Rethinking Assessment (Flex Spring 25)

Authentic Approaches for Deeper Learning
(A Community of Practice)

Do you worry that students aren’t deeply engaged in learning in your class? Do you worry about students cheating or relying too much on AI for assignments and assessments? Are your students struggling to demonstrate concept mastery outside of the traditional true-false and multiple-choice questions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you would benefit from learning more about authentic assessment.

“Authentic tasks simulate adult tasks; they give students worthy work and they produce useful feedback so that students can progressively improve their understanding and performance, that is, their application of subject-matter content.” (Grant Wiggins, 1998).

You can use authentic assessments to increase  engagement, comprehension, and satisfaction, and reduce stress and worry for everyone, students and faculty alike.

During this flex activity we will explore the what, why, and how of authentic assessment and you will leave with some strategies to add authentic assessment into your course. 

This flex activity is an introduction to authentic assessment. This Spring 2025, the Instructional Technology Center (ITC) and Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) are excited to invite you to join our open-door, hands-on Community of Practice – Rethinking Assessment: Authentic Approaches for Deeper Learning, which will address a different aspect of authentic assessment each month, utilizing a workshop approach which encourages collaborative brainstorming, reflection, and feedback.

This activity meets State PD Guidelines A, B, & C; ARC Strategic Goal 1 Students First and Goal 3 Exemplary Teaching, Learning, and Working Environment; ARC Professional Development Competencies: Equity-minded Service, Effective Communication, and Technology Proficiency.