Rethink Assessment: Creating Innovative Approaches to Authentic Learning

The intent of this session is to demonstrate the power of multiple assessment strategies in an online, blended, and face-to-face learning environments. We will discuss how to create engaging, rigorous, and student-centered plans of assessment that help students exhibit application of content.  To have an authentic learning experience, the presenters designed innovative key assessments aligned with course competencies that allowed for real-life application, and voice and choice from students. This approach to assessment benefits students and educators, providing an outlet that visually displays the learners constructed knowledge.

Authentic assessments enable students to draw connections between course content and the world around them. This session will introduce attributes of authentic assessment along with multiple student-centered approaches for implementation in any content area. Participants will be exposed to innovative effective assessment practices for online, blended, or face-to-face environments. This session will introduce non-traditional tools and methods for assessing student knowledge in multiple learning environments. Attendees will explore and evaluate real student work using characteristics of authentic assessment.

PROPOSED PRESENTATION OUTLINE:

• This session with begin with a brief overview of authentic assessment and its place in the learning environment (presenter-led);

• Participants will engage in ‘lightning rounds’ were they evaluate assessment examples to determine are they “Authentic or Not?” (interactive game);

• Explore multiple real course examples of authentic assessment (presenter-led);

• Participant Application - Educators will be provided with a dropbox link to various student or instructor created products of authentic learning. Presenters will facilitate ‘table talk’ regarding the application and assessment of authentic learning (interactive collaborative groups);

• Participant Plan of Action - Participants will create and report out their significant take-a-way and plan of action in implementing authentic assessment in their content area (individual, small-group application).

• Q & A