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Implementation of The Good Project Lesson Plans

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In this routine, students are generally sharing their thinking at each step along the way before moving on to the next one. This allows the class to build on the group's thinking and often results in richer discussions.It can be very useful to document the thinking at each stage. If you are wanting to document thinking as your students engage with the routine
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Compass Points then this template may be useful

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​The Compass Points routine helps students: examine an idea or proposition from different angles of perspectives identify areas where more information is needed evaluate and make judgements...

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​The Connect Extend Challenge routine helps learners to: make connections between new ideas and prior knowledge recognise ongoing questions, puzzles and difficulties reflect on learning

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​ The Peel The Fruit routine: helps guide the exploration of a topic, idea or text encourages learners to 'peel' back the layers to gain a deeper understanding

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HASS History Year 8 Assessment Activity Medieval Europe

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HASS History Year 8 Assessment Activity Medieval Europe

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Project Based learning opportunities for different subjects

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Project Based learning opportunities for different subjects

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For some teachers, project-based learning (PBL) is classroom bliss.

Students work together to investigate an authentic and nuanced real-world problem. They build curriculum-aligned skills in the process. They're rewarded with enhanced communication and problem-solving skills.

But organizing and running suitable PBL activities isn't always easy, as the pedagogy is surrounded by debate and takes form in a range of exercises.

Find and facilitate the most appropriate project-based learning examples for your students.

These sections will help you determine if the pedagogy is worthwhile. If so, you'll come away with a handful of effective ideas to implement easily.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is a student-centered teaching method that encourages learning through engaging, real-world, curriculum-related questions or challenges.
This, of course, goes deeper than doing any old project. The goal is to get students to engage with a question or challenge that requires concentration and nuanced problem-solving skills.

This question or challenge must:

Be open-ended

Encourage students to apply skills and knowledge they've developed in your classes

Allow students to take their own approaches to develop an answer and deliver a product

As you can see, project-based learning doesn't conform to rote approaches or teacher-led instruction.

Driven by critical thinking, it's often interdisciplinary and encourages students to take a rewarding-yet-challenging road to skill-building and knowledge acquisition through a nuanced learning process.

Why is project-based learning important?

Project-based learning boosts classroom engagement and has a direct impact on how well students are prepared to enter the workforce once they graduate.

A growing focus on 21st century skills and critical thinking means project-based learning is gaining steam in education. In addition, PBL can help educators:

Teach students personal responsibility and critical time management skills

Design assignments that hit higher-order stages in Bloom's taxonomy like analysis, synthesis and evaluation

Provide multiple ways of assessing students at different stages of the project, whether through a portfolio, annotated bibliography, outline, draft product or finished project

When students leave school, they'll need to understand that work isn't as straightforward as lectures and homework. It's more aligned with a project-based approach, where employees are expected to prioritize, manage their time and deliver work on a deadline. Project-based learning helps teach students:

Creative problem-solving skills

The importance of collaboration

How to find the right tools for the job

How to build independent learning and project management skills

How to use relevant technology to find resources, communicate and produce a final product

Project-based learning is important because it helps students approach meaningful learning opportunities with curiosity, while also giving them real-world skills they'll use for the rest of their lives.

Key characteristics of project-based learning

Project-based learning isn't just group work or a randomly assigned project. Let's take a look at some of the key characteristics to help you build your own project-based learning assignment:

1. Project-based learning presents an open-ended, appropriately complex question.

Students should have to do deep research, draw on existing knowledge and come up with a solution in the form of a final project - whether that's a presentation, proposal, essay or other product.

Students should have a choice in what they explore, and the questions they answer should be genuinely challenging with real-world applications.

2. Project-based learning relates to knowledge acquired through classroom lessons.

Not only should project-based learning build on your classroom lessons, but it should give students the opportunity to put them to use in a real-world setting. Project-based learning encourages students to dive deeper into the subject matter and builds on content knowledge.

Ultimately, this content knowledge should have real-world applications that students can focus on during the project.

3. Project-based learning requires students to find their own solutions to a given problem or question.

Just because the inspiration for project-based learning assignments comes from your lectures, doesn't mean it should stay there. Effective PBL comes from requiring students to find their own solutions to a given problem - not just plugging in a formula to find the answer.

In practice, this looks like a real-world project with extended inquiry. It should be a multi-stage process with, if necessary, multiple deliverables at different stages to keep students on track.

4. Project-based learning gives students a choice in how they learn.

Students learn best when they're studying something that captures their imagination and interest. Regardless of the end product, students should have as much autonomy as possible in what they make and how. They should learn how to communicate ideas in a group and on their own, and really bring their passion for the project to the forefront.

5. Project-based learning follows a clear, well-defined set of assessment criteria.

The best way to keep project-based learning on track and effective is to let students know what's expected of them.

At the beginning of the project, give students a rubric and handouts outlining:

How the project will be graded

All the products they'll be required to hand in

How they should work independently or in a group

Some teachers may even choose to collaborate with students in the development of the rubric and project criteria so they may feel a deeper understanding of the project expectations.

When students know what's expected of them, they're more likely to succeed.

A simple example of project-based learning

The PBL process is straightforward.

1. You present the issue, methods of investigation and any supplementary materials. It's up to your students to deliver a defined product.

2. Next, encourage students to reflect on their work and make revisions, ultimately delivering a presentation to their peers.

In social studies, for example, you could task students with conceptualizing and mapping out a smartphone app that addresses a problem within your country. To add a math element, they can budget the necessary resources to develop it.

Despite this clear-cut process, there's a lot of space for diverse tasks and differentiation in general.

As a type of active learning and inquiry-based learning, examples of project-based learning depend on yourself and your students. As John Dewey famously wrote in My Pedagogic Creed:

The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding.

Following this philosophy, it's probable - and ideal - that any project-based learning exercise you run looks different from those run by your colleagues.

What matters is prioritizing your students' needs and learning styles above the curriculum.

10 Project-based learning ideas your class will love

As you can see, it's not always easy to come up with a "project" that meets these requirements. Ideating a driving question into meaningful learning experiences that have real-world applications is no small task.

But that's what we're here to help with. Below are 10 of our ideas to inspire your project-based learning exercises.

1. Play area

Give students an opportunity to apply their geometry skills by designing a new playground for the school.

Using a range of free web applications, or simply grid paper and a pencil, task them with mapping out the playground while meeting certain conditions. These conditions should be based on including a certain number of 2D or 3D shapes in the components of the playground, such as slides and monkey bars. For example, at least two isosceles triangles, three equilateral triangles, four squares and so on. Once complete, each student must calculate the area and perimeter of his or her playground, as well as each component.

2. Your very own math story

Fuse math with visual and language arts by asking students to write their own math books.

Taking the form of an original short story, require students to cover a certain number of curriculum skills. They should explain and exemplify each skill within the context of the story, inherently allowing them to improve understanding. In exemplifying how to use a given skill, students should teach themselves its importance for a real-world scenario. You should notice improved retention as a result.
Is it hard to get your students excited about math? Try turning it into an engaging game-based learning adventure!
Make math more fun! 🎉

3. Favorite recipes

Take a mathematical approach to nutrition by having your class analyze their favorite foods and dishes for presentations about select recipes.

