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Authentic conditions for authentic assessment: Aligning task and assessment
Abstract
Despite major discussion and consideration of authentic assessment through the 1990s, little progress appears to have been made towards its widespread adoption in higher education. Universities often serve to limit the use of authentic approaches in learning tasks and assessment, through restrictive policies. In this paper, we briefly review the literature and summarise the characteristic elements of authentic assessment, and argue that task, assessment and university policies must be aligned for truly effective use of authentic assessment to occur in higher education. Authentic assessment in higher education: A major issue If exploring alternative approaches to assessment was 'one of the major issues of the decade' in the 1990s (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1993), it could be argued that higher education teachers in the current decade are scarcely more informed when it comes to the practical implementation and use of alternative, authentic assessment methods. Innovative and appealing ideas about a range of alternative assessment methods have been espoused over the last decade, perhaps in response to the challenges and opportunities offered by new technologies, in particular, online learning (Reeves, 2000). Because online courses are not constrained by the requirement for fixed and regular timetabled classes, they allow teachers to use more complex and sustained, product-based assessments. As is often the case with technology-based learning (Mioduser, Nachmias, Oren, & Lahav, 1999), just as these doors were opening, further developments were reducing opportunities, with the widespread adoption of course management systems. Such systems, most noticeably in their early years, enticed teachers to design their courses in weekly segments with regular assessments that were often easily marked on a computer, such as multiple choice tests. While innovative teachers have always been capable of finding ways around these limitations, the overall movement to more authentic forms of assessment has clearly been compromised, or at least delayed.
... In a workplace, it is the degree to which a final product or performance meets its purpose that is the overall determinant of its success. An authentic assessment should simulate and measure a real-world test of abilityrather than just match items to curriculum contentthrough a closer alignment of the task and the conditions under which it is assessed (Herrington and Herrington 2006). While accuracy of the assessment activity in addressing the needs of the real-work environment reflects on the assessment value, it is important for the educator to ensure that students understand this connection and also perceive the assessment as valuable. ...
... The students' initial motivation to speak in English for most students at school was identified all very low. Generally, the students were afraid of making any mistakes to speak in English that affected their motivation and self-confidence to speak (Herrington & Herrington, 2006;Rennert-Ariev, 2005). A preliminary observation identified that the students tend to keep silent when they were asked to speak in English. ...
The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture published the 2013 Curriculum which demands teachers to apply authentic assessment as the method of assessing the students’ competence. Point to that, the implementation of authentic assessment as well as its washback should be investigated. For that reason, this study is trying to investigate: (1) authentic assessments applied in English teaching and learning, (2) the types of authentic assessment used, (3) the teachers’ difficulties in applying authentic assessment, (4) washback effect of the use of authentic assessment. This study applied qualitative design to capture the implementation of authentic assessment. Observation, documentation, questionnaire, and interview were carried out to get the data. The subject are English teachers and the students. The results showed that the authentic assessment applied in English teacher class of SMP N 6 Semarang, especially in eighth grade is in the level good. The teachers had applied authentic assessments in the teaching and learning process. The types of the authentic assessments were oral interview (in speaking test), story or text retelling (in speaking), writing sample (in writing test), and experiment or demonstration. Furthermore, relating to the washback of authentic assessment, it has been confirmed by the teachers that its implementation can improves the student’s English learning achievement. On the other hand, teachers also faced some difficulties in applying authentic assessment due to their lack of knowledge of authentic assessment.
... AL is a multidisciplinary approach that allows students to explore and construct concepts and relationships in the context of real problems (Herrington & Herrington, 2006). Lombardi (2007) defined AL as an effective teaching strategy in that it allows students to make connections between existing knowledge and discover new knowledge in context. ...
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between creative self-efficacy (CSE), rational experiential thinking, and cognitive flexibility thinking skills, and authentic learning self-efficacy (ALSE) as a result of authentic learning (AL) activities in educational online social networks. The participants of the research are 102 university students. The study group was determined by a convenient sampling method. Variance-based PLS-SEM using partial least square was used to examine the relationships between research variables. According to the research findings, it is seen that cognitive flexibility in online social networks has a significant effect on experiential ability and rational favorability. Findings show that rational favorability has a positive and significant effect on CSE. Research findings indicate that personal variables such as gender, age, and academic success perception do not have a significant effect on CSE in learning that takes place in online social networks. It was evaluated whether CSE has an effect on online ALSE, and it was found that other sub-dimensions other than “keeping up with technological advancements” are significant.
