Authentic Assessment and the Internet… Matthew Allen ALTC Teaching Fellow Curtin University of Technology

The argument… Assessment essential to achieving learning Authentic assessment is particularly important The Internet changes things in confronting ways Assessment for online learning: less well developed field One way forward is to embrace affordances of social media – new kind of authenticity

Assessment essential to achieving learning

Authentic assessment is particularly important

The Internet changes things in confronting ways

Assessment for online learning: less well developed field

One way forward is to embrace affordances of social media – new kind of authenticity

Assessment Assessment “frames learning, creates learning activity and orients all aspects of learning behaviour” (Gibbs, 2006) Assessment is, for me, the critical interface between the two interactants in the educational circuitry: educators and learners

Assessment “frames learning, creates learning activity and orients all aspects of learning behaviour” (Gibbs, 2006)

Assessment is, for me, the critical interface between the two interactants in the educational circuitry: educators and learners

Authenticity Originally, and still to some extent assessment is authentic when… there is alignment with the learning outcomes set by the teacher More recently, and now dominantly assessment is authentic when… it approaches the conditions of ‘real-world’ practice for which students are learning

Originally, and still to some extent assessment is authentic when…

there is alignment with the learning outcomes set by the teacher

More recently, and now dominantly assessment is authentic when…

it approaches the conditions of ‘real-world’ practice for which students are learning

Duelling Authenticities? For alignment between learning outcomes, processes and assignments, authenticity achieved by rejecting the real world (to get educational perfection) For alignment with real-world, “Authentic practices are ordinary practices as opposed to the ‘ersatz’ activity found in a school” (Jones and Asensio, 2002)

For alignment between learning outcomes, processes and assignments, authenticity achieved by rejecting the real world (to get educational perfection)

For alignment with real-world, “Authentic practices are ordinary practices as opposed to the ‘ersatz’ activity found in a school” (Jones and Asensio, 2002)

And now the Internet… Interweaving, blurring, within same ‘screen space’ – Internet is every thing Using the Internet is ‘learning’ (formal and informal) The rise of social media… ‘ Produsers’ (Bruns, 2008) ‘ Read/Reflect/Write/Participate’ (Richardson, 2003)

Interweaving, blurring, within same ‘screen space’ – Internet is every thing

Using the Internet is ‘learning’ (formal and informal)

The rise of social media…

‘ Produsers’ (Bruns, 2008)

‘ Read/Reflect/Write/Participate’ (Richardson, 2003)

Challenge for authenticity We need to design assessment that is authentic, not just for educational goals and real-world work, but also to the life experience of people already involved in the Internet as co-created knowledge / social media But, recognise: most people see the Internet as informal, not formal, learning

We need to design assessment that is authentic, not just for educational goals and real-world work, but also to the life experience of people already involved in the Internet as co-created knowledge / social media

But, recognise: most people see the Internet as informal, not formal, learning

Affordances for authenticity Social media… demands and assumes an audience fragments and distributes knowledge work co-mingles mass and personal communication

Social media…

demands and assumes an audience

fragments and distributes knowledge work

co-mingles mass and personal communication

Affordances for authenticity Social media… demands and assumes an audience greater or explicit public address … ‘consequence’ fragments and distributes knowledge work collaboration / sharing … ‘knowledge networks’ co-mingles mass and personal communication formal informality … ‘responsibility’

Social media…

demands and assumes an audience greater or explicit public address … ‘consequence’

fragments and distributes knowledge work collaboration / sharing … ‘knowledge networks’

co-mingles mass and personal communication formal informality … ‘responsibility’

More info and contact… m.allen@curtin.edu.au http://netstudies.curtin.edu.au @netcrit http://netcrit.net and thanks to ALTC – http://www.altc.edu.au