Each student should choose a main course, two sides and a dessert. They must then create and deliver presentations about how to make the dishes. But instead of standard cooking advice, the focus is nutritional values - calories, carbohydrates, daily vitamin intake and so on - based on the ingredients. You may need to provide a go-to resource for students to find this information, but the onus for creating a healthy meal is on them. Bon appetit!

4. What happened to the dinosaurs?

Satiate your students' curiosity and probable love of dinosaurs by having them research and argue what caused their extinction, crafting a visual display to illustrate findings.

As the dinosaurs' extinction remains a debate that can draw students into a rabbit hole, consider providing questions to guide their research. How did the planet change from the Triassic to Cretaceous period? How prevalent were carnivores compared with omnivores and herbivores? Such guiding questions should allow students to reach informed opinions, writing reports to defend those opinions and allowing them to craft creative visualizations.

5. Ancient civilization of needs

Combine history, anthropology and psychology through this project, requiring learners to envision newly-discovered ancient civilizations.

The basic premise is to borrow elements from other ancient societies, creating a unique one. But there's a catch - the society must satisfy each tier in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If students are not familiar with the theory, present it along with guiding questions.

For example, "Which tier of the pyramid is most important for society to function?" These questions should encourage students to develop a collection of products, including: a written explanation of the society and how it meets Maslow's hierarchy of needs; an analysis of the elements borrowed from other ancient civilizations; a visual depiction of the society and more.

6. Where it comes from

Launch this independent or paired study activity to explore how ancient machines are still present in modern-day science and engineering.

The exercise starts with each student or pair choosing a simple machine - a pulley, lever, wedge and so on - or another ancient tool. They must research the history of their tools, determining how and where scientists and engineers still use them today. Students can then envision how the same tools will work as part of inventions 100 years into the future. They can produce videos, presentations or mock interviews with inventors to showcase their research and ideas.

7. The Oscar goes to ...

Have students script a part of a significant historical event to exercise their drama, history, and creative writing skills.

Whether a battle, court proceeding or formation of a powerful organization, have students choose from a list of events. Each learner's goal is to thoroughly research an event, forming a cohesive string of scenes they'd watch in a movie or television show. This will allow them to write scripts, highlighting each figure's motives and background. They must also pay particular attention to historical accuracy in terms of dialogue and settings. After you've approved each student's script, they can form small groups and choose their favorite, acting it out in front of the class.

8. Fashionista

Encourage students to take the roles of fashion designers and marketers with a scenario that combines business with visual and language arts.

This scenario entails a client - played by you - asking fashion agencies - played by small student groups - to manage the creation and launch of a specific clothing item, such as a dress or jacket. Although your idea is crystal clear, you're having a hard time communicating it. So, the agencies must start the project by developing a questionnaire to draw answers from you. As you respond to each agency, they can begin the next steps. These can include designing mock-ups, writing advertisements and calculating an appropriate sale price. After this work is done, each agency will pitch their version of the item to you. You determine who best captured the client's ideas.

9. A career with math

Give students a chance to look towards the future, investigating a career path that heavily relies on math.

You can present a list of relevant careers or have students suggest their own. Either way, choosing a career will launch the investigation process. Each student must research the career, writing a brief report about how professionals use math in daily duties. From there, students should be able to choose a skill used in their selected procession, linking it to a skill in the curriculum. The final task is to write a textbook chapter that explains the skill while offering specific examples of how and when it is used in the given career.

10. The economics of pizza

Analyze, from a mathematical perspective, many students' favorite meal: pizza.

This project-based learning assessment starts by choosing a pizza chain, researching its prices and applying linear algebra concepts to find the base cost of a pizza. These same concepts will allow students to determine how much each additional topping costs.

But the task isn't done there. Students should research - individually or in small groups - how much it costs to source each topping. They can then determine which type of pizza yields the greatest and smallest profit margins. Doing so acts as an introduction to basic economic concepts, encouraging students to critically think about business.

Notable examples of project-based learning

Your inspiration doesn't have to be limited to isolated activities like the ones above! There are many notable examples of project-based learning initiatives.

You'll likely be able to freely borrow ideas from these institutions:

1. THINK Global School

Calling itself the "world's first traveling high school," THINK Global School has its students live in four countries per year while developing curriculum knowledge entirely through project-based learning.

The projects are rooted in the cultures and environments surrounding the students.

2. Muscatine High School

An oft-referenced example of commitment to project-based learning, Muscatine High School in Iowa worked with a third-party organization to implement project-based learning opportunities across classes and subjects.

The projects are diverse, ranging from developing personal financial plans to exploring local history through interviews with community members.

3. EdVisions

A non-profit organization, EdVisions ' mission is "to help create and sustain great schools ... using the most student-centered teaching and learning." This largely involves partnering with schools to implement project-based learning opportunities.

The organization does so by working with a given school to identify students' learning needs and preferences, tailoring projects to them. This serves as an important reminder: project-based learning starts and ends with students in mind.

However, educators are still asking some important questions...

With such complex demands in today's educational system, educators worldwide are asking if elementary students can effectively complete research projects?

Will they still meet required learning objectives with the teacher serving as a guide instead of teaching the curriculum in a direct, traditional manner?

The project-based learning ideas above can be incredibly useful in the right setting and with the right students. However, there are some perceived benefits and disadvantages worth outlining.

Benefits and disadvantages of project-based learning

Debate permeates discussions about project-based learning.

It's up to you to understand the pros and cons, applying them to your classroom situation to make a decision about a given activity.

Key benefits of project-based learning:

Increased engagement - Project-based learning empowers students to play an active role in learning, as the complex tasks they take on demand novel approaches and are relevant to real-world contexts. This creates a classroom environment in which students overwhelmingly report feeling engaged, according to a meta analysis of 82 studies.

Better knowledge retention - Compared with traditional instruction, extensive research indicates that students who complete project-based learning exercises and assessments often show superior knowledge retention in a range of subjects from math to second-language learning. This can translate to higher performance on tests, according to a 2011 study.

Improved critical thinking abilities - The process of completing and delivering a project-generated product inherently builds problem-solving abilities, according to research from as recent as 2010. This is because students must heavily exercise those abilities, applying them in tangible contexts. For these reasons, the research indicates that students in project-based learning environments can better use problem-solving skills out of school than those in traditional learning settings.

More opportunities to explore EdTech - Project-based learning, by nature, enables students to use EdTech and explore Internet resources and technology tools. For example, independent research is likely rooted in online searches. EdTech, on the other hand, can lend itself to creating and delivering artifacts.

Disadvantages of project-based learning

Subjectivity in assessments - When grading a project-based learning product, many critics will say you're closing the door on objectivity. This is because, as opposed to using standardized forms of measurement, you'll rely on subjectively assessing a range of products. For these reasons, there's an argument that you shouldn't use project-based learning for a large part of students' marks.

Hyper-focus on product creation - It's possible for the day-to-day focus of project-based learning to transition from developing and applying essential skills to merely working on a product. When this happens, you can debate that students won't reap benefits such as improved problem solving and knowledge retention.

