Testing a two-dimensional model for ‘authenticated’ assessment in Higher Education

Authentic assessment can help prepare students for professional careers, but some students may not be able to deal with the authenticity of a real, complex professional situation or task in a time-limited assessment. Therefore, there is a danger that if assessment is 'too authentic', students may be unprepared for the demands placed upon them. Here I present a case study of set of complementary 'authenticated' assessments, implemented within a BSc Biological Science degree. The assessments were designed to include different components of authentic assessment throughout the module - and later the course. Through the exploration of the concept of 'authentication' of existing assessments, I will explore whether Gulikers et al's. (2004) five-dimensional framework (task; physical context; social context; assessment result or form; criteria and standards) can be collapsed into two dimensions (product and process) without losing all meaning. I will then plot all assessments a BSc programme at Brunel in two-dimensional space, demonstrating how the model can help programme teams make their assessments more authentic without the need for radical redesign. Finally, I will discuss the use of the model in programme design and solicit collaborators to help me test this model across other programmes at the university.

Presented by: Dr Nicholas Worsfold, Associate Dean / Senior Lecturer (Education) in Environmental Science

Aims & Objectives