Designing Authentic Learning Experiences

You may have heard a lot of talk recently about the importance of authenticity in a student’s learning experience. Providing our students with authentic learning experiences is important for a number of reasons:

1. Employers are looking for job-ready graduates; those who can seamlessly transition from study to work. For this to be possible, we need to ensure that our curriculum reflects the conditions and scenarios our graduates will encounter, and the skills and capabilities our graduates will require.

2. Engagement and self-confidence are enhanced as our learners come to appreciate that what they are doing (and if they are doing it successfully) will set them up for a career, and all the benefits this entails.

3. It makes students think more deeply and actively about what they are doing, and because they have to find solutions and make decisions in consultation and collaboration with their peers.

4. When integrated into the assessment process, academic integrity is more easily assured when assessment measures the means by which learners are reaching their outcomes, rather than simply the ends themselves.

Different elements of what constitutes Authentic Assessment have been identified across the research. A study titled “Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment” (Ashford-Rowe et. al., 2014) identified 8 elements of authentic assessment. here, we’ve presented each of these elements, along with a short suggestion on how to approach implementing these into your curriculum, assessment and teaching:

  1. An authentic learning experience should be challenging - “Degree of challenge” is a critical determinant of authenticity within a given activity. That is, the “challenge of constructing or producing meaning or knowledge, instead of simply re-producing meaning and knowledge as created by others.” (p. 207) For example, rather than asking students to find the right answer to a question or the solution to a formula, get them to describe the process they went through to reach the answer or solution.
  2. The outcome of an authentic assessment should be in the form of a performance or product (outcome) - Using the example above, you might ask for a demonstration of the process (or for the student to share the documentation that maps this process) as part of the assessment. This could be in the form of a presentation or a short video.
  3. Authentic learning design should ensure transfer of knowledge - Does this outcome have meaning beyond the confines of the activity? Is it transferable to the outside world – the world of work, of citizenship, of community? Consider asking your students to contextualize the task for a professional setting. Ask them to use technologies (platforms, apps or software) that they will be using in the workplace or establish a scenario in which the assessment task reflects something they will be asked to do in the workplace.
  4. Metacognition (or ‘thinking about thinking’) as a component of authentic learning - “Metacognition establishes the value and importance of both critical reflection and self-evaluation for successful workplace performance, as well as personal development…The significance of metacognition to learning process is such that it stimulates deep learning.” (p. 209) Build reflection or review into activities – especially assessment – ask your students what they would have done differently and what they believed they did successfully.
  5. The importance of a requirement to ensure accuracy in assessment performance - “An authentic assessment should simulate and measure a real-world test of ability.” (p. 209) When designing assessment, make sure your measurements take into consideration the aforementioned process associated with the task. While you don’t necessarily want to award marks for getting the final answer or solution wrong, you may want to acknowledge the thinking or process behind the outcome. As long as it identifies the point of error, it can be encouraging for a student to receive some acknowledgement of their efforts – much as is the case in the workplace.
  6. The role of the learning environment and the tools used to deliver the activity - “This element guides the designer to consider the fidelity of the environment within which the activity is to occur, as well as the use of any tools that would be considered appropriate to this environment.” (p. 210) This can be restricted by resourcing, as we don’t always have access to the learning spaces or technologies to perfectly replicate the work environment. However, imagination and faculty support (for example, the services of an Educational/Learning Designer) can overcome this in many instances.
  7. The importance of designing opportunities to discuss and provide feedback - “The ability to discuss and give and receive feedback is critical to workplace performance, and should therefore be included in an authentic assessment activity.” (p. 210) Just as you may like to embed the opportunity to reflect on the work, it is important to find ways to embed feedback into the activity. Using the example of describing the process behind reaching an answer or solution – are there opportunities for steps in the task that allow other students to ask questions or provide help? After all, this is what we would expect in a supportive work environment. Learning how to give and receive feedback therefore becomes a ‘by-product’ of the activity or assessment.
  8. The value of collaboration - “The ability to collaborate is indispensable in most work environments. The value of collaboration, as a means of seeking out external sources for gathering critical data, is integral to any business performance. (p. 210) Any opportunity to have students work in pairs or groups is recommended. While there are certainly logistical challenges in assessing in pairs and groups, it does serve to introduce a highly valued skill – collaboration.