... [16,19] In most of the previous studies, students preferred the online mode of examination where the online examination was implemented after adequate preparation and with proper infrastructure, in a secured website, using MCQ-based questionnaire within well-structured examination centers. [1,17,[20][21][22] In particular, the OA was preferred by students when it was conducted in the university's own server system or web-based learning management system; using randomized MCQ type questions, feedback and score with item analysis was provided immediately after the examination. [17,21] Other reasons for preference of these types of online examination were-high security, support for computer glitches, appropriate Internet support and almost no provision of using unfair means. ...
Background
Assessment has a very important role in curricular development by motivating students and target setting, providing appropriate feedback and quality assurance. During COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, most of the medical schools throughout the world including India had to undergo a paradigm shift from face to face to online mode in medical education and assessment. This study was planned to assess and analyze the perception and opinion of 1 st -year medical students from all over the country regarding the online assessment (OA) process that emerged during the COVID 19 pandemic. We also tried to find out the preferred resources that the students wanted to access via online mode and any major hindrance they faced.
Methodology
It was a cross-sectional, Internet based, online survey conducted on 1 st year medical students from all over India.
Result
Students preferred the traditional (face to face) examinations over the OA in terms of usefulness, motivation, answering long answer questions, adequacy of allotted time, and ease of performance. However, they favored OA in terms of examination anxiety, examiner bias, and answering the objective type of questions. The lack of good Internet connectivity was considered a major hindrance.
Conclusion
This information might be helpful for respective authorities to establish an effective online platform which could deliver an authentic and valid OA in future during any crisis.
... Lynn Vos examines the educational value of marketing simulation games in Chapter 5. Along with other authors in this collection, Vos grounds her teaching recommendations within an explicit pedagogical approach. Authentic learning recommends applied tasks that can lead to deeper learning when students are given sufficient practice, challenge, formative feedback and time for reflection (Newmann et al., 1996;Gulikers et al., 2006;Herrington and Herrington, 2006;Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014;Lincoln and Cassidy, 2018;Villarroel et al., 2018). Marketing simulation games are by nature active learning tools that mirror elements of real-world business decisions while removing the main risks associated with decision making in practice, and thus simulations fulfil a core requirement of authentic learning -a simulated experience from the work environment that can develop students' higher-level thinking skills. ...
... Research in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education indicates that assessments based on authentic scenarios improve students learning experiences, motivation and workforce readiness. 22 The Australian Universities Teaching Committee and the National Department of Education and Training's Best Practice Principles for curriculum development in professional postgraduate programs include the need to: ...
Authentic conflict scenarios are an essential basis for learning activities and assessment tasks in the conflict management and resolution field. Authentic scenarios allow students to apply theories and skills to realistic situations, enhancing their learning experiences and workforce readiness. However, finding suitable conflict scenarios for use in teaching and learning is challenging due to a) Confidentiality : limiting the types of conflicts that can be used; b) Evolving resources: conflicts already in the public eye are often complex and continue to evolve which requires a great deal of effort by educators to update content, restricts the diversity of resources available, and makes it difficult to impartially present all aspects of a conflict in an engaging way; and c) Lack of engaging resources: fictitious scenarios are often presented in written text only, failing to provide interactive and engaging resources. In 2016, the James Cook University (JCU) Conflict Management and Resolution (CMR) Program, with the support of a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) grant, created an authentic and digitally accessible conflict scenario designed to address these challenges and deliver improved learning experiences for postgraduate conflict management and resolution students and educators. This article discusses the value of authentic scenarios to improve postgraduate student experiences and career outcomes in the dispute resolution field, the approach taken by the JCU CMR Program to develop the scenario and presents findings from preliminary feedback from students’ and educators’ experience using the conflict scenario in postgraduate course work.
... Software Engineering teaching draws from various teaching pedagogies to prepare students for their future. The focus of teaching Software Engineering has been mainly process oriented with the aim to develop problem-solving skills [13] and providing them authentic assessments to prepare them for real world projects [14]. Due to the nature of discipline, computer science students require hand-on practice to transform their knowledge to skills. ...
This paper contributes to Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by proposing a dynamic model to support subject design for Computer Science during the current Coronavirus pandemic. The proposed G-READY model borrows from the greedy algorithm, which can support quick and efficient transition of subject teaching from F2f to online mode and vice versa in the most economical and time efficient manner. This model aims to deliver adaptable, optimized learning experience to students within shortest possible time frame. The paper also offers a support repository of learning and teaching tools that can help the faculty with designing their subjects with minimal effort spent on exploration for resources. This open source repository is aimed to bring efficiency to the process of curating effective learning and teaching resources for computer science teaching and can be extended further. The G-READY model proposes a learning design that is insightful, reflective, dynamic and learning supportive.
