need for employment after finishing their study.

Note: Authentic Assessment is Inclusive! However, there are Inclusive Assessments which are not Authentic.

“An assessment requiring students to use the same competencies, or combinations of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they need to apply in the criterion situation in professional life.” Gulikers, Bastiaens, and Kirschner, 2004:69

Authentic Assessments - Why?

  • Students’ difficulty in applying their knowledge (no link with real world)
  • Students feel unprepared for employment (lack of contextualisation)
  • Students feel unsecure after finishing the course (lack of problematisation)

Main characteristics

Realism, Cognitive challenge, Evaluative Judgement

Authentic Assessment bridges knowledge and skills with real life. Real world problem-solving situations cabn be embedded into curriculum by contextualisation and problematisation of the curriculum. This will assist students with the skills and knowledge they need for employment after finishing their study.

Authentic assessment - Some examples

Actual Driving test - is a good example of linking knowledge with the real-life experience
Debates, format of a debate can range from a formal presentation for opposing sides to less formal presentations in the classroom.

Photo taken from: https://www.itv.com/news/2015-04-02/leaders-showdown-why-live-television-debates-have-earned-a-place-in-our-general-election-campaigns/

Flight Simulators - Or any other simulations, Games, Role playing, Drama
Lab works and experiences

3-Step model for Authetic Assessment

How to make my assessment Authentic?

Based on Villarreal et al. 2018, I designed a 3-step model for designing and implementing authentic assessment as follows:

  • Graduate profiles (Standards),
  • The tasks,
  • Evaluative judgement & Feedback

The follwoing video provide you with further detail and information with regards to the above model:

Authentic Assessment - Some Practical Tips

  • Contextualise the topics - stay away from academic formalism and allow students to develop the ideas and reach the final product through active engagement with the process,
  • Encourage group activities with specific roles for each member in the group
  • Think about spectrum of assessment from low stakes to medium &high stakes - Presentations, Role palying, Scenarios, Posters, Portfolios, Case Studies, Simulations, Drama, etc.
  • Encourage self-assessment and Peer assessment
  • Design clear & Transparent Rubric for tasks

Rubrics

Authentic assessment by nature can be very subjective, so clear and transparent criteria and goals would enhance their evaluative judgement. So, they will be able to evaluate teh quality of their own work and also their peers.
Education for Sustainable Development and 17 Sustainable goals provide you with a very good categories of multi-disciplinary real-world issues for designing real world cases in your curriculum.

References

Mueller, J. http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm [22 Sept 2018]

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/10/10105/AUTHENTIC-ASSESSMENT_adapted_.pdf

http://www.deakin.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/268511/AUTHENTIC-ASSESSMENT.pdf

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396?journalCode=caeh20

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396?needAccess=true

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02602938.2013.819566?needAccess=true

https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development

Further Academic and Professional Development Opportunities at Coventry University

Coventry University Academic & Professional Development Courses CU Staff have access to a wide range of development courses. Check out the Organisation Development Course Booking Site for more details (authenticated access).

Lynda.Com CU staff have access to Lynda.Com providing a vast range of development courses. Check out this Coventry University Webpage for more details (authenticated access).

Academic Development Website CU Academic Development support, guide and develop staff across all areas of academic life. Check out the ACDEV Website for more details.

Credits:

This resource has been created by Dr Mojtaba Ammari-Allahyari, Hannelie Du Plessis-Walker, and Ian Upton of the Coventry University Academic Development Team. Content copyright Coventry University Licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA). Created with images by Adi Goldstein - "untitled image" • Annie Spratt - "untitled image" • Helloquence - "untitled image" • Gareth Davies - "untitled image" • João Silas - "untitled image" • Bruno Nascimento - "untitled image" • PublicDomainPictures - "roadsign signage signpost"