Questionable application in mathematics - Largely skill-based for elementary learners, dedicating time to project-based learning may not be the best use of time. Consider this: Would students better understand multiplication by applying it in a project-based learning context, or by running through drills and word problems?

Armed with this knowledge, it's ultimately your decision to bring project-based learning into your classroom.

A quality project will both engage students' interests and align with what's being taught, so keep that in mind for the most successful outcome.

Final thoughts on building PBL exercises

After going through this, you should have a better understanding of project-based learning as a pedagogy, as well as how to create a project design and launch it.

Just remember that the teaching method must be student-centered. What works for some teachers may not work for you, and what works for you may not work for others.

But you'll never know until you try.

👉 Create or log in to your teacher on Prodigy - a game-based learning platform for math that's curriculum-aligned and used by over 100 million teachers, students and parents worldwide.

Make math more fun! 🎉

For some teachers, project-based learning (PBL) is classroom bliss.

Students work together to investigate an authentic and nuanced real-world problem. They build curriculum-aligned skills in the process. They're rewarded with enhanced communication and problem-solving skills.

But organizing and running suitable PBL activities isn't always easy, as the pedagogy is surrounded by debate and takes form in a range of exercises.

Find and facilitate the most appropriate project-based learning examples for your students.

These sections will help you determine if the pedagogy is worthwhile. If so, you'll come away with a handful of effective ideas to implement easily.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) or project-based instruction is a student-centered teaching method that encourages learning through engaging, real-world, curriculum-related questions or challenges.
This, of course, goes deeper than doing any old project. The goal is to get students to engage with a question or challenge that requires concentration and nuanced problem-solving skills.

This question or challenge must:

Be open-ended

Encourage students to apply skills and knowledge they've developed in your classes

Allow students to take their own approaches to develop an answer and deliver a product

As you can see, project-based learning doesn't conform to rote approaches or teacher-led instruction.

Driven by critical thinking, it's often interdisciplinary and encourages students to take a rewarding-yet-challenging road to skill-building and knowledge acquisition through a nuanced learning process.

Why is project-based learning important?

Project-based learning boosts classroom engagement and has a direct impact on how well students are prepared to enter the workforce once they graduate.

A growing focus on 21st century skills and critical thinking means project-based learning is gaining steam in education. In addition, PBL can help educators:

Teach students personal responsibility and critical time management skills

Design assignments that hit higher-order stages in Bloom's taxonomy like analysis, synthesis and evaluation

Provide multiple ways of assessing students at different stages of the project, whether through a portfolio, annotated bibliography, outline, draft product or finished project

When students leave school, they'll need to understand that work isn't as straightforward as lectures and homework. It's more aligned with a project-based approach, where employees are expected to prioritize, manage their time and deliver work on a deadline. Project-based learning helps teach students:

Creative problem-solving skills

The importance of collaboration

How to find the right tools for the job

How to build independent learning and project management skills

How to use relevant technology to find resources, communicate and produce a final product

Project-based learning is important because it helps students approach meaningful learning opportunities with curiosity, while also giving them real-world skills they'll use for the rest of their lives.

Key characteristics of project-based learning

Project-based learning isn't just group work or a randomly assigned project. Let's take a look at some of the key characteristics to help you build your own project-based learning assignment:

1. Project-based learning presents an open-ended, appropriately complex question.

Students should have to do deep research, draw on existing knowledge and come up with a solution in the form of a final project - whether that's a presentation, proposal, essay or other product.

Students should have a choice in what they explore, and the questions they answer should be genuinely challenging with real-world applications.

2. Project-based learning relates to knowledge acquired through classroom lessons.

Not only should project-based learning build on your classroom lessons, but it should give students the opportunity to put them to use in a real-world setting. Project-based learning encourages students to dive deeper into the subject matter and builds on content knowledge.

Ultimately, this content knowledge should have real-world applications that students can focus on during the project.

3. Project-based learning requires students to find their own solutions to a given problem or question.

Just because the inspiration for project-based learning assignments comes from your lectures, doesn't mean it should stay there. Effective PBL comes from requiring students to find their own solutions to a given problem - not just plugging in a formula to find the answer.

In practice, this looks like a real-world project with extended inquiry. It should be a multi-stage process with, if necessary, multiple deliverables at different stages to keep students on track.

4. Project-based learning gives students a choice in how they learn.

Students learn best when they're studying something that captures their imagination and interest. Regardless of the end product, students should have as much autonomy as possible in what they make and how. They should learn how to communicate ideas in a group and on their own, and really bring their passion for the project to the forefront.

5. Project-based learning follows a clear, well-defined set of assessment criteria.

The best way to keep project-based learning on track and effective is to let students know what's expected of them.

At the beginning of the project, give students a rubric and handouts outlining:

How the project will be graded

All the products they'll be required to hand in

How they should work independently or in a group

Some teachers may even choose to collaborate with students in the development of the rubric and project criteria so they may feel a deeper understanding of the project expectations.

When students know what's expected of them, they're more likely to succeed.

A simple example of project-based learning

The PBL process is straightforward.

1. You present the issue, methods of investigation and any supplementary materials. It's up to your students to deliver a defined product.

2. Next, encourage students to reflect on their work and make revisions, ultimately delivering a presentation to their peers.

In social studies, for example, you could task students with conceptualizing and mapping out a smartphone app that addresses a problem within your country. To add a math element, they can budget the necessary resources to develop it.

Despite this clear-cut process, there's a lot of space for diverse tasks and differentiation in general.

As a type of active learning and inquiry-based learning, examples of project-based learning depend on yourself and your students. As John Dewey famously wrote in My Pedagogic Creed:

The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child and to assist him in properly responding.

Following this philosophy, it's probable - and ideal - that any project-based learning exercise you run looks different from those run by your colleagues.

What matters is prioritizing your students' needs and learning styles above the curriculum.

10 Project-based learning ideas your class will love

As you can see, it's not always easy to come up with a "project" that meets these requirements. Ideating a driving question into meaningful learning experiences that have real-world applications is no small task.

But that's what we're here to help with. Below are 10 of our ideas to inspire your project-based learning exercises.

1. Play area

Give students an opportunity to apply their geometry skills by designing a new playground for the school.

Using a range of free web applications, or simply grid paper and a pencil, task them with mapping out the playground while meeting certain conditions. These conditions should be based on including a certain number of 2D or 3D shapes in the components of the playground, such as slides and monkey bars. For example, at least two isosceles triangles, three equilateral triangles, four squares and so on. Once complete, each student must calculate the area and perimeter of his or her playground, as well as each component.

2. Your very own math story

Fuse math with visual and language arts by asking students to write their own math books.

Taking the form of an original short story, require students to cover a certain number of curriculum skills. They should explain and exemplify each skill within the context of the story, inherently allowing them to improve understanding. In exemplifying how to use a given skill, students should teach themselves its importance for a real-world scenario. You should notice improved retention as a result.
Is it hard to get your students excited about math? Try turning it into an engaging game-based learning adventure!
Make math more fun! 🎉

3. Favorite recipes

Take a mathematical approach to nutrition by having your class analyze their favorite foods and dishes for presentations about select recipes.

