This document discusses authentic assessment design and implementation. It provides examples of assessment tasks from history and law courses that aim to be more authentic and learning-oriented. The history case study involves a museum report and student project on topics relating history to film or sites of cultural identity. The law case examines a reflective media diary and photo essays assessing tort law understanding. Key principles for authentic task design include alignment with learning outcomes, sustained student engagement, real-world relevance, feedback, and support for self-evaluation. Challenges include competing priorities, lack of teacher autonomy, limited incentives for innovative design, and need for improved assessment literacy.

1. Designing and implementing
authentic assessment
Swinburne University of
Technology,
September 14, 2015
David Carless
University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong

2. Overview
1. Two assessment task designs
2. Authentic learning-oriented assessment
3. Principles of assessment design
4. Challenges & Implications
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3. Research process
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5. The University of Hong Kong
HISTORY CASE
STUDY

6. Making History course
• Foundation level, year 1, 110 students
The University of Hong Kong

7. Making History LOs
Critical engagement with representations of
past; interpret connections between past &
present;
The University of Hong Kong

8. History Assessment
Fieldwork report (30%): Museum visit
Individual project (40%): draft 10%, final 30%
Participation (30%):
tutorial participation 15%
short weekly written responses 15%
(cf. Carless & Zhou, 2015)
The University of Hong Kong

9. Museum report
1000 words or podcast
Issues: key messages; use of space;
coverage and omissions
The University of Hong Kong

10. Sample Project (1)
Relationship between film & history
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11. Sample Project (2)
Walking tour of sites of Hong Kong identity
The University of Hong Kong

12. Project stages
• Topic brief
• Draft (10%)
• Final version (30%): 3000 words
The University of Hong Kong

13. Use of Facebook
Students could upload drafts of work in
progress & receive peer feedback
The University of Hong Kong

14. The University of Hong Kong
LAW CASE
STUDY

15. Tort Law
• Core 1st
year course: 180+ students
The University of Hong Kong

16. Tort Law LOs
• Explain common torts and their functions
• Think critically about legal issues
• Analyse tort issues
The University of Hong Kong

17. Tort Law Assessment
Reflective Media Diary (20%)
1st
sem test (20%) or test 10% + photo essay
10%
Final Exam (60%)
or 40% + 20% research essay
The University of Hong Kong

18. RMD
• identify tort law-related events in local
media; track developments; provide legal
analysis;
• portfolio-like: collecting, selecting, editing
and analyzing material over time.
The University of Hong Kong

19. RMD features
Steady student engagement
Promotes reading habits
Incomplete, authentic problems
Workload friendly for teachers
The University of Hong Kong

20. Photo essay
Students photo tort
law situations
Write a short legal
analysis
The University of Hong Kong

21. Photo essay features
Student-identified legal issues
Creative …. Iterative
Not easy to grade reliably
Minor option so might be ignored
The University of Hong Kong

22. Use of exemplars
Sharing of samples to illustrate expectations
The University of Hong Kong

23. Same-day exam feedback
Discussion immediately after exam
The University of Hong Kong

24. Same-day exam feedback
Supplemented by online discussion
Novel angles may be added to marking
scheme
The University of Hong Kong

25. FRAMING AUTHENTIC
LEARNING ORIENTED
ASSESSMENT
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26. Learning-oriented assessment
A major priority in all assessment should be
to promote effective student learning
processes (Carless, 2014)
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27. The University of Hong Kong
Productive assessment
task design
Student self-evaluative
capacities
Student engagement
with feedback
Learning-oriented assessment framework

28. Concept map of AA
Adapted from Eddy & Lawrence (2013)
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29. Web-based communication
Authenticity of online written assessment
due to primacy of digital communication
(Field & Kift, 2010)
The University of Hong Kong

30. TASK DESIGN
PRINCIPLES
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31. (1) Integrated with instruction and ILOs
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Constructive
alignment

32. (2) Spreading student effort/sustained
engagement
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33. (3) Mirroring real-life uses of the discipline
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34. (4) Integrated and coherent
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35. (5) Incorporates feedback dialogues
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36. (6) Supports student in understanding
quality
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37. (7) Flexibility & choice
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38. (8) Encourage deep approaches to learning
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39. Programme-based approaches
Cumulative … integrated … coherent
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40. Issues & Challenges
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41. Student response
Students interpret assessment tasks based
on their own preferences, experiences and
motivations
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42. Double duty
Competing priorities in
assessment
Reliability, Fairness,
Workload, QA etc
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43. Lack of autonomy
Many teachers lack individual autonomy:
pulled in different directions by competing
assessment priorities (James, 2014)
The University of Hong Kong

44. Limited incentives
Good assessment design: difficult, needing
effort but may not be rewarded (Norton et
al., 2013)
The University of Hong Kong

45. Teacher X factor
Teacher determination to overcome barriers
& strive for authentic learning-oriented
assessment
The University of Hong Kong

46. Trust in teachers
Innovative assessment thrives when
teachers are trusted (Carless, 2009)
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47. Assessment literacy
Need for development in assessment (for
learning) literacy of university teachers (cf.
Price et al., 2012)
The University of Hong Kong

48. THANK YOU
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49. The University of Hong Kong