Authentic Assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

A call for further research on authentic assessment in higher education has gained pace demanding learners have critical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, and innovation skills. Yet the mechanisms of assessing learners to shape and harness these critical skills and desired pedagogical outcomes remain contested and under-theorised. Premised on being practical in application, offering opportunities for work, fostering best practices, and reducing risk of contract cheating, the adoption of authentic assessments is inevitable. Authentic assessments enable students to tackle real-world issues. By drawing from fine-grained research and contextualised understanding of authentic assessments, this study hopes to provide building blocks helpful in developing key considerations for institutions to use. The aim of this study is to contribute to existing research repertoire on the subject that seems to be at the intersection of pedagogy and the demands of the workplace.