Each student should choose a main course, two sides and a dessert. They must then create and deliver presentations about how to make the dishes. But instead of standard cooking advice, the focus is nutritional values - calories, carbohydrates, daily vitamin intake and so on - based on the ingredients. You may need to provide a go-to resource for students to find this information, but the onus for creating a healthy meal is on them. Bon appetit!

4. What happened to the dinosaurs?

Satiate your students' curiosity and probable love of dinosaurs by having them research and argue what caused their extinction, crafting a visual display to illustrate findings.

As the dinosaurs' extinction remains a debate that can draw students into a rabbit hole, consider providing questions to guide their research. How did the planet change from the Triassic to Cretaceous period? How prevalent were carnivores compared with omnivores and herbivores? Such guiding questions should allow students to reach informed opinions, writing reports to defend those opinions and allowing them to craft creative visualizations.

5. Ancient civilization of needs

Combine history, anthropology and psychology through this project, requiring learners to envision newly-discovered ancient civilizations.

The basic premise is to borrow elements from other ancient societies, creating a unique one. But there's a catch - the society must satisfy each tier in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If students are not familiar with the theory, present it along with guiding questions.

For example, "Which tier of the pyramid is most important for society to function?" These questions should encourage students to develop a collection of products, including: a written explanation of the society and how it meets Maslow's hierarchy of needs; an analysis of the elements borrowed from other ancient civilizations; a visual depiction of the society and more.

6. Where it comes from

Launch this independent or paired study activity to explore how ancient machines are still present in modern-day science and engineering.

The exercise starts with each student or pair choosing a simple machine - a pulley, lever, wedge and so on - or another ancient tool. They must research the history of their tools, determining how and where scientists and engineers still use them today. Students can then envision how the same tools will work as part of inventions 100 years into the future. They can produce videos, presentations or mock interviews with inventors to showcase their research and ideas.

7. The Oscar goes to ...

Have students script a part of a significant historical event to exercise their drama, history, and creative writing skills.

Whether a battle, court proceeding or formation of a powerful organization, have students choose from a list of events. Each learner's goal is to thoroughly research an event, forming a cohesive string of scenes they'd watch in a movie or television show. This will allow them to write scripts, highlighting each figure's motives and background. They must also pay particular attention to historical accuracy in terms of dialogue and settings. After you've approved each student's script, they can form small groups and choose their favorite, acting it out in front of the class.

8. Fashionista

Encourage students to take the roles of fashion designers and marketers with a scenario that combines business with visual and language arts.

This scenario entails a client - played by you - asking fashion agencies - played by small student groups - to manage the creation and launch of a specific clothing item, such as a dress or jacket. Although your idea is crystal clear, you're having a hard time communicating it. So, the agencies must start the project by developing a questionnaire to draw answers from you. As you respond to each agency, they can begin the next steps. These can include designing mock-ups, writing advertisements and calculating an appropriate sale price. After this work is done, each agency will pitch their version of the item to you. You determine who best captured the client's ideas.

9. A career with math

Give students a chance to look towards the future, investigating a career path that heavily relies on math.

You can present a list of relevant careers or have students suggest their own. Either way, choosing a career will launch the investigation process. Each student must research the career, writing a brief report about how professionals use math in daily duties. From there, students should be able to choose a skill used in their selected procession, linking it to a skill in the curriculum. The final task is to write a textbook chapter that explains the skill while offering specific examples of how and when it is used in the given career.

10. The economics of pizza

Analyze, from a mathematical perspective, many students' favorite meal: pizza.

This project-based learning assessment starts by choosing a pizza chain, researching its prices and applying linear algebra concepts to find the base cost of a pizza. These same concepts will allow students to determine how much each additional topping costs.

But the task isn't done there. Students should research - individually or in small groups - how much it costs to source each topping. They can then determine which type of pizza yields the greatest and smallest profit margins. Doing so acts as an introduction to basic economic concepts, encouraging students to critically think about business.

Notable examples of project-based learning

Your inspiration doesn't have to be limited to isolated activities like the ones above! There are many notable examples of project-based learning initiatives.

You'll likely be able to freely borrow ideas from these institutions:

1. THINK Global School

Calling itself the "world's first traveling high school," THINK Global School has its students live in four countries per year while developing curriculum knowledge entirely through project-based learning.

The projects are rooted in the cultures and environments surrounding the students.

2. Muscatine High School

An oft-referenced example of commitment to project-based learning, Muscatine High School in Iowa worked with a third-party organization to implement project-based learning opportunities across classes and subjects.

The projects are diverse, ranging from developing personal financial plans to exploring local history through interviews with community members.

3. EdVisions

A non-profit organization, EdVisions ' mission is "to help create and sustain great schools ... using the most student-centered teaching and learning." This largely involves partnering with schools to implement project-based learning opportunities.

The organization does so by working with a given school to identify students' learning needs and preferences, tailoring projects to them. This serves as an important reminder: project-based learning starts and ends with students in mind.

However, educators are still asking some important questions...

With such complex demands in today's educational system, educators worldwide are asking if elementary students can effectively complete research projects?

Will they still meet required learning objectives with the teacher serving as a guide instead of teaching the curriculum in a direct, traditional manner?

The project-based learning ideas above can be incredibly useful in the right setting and with the right students. However, there are some perceived benefits and disadvantages worth outlining.

Benefits and disadvantages of project-based learning

Debate permeates discussions about project-based learning.

It's up to you to understand the pros and cons, applying them to your classroom situation to make a decision about a given activity.

Key benefits of project-based learning:

Increased engagement - Project-based learning empowers students to play an active role in learning, as the complex tasks they take on demand novel approaches and are relevant to real-world contexts. This creates a classroom environment in which students overwhelmingly report feeling engaged, according to a meta analysis of 82 studies.

Better knowledge retention - Compared with traditional instruction, extensive research indicates that students who complete project-based learning exercises and assessments often show superior knowledge retention in a range of subjects from math to second-language learning. This can translate to higher performance on tests, according to a 2011 study.

Improved critical thinking abilities - The process of completing and delivering a project-generated product inherently builds problem-solving abilities, according to research from as recent as 2010. This is because students must heavily exercise those abilities, applying them in tangible contexts. For these reasons, the research indicates that students in project-based learning environments can better use problem-solving skills out of school than those in traditional learning settings.

More opportunities to explore EdTech - Project-based learning, by nature, enables students to use EdTech and explore Internet resources and technology tools. For example, independent research is likely rooted in online searches. EdTech, on the other hand, can lend itself to creating and delivering artifacts.

Disadvantages of project-based learning

Subjectivity in assessments - When grading a project-based learning product, many critics will say you're closing the door on objectivity. This is because, as opposed to using standardized forms of measurement, you'll rely on subjectively assessing a range of products. For these reasons, there's an argument that you shouldn't use project-based learning for a large part of students' marks.

Hyper-focus on product creation - It's possible for the day-to-day focus of project-based learning to transition from developing and applying essential skills to merely working on a product. When this happens, you can debate that students won't reap benefits such as improved problem solving and knowledge retention.

