Center for Teaching and Learning

Understanding Authentic/Alternate Assessments

Traditional assessment typically measures the students’ level of knowledge, while authentic assessment measures the students’ level of proficiency or their ability to apply the knowledge. By challenging students to execute a task, instructors can determine if a student has grasped the course material. Authentic assessments may also be tailored to the individual needs of the student because they can be flexible and allow students to tap into their unique abilities to complete a task.

Examples of alternate forms of assessment:

• Portfolios: Students will organize a collection of their work that contains artifacts such as papers, projects, and presentations to provide evidence of the knowledge gained over time.
• Performance tasks: Students demonstrate their knowledge by performing a task such as creating a learning object, programming/coding, or designing a website.
• Case studies: Students can analyze a real-life scenario or problem. They will be evaluated on their ability to synthesize course concepts and explain their reasoning.
• Oral presentations: Students may present (in-person or virtually) on a course-related topic. They are assessed on their content knowledge and ability to support their stance.
• Research projects: Students engage in an original (instructor-approved) research topic related to the course objectives. They are evaluated on their methodology, data analysis, and conclusions.
• Simulation: Students may engage in a mock interview or role-play for a business meeting.

Whether online or in-person, synchronous and asynchronous activities can be used as assessments. Synchronous instruction involves an instructor simultaneously engaging with students, and activities can include Q&A sessions, online games, debates, and time for group work. Asynchronous instruction involves students working at their own pace and schedule, and activities usually include readings, long-term projects, research assignments, and group projects using online document sharing. See the chart below for some examples of activities and tools that can be used in any class modality. What is most important is promoting student engagement with the course content, regardless of the activities and assessments utilized.