The digital revolution has brought about significant changes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), transforming teaching, learning, and assessment. The chapter explores the impact of this paradigm shift from analogue to digital methods and discuss how education practices in higher education institutions have been revolutionized. The chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the key models and approaches that have guided this critical transformation. The mission of this chapter is to provide educators, researchers, and practitioners with an in-depth understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping higher education. The examination of the various models and approaches, is aimed at providing strategies needed to effectively navigate the digital space and enhance teaching, learning, and assessment. At the same time, the chapter recognizes that digital transformation of higher education comes with its own set of concerns and challenges. The best practices have also been suggested in the chapter.
A call for further research on authentic assessment in higher education has gained pace demanding learners have critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, and innovation skills. Yet the mechanisms of assessing learners to shape and harness these critical skills and desired pedagogical outcomes remain contested and under-theorised. Premised on being practical in application, offering opportunities for work, fostering best practices, and reducing risk of contract cheating, the adoption of authentic assessments is inevitable. Authentic assessments enable students to tackle real-world issues. By drawing from fine-grained research and contextualised understanding of authentic assessments, this study hopes to provide building blocks helpful in developing key considerations for institutions to use. The aim of this study is to contribute to existing research repertoire on the subject that seems to be at the intersection of pedagogy and the demands of the workplace.
The impacts of cooperative and competitive efforts on problem solving were compared. In order to resolve the controversy over whether cooperation promotes higher- or lower-quality individual problem solving than does competition, 46 studies, published between 1929 and 1993, were examined. The findings from these studies were classified in 4 categories according to the type of problem solving measured: linguistic (solved through written and oral language), nonlinguistic (solved through symbols, math, motor activities, actions), well-defined (having clearly defined operations and solutions), and ill-defined (lacking clear definitions, operations, and solutions). The 63 relevant findings that resulted were subjected to a meta-analysis for purposes of integration. Members of cooperative teams outperformed individuals competing with each other on all 4 types of problem solving (effect sizes = 0.37, 0.72, 0.52, 0.60, respectively). These results held for individuals of all ages and for studies of high, medium, and low quality. The superiority of cooperation, however, was greater on nonlinguistic than on linguistic problems.
Why do many innovations fail to improve the quality of instruction or student achievement? In 1990, we began to explore this question by studying schools that have tried to restructure. Unfortunately, even the most innovative activities—from school councils and shared decision making to cooperative learning and assessment by portfolio—can be implemented in ways that undermine meaningful learning, unless they are guided by substantive, worthwhile educational ends. We contend that innovations should aim toward a vision of authentic student achievement, and we are examining the extent to which instruction in restructured schools is directed toward authentic forms of student achievement. We use the word authentic to distinguish between achievement that is significant and meaningful and that which is trivial and useless. To define authentic achievement more precisely, we rely on three criteria that are consistent with major proposals in the restructuring movement: 1 (1) students construct meaning and produce knowledge, (2) students use disciplined inquiry to construct meaning, and (3) students aim their work toward production of discourse, products, and performances that have value or meaning beyond success in school.2
A problem for educators and the developers of interactive multimedia is the apparent incongruity between the demands of authentic assessment and the deliverables of computer‐based assessment. Lecturers wishing to use interactive multimedia are commonly limited to assessment using multiple choice tests which are easily marked by the computer.This article describes seven defining characteristics of authentic assessment which have been operationalized in a learning environment employing interactive multimedia. The article describes the multimedia program and its implementation with a class of pre‐service teachers. The implication of these findings for educational practice are that authentic assessment can be used within interactive multimedia learning environments, albeit not totally contained within the software itself. The qualitative study reported here showed that students responded favourably to the elements of authentic assessment; that they had a good understanding of the content of the interactive multimedia program; and that the assessment was corroborated by observation of teaching strategies used by the students in their teaching practice.
Current debate about assessment in higher education raises educational and political issues. Lecturers who wish to make their assessment more reliable and rigorous, as well as more effective in improving students' learning, need more than technical help to do so. This paper reports findings from an action research project which focused on assessment practice at the University of Sunderland, UK. It highlights tensions between genuine educational concerns to improve practice and more instrumental pressures, for example, to defend one's assessment practice from challenges by students, colleagues and external bodies. It is argued that improvement, rather than mere change, will require the commitment of people who possess intimate day-to-day contextual knowledge of assessment, and who recognise its educational and political complexities. The findings highlight two areas for further research: ways of inducting and involving students in an 'assessment community', and institutional staff development designed to improve assessment practice.
In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on assessment results, as well as increasing concern about the nature of the most widely used forms of student assessment and uses that are made of the results. These conflicting forces have helped create a burgeoning interest in alternative forms of assessments, particularly complex, performance-based assessments. It is argued that there is a need to rethink the criteria by which the quality of educational assessments are judged, and a set of criteria that are sensitive to some of the expectations for performance-based assessments is proposed.