Authentic Assessments
Yes, I have used Authentic Assessments. I find them refreshing and they make the connection with real-live experiences. This makes the course relevant and it carries learning beyond the classroom.
I also find that the authenticity allows what is learned to be remembered longer. I believe this is because it has a basis in reality and not hypothesis, theories, or abstraction.
Esther,
You are correct. It does bring the concepts and skills more in tune with life. Students relate.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
This is the methodology we use at our university. Our students that are adult learners want to know what's "in for them". The best way is to build close to life examples.
Jack,
That is classic andragogy; adult learning. It is interesting that our younger students are showing some of the same traits as our adult students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kelly,
That is why we "facilitate" and do not teach. We show the way to do their own learning.
Especially adult learners want the work to be relevant to the working world. These types of assessments help students to take the practical experiences and see the gain they receive for it.
Merle,
It is amazing how many students to understand the value until later (after the course). I hate to say I told you so but. . . . :)
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Ester,
I agree. For instance in accounting we can use Problems that require students to take economic transactions and then:
Record/Journalize
Post to Ledgers
Move to Work sheets
Create Financial Statements
Create a Post Closing Trial Balance to be prepared for the next period
In Management Courses we use Case Studies built around various Scenarios in order to get students to not only focus on course specific topics/concepts but also require input from other courses concepts.
The authentic assessment is a wonderful tool
I agree. Also, in my experience, student motivation improves through the use of authentic assessments, which make students feel like the professionals they are studying to become, in our law school program.
In part, this is because students see the relevance of the course through an authentic assessment, and that relevance motivates them to better learn the materials. I believe that there are studies showing that authentic assessments improve retention through improving student motivation.
When using authentic assessment, we often program collaborative group assignments since lawyers often work in groups. We explain that working collaboratively has many benefits, and students see the relevance of taking on the assignment as a group as something they will eventually do as lawyers in practice.
Carole,
You are SO right. This type of assessment does empower students to use the knowledge/skills they learn. Research does show this despite our test giving culture. (Sorry for the editorial comment at the end).
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