Questionable application in mathematics - Largely skill-based for elementary learners, dedicating time to project-based learning may not be the best use of time. Consider this: Would students better understand multiplication by applying it in a project-based learning context, or by running through drills and word problems?

Armed with this knowledge, it's ultimately your decision to bring project-based learning into your classroom.

A quality project will both engage students' interests and align with what's being taught, so keep that in mind for the most successful outcome.

Final thoughts on building PBL exercises

After going through this, you should have a better understanding of project-based learning as a pedagogy, as well as how to create a project design and launch it.

Just remember that the teaching method must be student-centered. What works for some teachers may not work for you, and what works for you may not work for others.

But you'll never know until you try.

👉 Create or log in to your teacher on Prodigy - a game-based learning platform for math that's curriculum-aligned and used by over 100 million teachers, students and parents worldwide.

Make math more fun! 🎉

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Project-Based Learning (PBL) Benefits, Examples & 10 Ideas for Classroom Implementation

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For some teachers, project-based learning (PBL) is classroom bliss. Students work together to investigate an authentic and nuanced real-world problem. They build curriculum-aligned skills in the process. They're rewarded with enhanced communication and problem-solving skills. But organizing and running suitable PBL activities isn't always easy, as the pedagogy is surrounded by debate and takes form in a range of exercises.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Constantly underestimated, she risked her life and freedom to liberate others and was committed to building a political system that endowed women and people of color with the same rights as white men.

Every single image staring back at us from US paper currency tells a story. Taken together, these images form a narrative about the nation, its values, and its people. Until recently, the story of symbolism on US money has been one of how white America has racialized the mythology of the nation in its own image and interests. Currently, the images on US permanent paper money portray no women, no people of color, no Native Americans, and no working-class people. The images on the money, like our monuments, statues, street names, and geographical place names should be seen as contested territory.

In a history-making step, enslaved-liberator and abolitionist Harriet Tubman is scheduled to appear on the $20 dollar bill around 2030. Despite the reluctance that was clearly evinced by former president Donald Trump to proceed with the project, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has affirmed that security and design are moving forward and the $20 bill and other paper currencies ($5, $10, $50, and $100) with new images will be produced in the period between 2026 and 2034.

For most of US history, representations of women and people of color were rarely considered for inclusion in formal symbols projecting the nation's origins and ethos. As a result, the overwhelming centrality of white men in official US narratives has perpetuated distorted or false versions of the nation's political and racial history. In the process, both whiteness and maleness have long remained prerequisite conditions for access to privilege and power, while the struggles of "others" who have fought for freedom have been marginalized. This process-perpetuated from the days of settler-colonialism to the present through education, media, law, monuments, and the nation's money-has indoctrinated generations to internalize the racist view that "American means white." "All others," Toni Morrison once said, "must hyphenate."

Tubman fought for liberty and equality her whole life. Constantly underestimated, she risked her life and freedom on countless occasions to liberate others, and until her last breath remained committed to building a political system that endowed women and people of color with the same rights as white men. She never sought fame or riches for her efforts, only the justice and fairness that she believed was a right of all. Related Article

During the Obama era, a movement emerged to place women on US currency, and Tubman's image was overwhelmingly favored as the lead choice. This took place even though Tubman's relationship with the women's rights movement-and its perception of her role in it-have both been complex and at times even contentious. For many, the way Tubman has been perceived by some in the broader white-dominated women's rights movement has revealed the single-issue focus problematic that the intersectionality approach seeks to address and overcome. For Black women, liberation has involved confronting multiple forces of oppression, not just those that target their gender, a matter the larger feminist movement has been slow to address. Women of color, whether they identify as feminist or not, have long understood how the oppressive power dynamics of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation collectively define their lived experiences and socioeconomic status. How the women's movement during Tubman's lifetime understood these overlapping identities zigzagged politically and set the context for her engagement with it.

Popular

"swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe →

Following the historic 1848 Seneca Falls Convention that many consider the birth of the US women's movement, an alliance of sorts was forged between the abolitionists and women demanding equal rights and suffrage. Frederick Douglass attended the Seneca Falls Convention, reportedly the only African American present, and drew the link between abolition and rights for women. In an essay published in his North Star newspaper immediately following the convention, he wrote: "In respect to political rights, we hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man. We go further, and express our conviction that all political rights which it is expedient for men to exercise, it is equally so for women." Susan B. Anthony, who would become the nation's most prominent women's rights activist, shared stages with Douglass as they both advocated for abolition and women's suffrage.

Douglass and Anthony had a falling-out after the Civil War, however, when the 14th Amendment granted free African Americans full citizenship rights, and the 15th Amendment granted the franchise to Black men. Anthony and some of the other well-known suffragist leaders were incensed that women were not included in either amendment, especially when Douglass and other Black leaders supported both. As white attacks on Black people intensified following the Civil War, Douglass spoke bluntly about the critical importance of Black America winning the right to vote:

"I must say that I do not see how any one can pretend that there is the same urgency in giving the ballot to women as to the negro. With us, the matter is a question of life and death. It is a matter of existence, at least in fifteen states of the Union. When women, because they are women, are hunted down through the cities of New York and New Orleans; when they are dragged from their houses and hung upon lamp-posts; when their children are torn from their arms, and their brains dashed out upon the pavement; when they are objects of insult and outrage at every turn; when they are in danger of having their homes burnt down over their heads; when their children are not allowed to enter schools; then they will have an urgency to obtain the ballot equal to our own."

Douglass was responding to a bitter diatribe from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, another prominent suffrage leader. Voicing raw white supremacist opposition to the 15th Amendment, she rhetorically asked, "Shall American statesmen, claiming to be liberal, so amend their constitutions as to make their wives and mothers the political inferiors of unlettered and unwashed ditch-diggers, bootblacks, butchers and barbers, fresh from the slave plantations of the South and the effete civilizations of the old world?" Her "indisputably racist ideas," writes Angela Y. Davis in Women, Race & Class, "indicate that Stanton's understanding of the relationship between the battle for Black Liberation and the struggle for women's rights was, at best, superficial."

Current Issue

The issue would also fracture the women's movement from within. In 1866, the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) was formed by a coalition of abolitionists and feminists. However, in the battle over the 15th Amendment, which was ratified in 1870, the organization split and fell apart when some women supported it and others did not, including Anthony and Stanton. Both quit the AERA and formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. Their former colleagues created a rival organization with a similar name, the American Woman Suffrage Association.

It was during this period and into the 1890s that Harriet Tubman became more visible at meetings of women's rights groups up and down the East Coast. Usually speaking from the floor as a visitor, she talked about her experiences freeing the enslaved, her wartime work, and about rights for African Americans. Tubman also used these opportunities to raise funds for her charity work assisting aged and indigent Black people. Most white women she encountered in this context often seemed more patronizing to her concerns than genuinely engaged with them. Few were active in fighting for the rights of African American women, and few spoke out forcefully against the increasing institutionalization of segregation or the rise of white violence against Black people. There were exceptions, however, such as activist Frances Seward and Quaker activist and writer Martha Coffin Wright, who helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention and was a close confidant of Douglass. Journalist and writer Dorothy Wickenden beautifully documents the close friendship between Seward, Wright, and Tubman in her book The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights.

