Title: Authentic Assessment Design

Follow along as we apply these steps to the design of an authentic assessment for a hypothetical course in Public Relations Management.

Step 1

1: Identify the learning goals.

As with any type of assessment, begin by outlining the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners will be asked to demonstrate. Consult the course and program learning outcomes to identify relevant learning goals for the assessment. Create a list of what learners should know and be able to do, including any transferable skills. Remember that authentic assessments often measure the performance of more than one learning objective.

assessment scenario 2

Credits: by Trecia Mclennon (Author); licence CC BY 4.0

In our example, Professor H determines that the following learning outcome could be appropriately measured by an authentic assessment:

 “Coordinate the planning and execution of internal communication activities to support the overall business objectives of an organization.”

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She then makes a list of the intended learning goals:

- Identify planning needs
- Apply best principles of internal public relations
- Develop transferable skills for future courses
- Use appropriate language and presentation style to communicate with stakeholders
- Work in a team and reflect on group dynamics
- Facilitate an open discussion
- Set milestones for project completion

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Step 2

2. Select an authentic task.

Sometimes the learning outcome clearly denotes the authentic task the student must perform.

In other cases, we must ask ourselves how this knowledge and skills would be applied in the real world. What discipline-specific tasks related to the learning goal would a graduate perform in the workplace? How could these skills be used in real life?

assessment scenario 2

Professor H realizes that the learning outcome strongly aligns with a specific performance-based task and decides to ask her learners to plan and host a small virtual event. “Working as a group, coordinate and execute a brief virtual town hall for our class.”

She keeps the length and scope of the event reasonable and assigns the task as a group project. The groups are provided different topics tied to case studies previously discussed in the course.

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She then makes a list of the intended learning goals:

- Identify planning needs
- Apply best principles of internal public relations
- Develop transferable skills for future courses
- Use appropriate language and presentation style to communicate with stakeholders
- Work in a team and reflect on group dynamics
- Facilitate an open discussion
- Set milestones for project completion

[Image: image of professor]

Previous

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Step 3

3. Define the criteria for meeting learning goals.

As mentioned, authentic assessments require constructed, personalized, and creative solutions to real world challenges. This attribute often confuses instructors and teaching assistants when it comes to evaluating the assignment. Since there are no right or wrong answers, it is essential that the assessment design specify the characteristics of good performance.

Determining these evaluation criteria is perhaps the most challenging part of crafting an authentic online assessment. When defining the performance measures, focus only on the essential criteria necessary to meet the learning goals and match the number of criteria with the complexity of the task. Align the criteria to industry and professional standards of practice where appropriate.

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Involve learners in the criteria definition process by asking what good performance on the task means to them. Co-creating assessment criteria improves learners’ understanding of assessment expectations and what they must do to meet these standards of performance.

assessment scenario 2

Professor H returns to her list of learning goals and uses them to help define the most important assessment criteria. She develops the following list:

- a comprehensive virtual event plan
- clear, organized message communication
- appropriate and engaging presentation style
- interactivity with the audience
- effective facilitation skills
- the ability to work as a team
- presentation skills, including use of tech, and artful transitions between speakers

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Step 4

4. Develop a rubric

The final step in authentic assessment design is to incorporate the criteria into an evaluation rubric.  The rubric clearly describes the standards and expectations for each performance level. Rubrics are important tools when grading authentic assessments. They allow us to quickly evaluate diverse responses and solutions consistently and objectively by defining exactly what is being measured. Rubrics also make these expectations clear to learners, allowing them to focus on the important learning goals. Be sure to include the rubric in the assignment instructions to your learners. Consult Module 4 for step-by-step guidance on rubric development.

assessment scenario 2

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Professor H settles upon three performance levels: outstanding, proficient, and needs improvement, then writes descriptions for all criteria at each level. Each group is evaluated according to the same standards even though they each have unique topics for discussion.

Here is the completed rubric: