Embracing Authentic Assessment in Higher Education

Authentic assessment in higher ed reveals critical challenges: power dynamics, cognitive overload, mentor training gaps, and ethical risks. Thoughtful design can balance these issues, enriching real-world learning and career readiness.

By Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning

Recently, I read the paper “Authentic Assessment: From Panacea to Criticality”, recommended by my colleague David Greaves. This insightful read challenges our assumptions about what “authentic” truly means in the context of higher education and offers a critical lens to enhance our approaches to assessment. The authors highlight four key concerns that educators should consider:

  1. Power Dynamics in Workplace Learning: Power and authority in workplace settings can significantly impact student learning. 
  2. Cognitive Overload in Real-World Contexts: Real-world scenarios often lack the scaffolding necessary for students, potentially pushing them beyond their zone of proximal development (ZPD) and causing cognitive overload. 
  3. Mentor Training Deficiencies: Mentors in authentic contexts may not be adequately trained to act as expert more-knowledgeable-others (MKOs). 
  4. Ethical Drift in Workplace Practices: For a variety of reasons, workplace ethics can drift into problematic areas, exposing students to undesirable practices and cultures. 

These concerns are crucial as they provide guidance for us to help faculty address potential pitfalls in authentic assessment. Despite these challenges, I still believe that the benefits of authentic assessment can outweigh the risks if we take proactive steps to mitigate them.  

1. Addressing Power Dynamics 

Work with mentors and mentees to establish clear guidelines on power-sharing. Define the scope of decision-making for mentees and outline how mentors can intervene or course-correct in ways that support the development of key competencies. Open communication and mutual respect are key to creating a balanced learning environment. 

2. Scaffolding Experiences for Appropriate Cognitive Load 

Design Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities across the curriculum that align with students’ ZPD at each stage of their learning journey. Break down tasks into manageable components targeted at specific skills to prevent cognitive overload. This approach ensures that students build confidence and competence progressively. 

3. Training Mentors and Facilitating Check-Ins 

Ensure that mentors receive professional development. Familiarize mentors with assessment tools like rubrics and coach them on effective mentoring conversations. Create virtual or physical spaces for private, yet documented, progress check-ins between mentors and mentees. These check-ins provide a safe space for feedback and reflection, fostering a supportive learning environment. Ideally, work to have their participation recognized in their professional accreditation or performance reviews. 

4. Ethical and Judicious Placement Selection 

Be selective about placements, ensuring they align with your unit’s values and educational goals. Seek industry and community partners who offer meaningful employment opportunities rather than short-term labour tasks. Thus, invest time in building relationships with organizations that are interested in hiring students post-graduation and have demonstrated highly ethical practices. Work with Career Services if you need help connecting with employers. As part of mentor/mentee introduction, discuss ethical guidelines of the profession or even personal values. This alignment ensures that students are exposed to ethical practices and positive workplace cultures.  

 

Conclusion 

Designing authentic assessments requires thoughtful consideration of these steps to ensure a judicious yet aspirational implementation. By addressing power dynamics, scaffolding experiences, training mentors, and being selective about placements, educators can create enriching and ethical learning environments. Authentic assessment, when done right, can provide students with invaluable real-world skills and experiences, preparing them for successful careers and ethical professional practices. 

Title image credit: CoWomen

Article Reference: 

Fawns, T., Bearman, M., Dawson, P., Nieminen, J. H., Ashford-Rowe, K., Willey, K., … Press, N. (2024). Authentic assessment: from panacea to criticality. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2024.2404634

This resource is shared by Aditi Garg at the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL), University of Saskatchewan, under a CC BY-NC-SA license.