Tubman's most celebrated appearance at a women's movement gathering was on November 18, 1896, at the New York State Woman Suffrage Association conference in Rochester. Tubman was led to the stage by none other than Susan B. Anthony. Both were in their late 70s and in the twilight of their careers. Tubman spoke about her experiences helping people escape slavery, telling one gathering of activist women, "Yes, ladies, I was the conductor on the Underground Railroad for eight years and I can say what most conductors can't say-I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

In 1900, Carrie Chapman Catt was voted in as president to fill the seat vacated by the elderly Susan B. Anthony. Astonishingly, Catt later stated to researcher Earl Conrad, "I never heard of Harriet Tubman." Conrad was trying to establish the nature of Tubman's relationship to the women's rights movement and asked her to reflect on Tubman. "[Tubman] did not assist the suffragists or the woman suffrage movement at any time," Catt later wrote to Conrad in 1939. "It was they who were attempting to assist her.... There was no leadership on the part of the colored people at that time and there is very little even now."

Many other white feminists had similar prejudicial views. Susan B. Anthony's niece, Lucy E. Anthony, told Conrad, "Harriet Tubman is just a name to me which I just remember Aunt Susan mentioning from time to time." There is little evidence that the women's suffrage movement, as opposed to some individual feminists, actually helped Tubman, as Catt claims. "Catt's utter disregard for Tubman's life history is striking, and her careless assessment of contributions of African American women to the suffrage movement presaged the reception Tubman's biography would continue to receive for several more decades," writes Kate Clifford Larson. Black women scholars and activists, such as Angela Y. Davis, Patricia Hill Collins, Nikki Giovanni, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, bell hooks, Barbara Smith, and many others have thoroughly documented Black women's activism as well as the racism in the women's suffrage movement.

Black women's rights and suffrage organizations, Black women activists within white-dominated women's groups, Black women's scholarship, and Black women's struggles within civil rights organizations were simply not acknowledged by the middle-class white women whose leadership guided the women's movement into the 20th century, and in some instances, continues to this day.

Despite the accounts of white suffragist leaders, Black women were involved at every stage of the movement's development, from the antebellum era up through the passage of the 19th Amendment and beyond. Among the many organizations from that time period were the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, the National League for the Protection of Colored Women, the National Council of Negro Women, and the Southeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. To a significant degree, these organizations were also long written out of mainstream Black history texts but rescued in the literature of Black women scholars in the latter third of the 20h century. In real time, these institutions were vital to the Black community. Thousands of Black women were involved, and their organizing was often intergenerational. In some instances, mothers and daughters were active together for decades.

Not only were Black women an active part of the 19th-century women's movement; they were also vocal regarding the racial inequality within it. Scholar Anna J. Cooper wrote one of the first books on Black feminism in 1892, A Voice from the South, advocating education and suffrage for African American women. In that work, she famously wrote, "Only the Black woman can say, 'when and where I enter, in the quiet, undisputed dignity of my womanhood, without violence and without suing or special patronage, then and there the whole Negro race enters with me.'" Cooper received a PhD in history from Sorbonne University in France in 1925 when she was 66 years old. She was born in the last years of slavery in 1858 and passed away during the era of civil rights and black power in 1964.

While Tubman never led a women's rights organization or seemed to be an ongoing active member of any one group, the last decades of her life were largely spent working with and speaking for suffrage and women's rights. For the most part, her remarks were not documented.

On July 21, 1896, Tubman attended the inaugural meeting of the National Association of Colored Women Clubs (NACWC) as an honored guest. One of the women celebrating Tubman at that meeting was Rosetta Douglass, the daughter of Frederick Douglass. The NACWC advocated for voting rights for women, but unlike the white-dominated suffragist organizations, fought for a broader agenda that included advocacy against segregation. It was a merger of three black women's organizations: National Federation of African-American Women, the Woman's Era Club of Boston, and the National League of Colored Women of Washington, D.C., known by its motto, "Lifting as we climb."

Tubman was surrounded by family and friends when she passed away on March 10, 1913, five days before what may have been her 91st birthday. The world was in transition. Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated, four days before she died, and World War I would begin the next year. Anti-lynching activism was rising, workers' organizations were growing, and African Americans would soon be leaving the South in massive numbers. Tubman lived through 22 presidential administrations, and almost 200 years after her birth, she would be linked to Obama, the first African American president, whose administration sought to honor her by placing her image on the 20-dollar bill.

The appearance of the Tubman $20 and images of suffragettes, civil rights leaders, and Native Americans on the other paper currency will be groundbreaking moments in the long struggle for representation. While these steps will not feed the hungry, stop police violence against communities of color, or reverse climate erosion, they pushback against the broader assertion of white supremacy and exclusions that is critical in creating policies and politics that benefit everyone and not an elite few.

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Constantly underestimated, she risked her life and freedom to liberate others and was committed to building a political system that endowed women and people of color with the same rights as white men.

Every single image staring back at us from US paper currency tells a story. Taken together, these images form a narrative about the nation, its values, and its people. Until recently, the story of symbolism on US money has been one of how white America has racialized the mythology of the nation in its own image and interests. Currently, the images on US permanent paper money portray no women, no people of color, no Native Americans, and no working-class people. The images on the money, like our monuments, statues, street names, and geographical place names should be seen as contested territory.

In a history-making step, enslaved-liberator and abolitionist Harriet Tubman is scheduled to appear on the $20 dollar bill around 2030. Despite the reluctance that was clearly evinced by former president Donald Trump to proceed with the project, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has affirmed that security and design are moving forward and the $20 bill and other paper currencies ($5, $10, $50, and $100) with new images will be produced in the period between 2026 and 2034.

For most of US history, representations of women and people of color were rarely considered for inclusion in formal symbols projecting the nation's origins and ethos. As a result, the overwhelming centrality of white men in official US narratives has perpetuated distorted or false versions of the nation's political and racial history. In the process, both whiteness and maleness have long remained prerequisite conditions for access to privilege and power, while the struggles of "others" who have fought for freedom have been marginalized. This process-perpetuated from the days of settler-colonialism to the present through education, media, law, monuments, and the nation's money-has indoctrinated generations to internalize the racist view that "American means white." "All others," Toni Morrison once said, "must hyphenate."

Tubman fought for liberty and equality her whole life. Constantly underestimated, she risked her life and freedom on countless occasions to liberate others, and until her last breath remained committed to building a political system that endowed women and people of color with the same rights as white men. She never sought fame or riches for her efforts, only the justice and fairness that she believed was a right of all. Related Article

During the Obama era, a movement emerged to place women on US currency, and Tubman's image was overwhelmingly favored as the lead choice. This took place even though Tubman's relationship with the women's rights movement-and its perception of her role in it-have both been complex and at times even contentious. For many, the way Tubman has been perceived by some in the broader white-dominated women's rights movement has revealed the single-issue focus problematic that the intersectionality approach seeks to address and overcome. For Black women, liberation has involved confronting multiple forces of oppression, not just those that target their gender, a matter the larger feminist movement has been slow to address. Women of color, whether they identify as feminist or not, have long understood how the oppressive power dynamics of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation collectively define their lived experiences and socioeconomic status. How the women's movement during Tubman's lifetime understood these overlapping identities zigzagged politically and set the context for her engagement with it.

