As we enter week five of the semester, many of us are thinking about assessments like tests and quizzes. Remote instruction has made us rethink the purpose and use of tests, and whether we are “testing” the right things.
The graphic above demonstrates the notion of authentic assessment, which is
“Engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively. The tasks are either replicas of or analogous to the kinds of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals in the field.” — Grant Wiggins
The article, Vaccinate Against Cheating With Authentic Assessment, from Inside Higher Ed provides alternatives to traditional testing that are not only less susceptible to academic integrity concerns, but get at the heart of the learning we want to assess. An explanation of the above authentic assessment graphic can be found at Indiana University’s CITL.