Authentic Assessments

Equitable assessments take into account the various backgrounds, cultures, and contexts that students bring to the learning experience. When considering how to assess our students equitably, it helps to consider this quote from Josh Eyler on an episode of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Eyler argues that grades "measure the gap of educational opportunities, not really what the student can do." In Grading for Equity, Joe Feldman gives a compelling argument that students start at different places based on their opportunities before entering our class and gives this as evidence against weighting grades equally throughout the semester as is typical in most classrooms.

By giving students multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding in summative assessments, we allow students to bring their unique assets and interests to our classrooms. And finally, by connecting our course material to students' lives and the real-world, we build relevance and connection.

Authentic assessments can be either formative or summative. In an authentic assessment, students are required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by connecting the course content to a real-world context. These assignments allow students to showcase their talents, get creative, and share their work with a broader audience. 

Authentic Assessment Ideas

There are a number of different types of authentic assessments that instructors can integrate into their classes. Consider the following examples:

• Alternatives to the Traditional Exams as Measures of Student Learning Outcomes

• Portfolios: Portfolios allow students to document what they have learned over a specific period of time.  A student portfolio might include reflective/creative writing samples, compilation of research, video recordings, peer reviews, images/illustrations, and group work.

• Investigations/Case Studies: Teachers may choose to incorporate short investigations or case studies into their assessment plans to gauge how well students have understood basic concepts and skills. Most short investigations and case studies begin with some form of a prompt, or question, that requires students to apply what they have learned to solving a problem.

• Open-Response Questions: Open-response questions are also common forms of authentic assessments. One benefit of open-ended questions is that they can be easily added to a variety of other types of assessments (e.g., exams, etc.). Similar to investigations/case studies, open-ended questions usually begin with a prompt that students are asked to answer. However, there is great latitude that exists with the complexity of the question which could range from writing a brief written response to, developing a hypothesis, or solving a complex problem.

• Journals: Journals can also be used as assessment tools to help instructors learn how students think though specific activities or understand the course content. Oftentimes, journal entries are used as a means of describing how to solve specific problems or reflect on the learning process. Journals also offer students the opportunity to use the language of the specific discipline in their writings. From these writings, instructors will learn if students can appropriately apply terms and concepts in their writing, alerting them to gaps between course content and student understanding.

• Student Video Presentations: Students can share their knowledge of class concepts via video rather than a traditional essay or exam. Additionally, video presentations can enable students to demonstrate their reasoning--for instance, if a student presents a statistical analysis, they can dive deeper into the methods they utilized and why they picked those particular methods.

• Reflection Papers: Reflection papers are helpful for students to explore their understanding of and purpose for a particular assessment. A reflection paper also encourages students to make additional connections between what they're doing in the classroom and what they'll be doing beyond the classroom.

• Concept Maps: Find info and examples in the Beyond the Essay guide from Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.