Web 2.0 tools allow the instructor to create more authentic assessment opportunities that students, educators, and the global community can utilize for learning. What exactly makes an assessment "authentic?" It is not just looking at the child's test-taking skills or their speaking skills. Rather, it looks at students in their natural environment and includes creativity, reading, writing, speaking, and collaboration and a variety of other skills. It also involves students being evaluated on meaningful, and real-world projects. In an online or blended learning environment, students have the opportunity to create and share their online projects with others which ultimately, make the final product an authentic learning artifact. Throughout this course you have been assigned authentic projects from creating a video presence to developing a class discussion. These projects are "real-world" items you (as well as your colleagues) can begin to use and adapt immediately.
The video below is a digital story project that was created by a student learning about authentic assessment. Now, the student is providing a learning artifact he/she was evaluated on that can be used by anyone to become knowledgeable authentic assessments. As you view the video think about how the projects you evaluate your students on can be meaningful and shared outside of your existing LMS.
Read, "Comprehensive Assessment: A Short History" by Suzie Boss, Journalist and PBL advocate.
"Comprehensive assessment embraces the whole system of assessing student understanding as a mechanism to improve teaching and learning."
"An Introduction to Comprehensive Assessment - YouTube." 18 Jan. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WusyF6hRMRs. Accessed 30 May. 2017.
"Authentic Assessment: Examples & Overview - YouTube." 17 Jan. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQPCk27tM4U. Accessed 31 May. 2017.
"Comprehensive Assessment: A Short History | Edutopia." 22 Aug. 2011, https://www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-history. Accessed 31 May. 2017.