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The authenticity of assessments is a term that is often used in the education sector. It is usually used to refer to how authentic or genuine a given assessment was. Although there are no clear-cut definitions for the authenticity of assessments, the following are two possible definitions:
The authenticity of assessments in an online learning environment is a hot topic for many educators and learners. Invariably, there are questions about how to ensure that the assessments students submit are their own work.
An authentic assessment is one that can be submitted by the student and has very little or no human intervention or involvement post submission.
The authenticity of assessments is an important feature of the online learning environment. It can ensure that students are not copying work from other students and cheating on assessments.
Assessment in an online learning environment includes many different parts from formative to summative. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on what are authentic assessments and how to ensure that student submissions are authentic.
The authenticity of assessments is important for many reasons. It helps educators build trust with their students and it also helps students to reflect on their work.
Authenticity is found in four key areas:
There are also different types of assessment tools in terms of their authenticity levels: authentic, fake, and ambiguous assessments.
What makes an assessment authentic?
Authentic assessments tap into multiple perspectives, such as applying theory to practice or looking at different ways of knowing that reflect the skills needed for today’s workforce. The use cases for authenticity include: preparing academic content; preparing learners for a job interview; assessing how well learners can apply theoretical concepts to real-world situations; and developing an authentic portfolio of work completed.
A few examples include:
The ways to assess the authenticity of assessments in an online environment
The other strategies include:
Online learning platform providers are faced with this challenge on a daily basis. When it comes to authenticity, there are two ways to achieve it.
There are three main aspects that can be used to assess the authenticity of assessment – credibility, validity, and reliability.