Authentic Assessment

DCAD Team

What is Authentic Assessment?

There are several definitions of authentic assessment. However, the one that we will be using here is from Lydia Arnold, which considers authentic assessments to be activities that are:

Relevant to future employment.
Relevant to the advancement of the discipline.
Relevant to our collective future.
Relevant to individual aspiration.

It is important not to conflate “real world” with “world of work”. Authentic assessment is about more than just training for the world of work.

Authentic assessments often:

Mirror real, complex challenges.
Result in diverse outputs.
Equip students to work with uncertainty.
Cause students to reflect meaningfully on their learning.
Focus on ‘process’ as well as product.

What are the benefits of Authentic Assessments?

Benefits include:

They are a good driver for learning.
Students are motivated by it.
Students find it more interesting and rewarding.
Students develop higher order thinking skills.
Students develop a wider range of skills.
There is the opportunity for more inclusive practice.

Examples of Authentic Assessments

Browse our collection of Authentic Assessment Case Studies from colleagues at Durham.

Lydia Arnold has put together a set of 50 examples of activities that could be developed as authentic assessments. These are available in the form of “Top Trumps” cards that support consideration of different aspects of the tasks in relation to relative strengths for authentic assessment.

Authentic Assessment Top Trumps – Lydia Arnold

How do I know where graduates go from my subject or what employers are looking for?

Although we do not want to place the whole focus of authentic assessment on what students do in their future employment, considering where recent graduates have been employed can be a useful insight into some of the skills that could be meaningful to them. Durham University has an interactive dashboard available to all staff (on request) that summarises where graduates from each discipline go. There is also software available that is able to look at thousands of job descriptions to identify the skills and experience that are being requested by employers. Please contact the Learning Design team if you are interested in these tools.

What are the critical elements of Authentic Assessments?

In 2014, Ashford-Rowe, Herrington & Brown conducted a study to establish the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. They identified eight elements to enhance the authenticity of an assessment:

1. An authentic assessment should be challenging.

The degree of challenge of an assessment task should reflect the challenge of real-world situations or tasks. The assessment tasks should require students to analyse and synthesise skills and knowledge to achieve specific outcomes, with particular emphasis on the importance of constructing meaning, rather than just reproducing the knowledge.

2. The outcome of an authentic assessment should be in the form of a performance or product (outcome).

An authentic assessment should lead to a performance or a product that showcases a students’ skills and knowledge through complex tasks (i.e. using higher order thinking skills, problem solving and creativity). Assessment designers need to balance the extent to which there is a need to demonstrate specific skills with the requirements to produce a successful outcome/output.

3. Authentic assessment design should ensure transfer of knowledge.

In an authentic assessment, knowledge and skills may be drawn from across multiple areas to then be applied in another, often unrelated area (i.e. transfer of skills and knowledge across domains). It is useful to consider the link between knowledge, skills and curriculum outcomes with workplace applications, to reinforce the authenticity of the assessment.

4. Metacognition should be a component of authentic assessment.

Metacognition is an awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. It is a valuable process for critical reflection and self-evaluation. There is significant evidence as to the benefits of ongoing self-assessment to improve understanding, personal development and performance. It can stimulate deeper learning and supports making connections between classroom learning and experiences beyond the classroom. Inclusion of active critical reflection within assessment activities is therefore beneficial to support student learning and promotes good practice for success beyond their studies.

5. It is important to ensure accuracy of authenticity in assessment performance.

Authentic assessments should evaluate both the learner’s intellectual input as well as the relevance of the skills to real-world applications. Authentic assessments should simulate real-world conditions and be a real-world test of ability, rather than being designed only to match curriculum content. It is important to make sure that the students understand how the assessment task relates to the real-world, otherwise the assessment will not be perceived as meaningful (authentic) to the students.

6. It is important to consider the assessment environment and the tools used to deliver the assessment task.

The design of the assessment should ensure that the environment and the tools used closely replicate real-world contexts. Perfect simulation may not be possible, however, the assessment should reflect relevant conditions. Incorporating culturally appropriate language and materials can enhance authenticity.

7. Opportunities to discuss and provide feedback should be part of the assessment design.

In an authentic assessment, it is important to incorporate opportunities for discussion and feedback as this is a critical element to performance in the real-world. Feedback is crucial for guiding improvement and adds values beyond the classroom by promoting critical reflection.

8. Authentic assessment should value collaboration.

Collaboration is essential within real-world environments. Inclusion within assessment tasks enables students to experience gathering diverse perspectives, to engage in authentic learning, fosters group problem-solving and how to take shared responsibility for learning. It also provides opportunities for enhancing communication and teamworking skills, all crucial for success in professional environments.

Further resources and reading