Authentic Assessments

Introduction

Authentic assessments focus on how well students can apply what they’ve learned to real-world tasks. For adult learners, who often bring valuable experience and professional know-how to the online classroom, these assessments give them a chance to link course lessons to practical problems and showcase skills they can use directly in their careers.

A Closer Look

Five Levels of Authentic Assessments

Any assessment can be made more authentic by grounding it in a real-world scenario. The table below shows different levels of authentic assessments, ranging from ways to assess foundational knowledge to tasks that require complex, professional-level skills. For foundational knowledge, auto-graded assignments like quizzes and exams are often the best way to determine what students know. For more advanced skills, using a rubric along with your individualized feedback is recommended. In the table, authenticity increases from Level 1 to Level 5.

Level of Authenticity Who Grades It What the Assessment Looks Like
1. Scenario-based objective question Computer/Auto-graded Multiple-choice, true/false, matching, sorting
2. Scenario-based short-answer question Computer/Auto-graded Fill-in-the-blank, problem sets, document tagging
3. Scenario-based long-answer question Instructor using a rubric Short essay, short video presentation
4. Creation or performance task(s) Instructor using a rubric Long essay, long video presentation, product/solution pitch, report, model development, portfolio
5. Creation or performance of a specific real workplace task(s) Instructor using a rubric Long video presentation, model development, project report, capstone project, oral examination

 

Examples of Level 5 Authentic Assessments

The examples below from the OPLR Instructional Strategies & Course Design Showcase demonstrate how authentic assessments connect course content to real-world skills, preparing students to succeed in their professional fields while keeping learning meaningful and engaging.

  • Designing a Family Nutrition Plan: Students create balanced meal plans for a family with different nutritional needs, using real guidelines and tools like MyFitnessPal. This task reflects what nutrition professionals do in practice.
  • Creating Public Service Announcements: Students develop a PSA (whether a video, infographic, audio, or written message) to educate an audience on a public health issue. This assessment develops students’ skills in clear communication and audience awareness, just like professionals in media or public health.
  • Conducting a Cultural Needs Assessment in Healthcare: Students interview a client and develop a culturally appropriate care plan. This mirrors real healthcare practice, requiring critical thinking, assessment, and planning skills that professionals use daily.

Three Steps to Developing Authentic Assessments

To enrich the authenticity of your current assessments or create new ones, try the following steps:

✔️ Step 1: Pick the Type of Assessment

  • Look at what skills, objectives, or competencies you want to assess.
  • Think about who your students are.
  • Choose a format from the table (Levels 1-5).
  • Decide if it will be auto-graded (Levels 1 and 2) or instructor-graded with a rubric (Levels 3-5).

⭐ If the Assessment Is Auto-Graded

✔️ Step 2: Make the Scenario Realistic

    • Use real-world situations from your own experience, current events, the lesson content, or other sources.
    • Provide realistic information/resources.
    • Connect the scenario to competencies, outcomes, and students’ prior knowledge.

✔️ Step 3: Write Questions

    • Base questions on the scenario.
    • Focus on real-world problems, not just memorization.

⭐ If the Assessment Is Instructor-Graded with a Rubric

✔️ Step 2: Create Realistic Tasks

    • Include tasks similar to professional work (e.g., reports, presentations, projects, etc.).
    • Require high-level thinking to make decisions/solutions.
    • Provide clear instructions, resources, and examples.
    • Align the assessment with the course learning objectives or competencies.

✔️ Step 3: Develop a Rubric

    • Define levels of performance and what counts as good work.
    • Include point designations.
    • Make criteria match real-world tasks.
    • Align the rubric with the course learning objectives or competencies.
    • Encourage students to use the rubric while working on the assignment.

Quick Checklist

Auto-Graded (like quizzes or exams)

  • Give students a realistic scenario or case to answer questions from.
  • Make sure every question is based on that scenario or case.
  • Ensure answers depend on the case—students can’t just guess or copy.

Instructor-Graded with Rubric (like capstone projects or presentations)

  • Make tasks similar to what students would do in real-life jobs or professional settings.
  • Use a rubric that checks the skills and knowledge the task is meant to test.
  • Focus grading on analysis, professionalism, and decision-making.

Additional Resources