Popular

"swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe →

Following the historic 1848 Seneca Falls Convention that many consider the birth of the US women's movement, an alliance of sorts was forged between the abolitionists and women demanding equal rights and suffrage. Frederick Douglass attended the Seneca Falls Convention, reportedly the only African American present, and drew the link between abolition and rights for women. In an essay published in his North Star newspaper immediately following the convention, he wrote: "In respect to political rights, we hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man. We go further, and express our conviction that all political rights which it is expedient for men to exercise, it is equally so for women." Susan B. Anthony, who would become the nation's most prominent women's rights activist, shared stages with Douglass as they both advocated for abolition and women's suffrage.

Douglass and Anthony had a falling-out after the Civil War, however, when the 14th Amendment granted free African Americans full citizenship rights, and the 15th Amendment granted the franchise to Black men. Anthony and some of the other well-known suffragist leaders were incensed that women were not included in either amendment, especially when Douglass and other Black leaders supported both. As white attacks on Black people intensified following the Civil War, Douglass spoke bluntly about the critical importance of Black America winning the right to vote:

"I must say that I do not see how any one can pretend that there is the same urgency in giving the ballot to women as to the negro. With us, the matter is a question of life and death. It is a matter of existence, at least in fifteen states of the Union. When women, because they are women, are hunted down through the cities of New York and New Orleans; when they are dragged from their houses and hung upon lamp-posts; when their children are torn from their arms, and their brains dashed out upon the pavement; when they are objects of insult and outrage at every turn; when they are in danger of having their homes burnt down over their heads; when their children are not allowed to enter schools; then they will have an urgency to obtain the ballot equal to our own."

Douglass was responding to a bitter diatribe from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, another prominent suffrage leader. Voicing raw white supremacist opposition to the 15th Amendment, she rhetorically asked, "Shall American statesmen, claiming to be liberal, so amend their constitutions as to make their wives and mothers the political inferiors of unlettered and unwashed ditch-diggers, bootblacks, butchers and barbers, fresh from the slave plantations of the South and the effete civilizations of the old world?" Her "indisputably racist ideas," writes Angela Y. Davis in Women, Race & Class, "indicate that Stanton's understanding of the relationship between the battle for Black Liberation and the struggle for women's rights was, at best, superficial."

Current Issue

The issue would also fracture the women's movement from within. In 1866, the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) was formed by a coalition of abolitionists and feminists. However, in the battle over the 15th Amendment, which was ratified in 1870, the organization split and fell apart when some women supported it and others did not, including Anthony and Stanton. Both quit the AERA and formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. Their former colleagues created a rival organization with a similar name, the American Woman Suffrage Association.

It was during this period and into the 1890s that Harriet Tubman became more visible at meetings of women's rights groups up and down the East Coast. Usually speaking from the floor as a visitor, she talked about her experiences freeing the enslaved, her wartime work, and about rights for African Americans. Tubman also used these opportunities to raise funds for her charity work assisting aged and indigent Black people. Most white women she encountered in this context often seemed more patronizing to her concerns than genuinely engaged with them. Few were active in fighting for the rights of African American women, and few spoke out forcefully against the increasing institutionalization of segregation or the rise of white violence against Black people. There were exceptions, however, such as activist Frances Seward and Quaker activist and writer Martha Coffin Wright, who helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention and was a close confidant of Douglass. Journalist and writer Dorothy Wickenden beautifully documents the close friendship between Seward, Wright, and Tubman in her book The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights.

Tubman's most celebrated appearance at a women's movement gathering was on November 18, 1896, at the New York State Woman Suffrage Association conference in Rochester. Tubman was led to the stage by none other than Susan B. Anthony. Both were in their late 70s and in the twilight of their careers. Tubman spoke about her experiences helping people escape slavery, telling one gathering of activist women, "Yes, ladies, I was the conductor on the Underground Railroad for eight years and I can say what most conductors can't say-I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

In 1900, Carrie Chapman Catt was voted in as president to fill the seat vacated by the elderly Susan B. Anthony. Astonishingly, Catt later stated to researcher Earl Conrad, "I never heard of Harriet Tubman." Conrad was trying to establish the nature of Tubman's relationship to the women's rights movement and asked her to reflect on Tubman. "[Tubman] did not assist the suffragists or the woman suffrage movement at any time," Catt later wrote to Conrad in 1939. "It was they who were attempting to assist her.... There was no leadership on the part of the colored people at that time and there is very little even now."

Many other white feminists had similar prejudicial views. Susan B. Anthony's niece, Lucy E. Anthony, told Conrad, "Harriet Tubman is just a name to me which I just remember Aunt Susan mentioning from time to time." There is little evidence that the women's suffrage movement, as opposed to some individual feminists, actually helped Tubman, as Catt claims. "Catt's utter disregard for Tubman's life history is striking, and her careless assessment of contributions of African American women to the suffrage movement presaged the reception Tubman's biography would continue to receive for several more decades," writes Kate Clifford Larson. Black women scholars and activists, such as Angela Y. Davis, Patricia Hill Collins, Nikki Giovanni, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, bell hooks, Barbara Smith, and many others have thoroughly documented Black women's activism as well as the racism in the women's suffrage movement.

Black women's rights and suffrage organizations, Black women activists within white-dominated women's groups, Black women's scholarship, and Black women's struggles within civil rights organizations were simply not acknowledged by the middle-class white women whose leadership guided the women's movement into the 20th century, and in some instances, continues to this day.

Despite the accounts of white suffragist leaders, Black women were involved at every stage of the movement's development, from the antebellum era up through the passage of the 19th Amendment and beyond. Among the many organizations from that time period were the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, the National League for the Protection of Colored Women, the National Council of Negro Women, and the Southeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. To a significant degree, these organizations were also long written out of mainstream Black history texts but rescued in the literature of Black women scholars in the latter third of the 20h century. In real time, these institutions were vital to the Black community. Thousands of Black women were involved, and their organizing was often intergenerational. In some instances, mothers and daughters were active together for decades.

Not only were Black women an active part of the 19th-century women's movement; they were also vocal regarding the racial inequality within it. Scholar Anna J. Cooper wrote one of the first books on Black feminism in 1892, A Voice from the South, advocating education and suffrage for African American women. In that work, she famously wrote, "Only the Black woman can say, 'when and where I enter, in the quiet, undisputed dignity of my womanhood, without violence and without suing or special patronage, then and there the whole Negro race enters with me.'" Cooper received a PhD in history from Sorbonne University in France in 1925 when she was 66 years old. She was born in the last years of slavery in 1858 and passed away during the era of civil rights and black power in 1964.

While Tubman never led a women's rights organization or seemed to be an ongoing active member of any one group, the last decades of her life were largely spent working with and speaking for suffrage and women's rights. For the most part, her remarks were not documented.

