Traditional assessment typically measures the students’ level of knowledge. Authentic assessment will measure 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 it 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, 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 to the case 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 groupwork. Asynchronous instruction involves students working at their own pace and schedule, and activities usually involve 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 activities and assessments utilized.
| GSU Blackboard & Subscribed Plugins | 3rd Party Web-based Tools & Apps |
Discussion Boards
(Synch & Asynch, S-S / S-C / S-I) | Thinglink
(Asynch, S-C) |
| Virtual Sessions with Collaborate or Webex
(Synch if live, Asynch if recorded, S-S / S-C / S-I)
Includes breakout groups, polling, and whiteboard | Document Sharing
with Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive
(Synch & Asynch, S-S, S-C, S-I) |
Assignment Submission with Safe-Assign
(Asynch, S-C / S-I) | Quizizz
(Synch & Asynch, S-S, S-C, S-I) |
Group Assignments
(Asynch, S-S / S-C / S-I) | Kahoot
(Synch, S-S / S-C / S-I) |
Non-proctored Tests
(Asynch, S-C / S-I) | Quizlet
(Asynch, S-C) |
Rubrics
(Asynch, S-C / S-I) | Canva
(Asynch, S-C) |
Proctored Tests w/Respondus
(Synch & Asynch, S-C / S-I) | Flipgrid
(Synch & Asynch, S-S / S-C / S-I) |
Interactive Multimedia Discussions with VoiceThread
(Synch & Asynch, S-S / S-C / S-I) | Code.org
(Asynch, S-C) |
Publisher-provided Content
(Synch & Asynch, S-S / S-C / S-I) | Khan Academy
(Asynch, S-C) |
| KEY | S-I = Student-Instructor Interaction
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Synch = Synchronous Activity
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S-S = Student-Student Interaction
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Asynch = Asynchronous Activity
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S-C = Student-Content Interaction
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*Links to third party resources can be found on the Faculty Additional Resources page.
Download the Alternative Forms of Assessment chart