On July 21, 1896, Tubman attended the inaugural meeting of the National Association of Colored Women Clubs (NACWC) as an honored guest. One of the women celebrating Tubman at that meeting was Rosetta Douglass, the daughter of Frederick Douglass. The NACWC advocated for voting rights for women, but unlike the white-dominated suffragist organizations, fought for a broader agenda that included advocacy against segregation. It was a merger of three black women's organizations: National Federation of African-American Women, the Woman's Era Club of Boston, and the National League of Colored Women of Washington, D.C., known by its motto, "Lifting as we climb."

Tubman was surrounded by family and friends when she passed away on March 10, 1913, five days before what may have been her 91st birthday. The world was in transition. Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated, four days before she died, and World War I would begin the next year. Anti-lynching activism was rising, workers' organizations were growing, and African Americans would soon be leaving the South in massive numbers. Tubman lived through 22 presidential administrations, and almost 200 years after her birth, she would be linked to Obama, the first African American president, whose administration sought to honor her by placing her image on the 20-dollar bill.

The appearance of the Tubman $20 and images of suffragettes, civil rights leaders, and Native Americans on the other paper currency will be groundbreaking moments in the long struggle for representation. While these steps will not feed the hungry, stop police violence against communities of color, or reverse climate erosion, they pushback against the broader assertion of white supremacy and exclusions that is critical in creating policies and politics that benefit everyone and not an elite few.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What We'll Be Celebrating When Harriet Tubman Appears on the 20-Dollar Bill

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Constantly underestimated, she risked her life and freedom to liberate others and was committed to building a political system that endowed women and people of color with the same rights as white men.

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Formative vs Summative Assessment - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University

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The definition provided: An authentic assessment evaluates if the student can successfully transfer the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to various contexts, scenarios, and situations beyond the classroom.

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Authentic assessment evaluates whether the student can successfully transfer the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to various contexts, scenarios, and situations. Authentic Assessment is grounded in theoretical best practices for teaching and learning and serves as an effective measure for course learning outcomes. In many ways, it can be considered the difference between measuring what students know vs. how they can apply that knowledge. These types of assignments will vary by discipline but typically require students to complete a project. For example, you may ask students to apply an engineering problem to a real world example, develop a web application, design a model, critically review case studies, or create multimedia presentations. This page has more information on authentic assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Authentic assessment evaluates whether the student can successfully transfer the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to various contexts, scenarios, and situations. Authentic Assessment is grounded in theoretical best practices for teaching and learning and serves as an effective measure for course learning outcomes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Authentic assessments involve the application of knowledge and skills in real-world situations, scenarios, or problems. Authentic assessments create a student-centered learning experience by providing students opportunities to problem-solve, inquire, and create new knowledge and meaning.

1

Elements of Authentic Assessments

There are several elements to consider that make an assessment more "authentic" (Ashford-Rowe, 2014; Grant, 2021; Wilson-Mah, 2019;), including:

Accuracy and validity - The accuracy of the assessment refers to how closely it resembles a real-world situation, problem, disciplinary norm, or field of study. The assessment validity refers to the alignment of grading criteria to the learning objectives, transferable skills (e.g., communication, critical thinking, etc.), workforce readiness skills, and disciplinary norms and practices.

Demonstration of learning - The outcomes of an assessment should allow students to demonstrate learning in ways that reflect their field of study, for example, a performance or a product that is authentic to their future career. Or the assessment should allow for student choice based on interests and skills; for example, one group of students decides to create a podcast to demonstrate their learning in general education coursework.

Transfer of knowledge - The assessment should provide the transfer of knowledge from theory to practice and from one task or experience to another. For example, students writing a blog post about a scientific principle that was demonstrated in current events replacing a traditional essay or paper on the scientific principle.

Metacognition - The process of reflecting on learning should be purposefully planned for students to make connections to prior knowledge, experiences, and different subject areas. For example, metacognition can be encouraged in authentic assessments by asking students to evaluate their progress, self-assess their product or performance, and reflect on their thought processes and learning experiences during the authentic assessment.

Collaboration - The assessments should provide opportunities for interaction that are aligned to the real-world situation. For example, if the task is typically completed by a team in the field, then the assessment should be completed collaboratively by a group.

2

Flexibility - The assessment should provide flexibility in the timeline and due dates for meeting project benchmarks and deliverables to align with real-world tasks. For example, if the task would take a few weeks to complete while working full time then the timeline in the course should reflect this timing to ensure authenticity and manageability.

Environment and tools - The environment and tools used to provide the assessment should be like the environments and tools in the students' field of study or aligned with a real-world situation. For example, students taking a graphic design course utilizing software that is used in their field to create typography, logos, etc., or medical students practicing authentic tasks in a simulation room to mirror a hospital room.

Authentic assessments can also be referred to as alternative assessments or performance-based assessments. All of these assessments are considered "alternatives" to traditional high-stakes tests or research papers, and are based on the constructivist theory where students actively construct new meaning and knowledge.

Also, it is important to understand that authentic assessments can be used to assess students both formatively (during instruction) and summatively (when the instruction is over). Want to learn more about formative assessments or summative assessments? Please visit the Assessment & Grading Practices teaching guides in the Resources section of the CATE website.

Authentic assessments can be designed using different teaching methods like inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, scenario-based learning, or design-based learning. Select each of the headings below to learn about how these teaching methods can support your design of authentic assessments.

Inquiry-based Learning

Problem-based Learning

Scenario-based Learning

Project-based Learning

Design-based Learning

Impact of Authentic Assessments
Authentic assessments have the potential to improve student self-efficacy (belief in own capacity), performance, and learning.

1

Self-efficacy and confidence - in a review of research completed on fifteen studies of project-based learning, 90% of the students reported improved confidence and were optimistic that they could implement project-based learning in future careers (Indrawn, 2019).

Higher grades - In a general education writing course, students who participated in scenario-based learning showed consistently higher averages (one to two letter grades higher) than students who did not receive scenario-based learning (Golden, 2018).

Engagement and retention - authentic assessments have shown improved student engagement and learner retention through participation in authentic assessments.

2

Direct evidence - authentic assessments provide direct evidence of students' learning and skills for instructors and students to better understand the learning taking place and plan the next steps for instruction and learning.

Student diversity - authentic assessments allow students to demonstrate their unique abilities, lived experiences, interests, and social identities.

Real-world artifacts - authentic assessments provide students with authentic tasks that can be utilized in professional portfolios, resumes, or interviews.

Workforce Readiness and Graduate Attributes

Authentic assessments' impact has also been viewed through the lens of workforce readiness and graduate attributes. For example, in a project-based learning experience, 78% of students reported that the experience prepared them to be workforce ready because of the real-world practice they received through the authentic assessment (Indrawn, 2019).

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Several graduate attributes have been identified as outcomes of authentic assessment participation (Foss, 2021; Indrawn, 2019; Karunanayaka, 2021; Elliott-Kingston, 2018; Murphy, 2017; Rowan, 2012), including:

Open-mindedness - students who participate in authentic assessments learn to be receptive to the diversity of ideas and multiple perspectives.

Comfort with ambiguity - students who participate in authentic assessments learn to live with uncomfortableness as they construct new knowledge and meaning.

Ability to engage in an iterative process - authentic assessments provide students with opportunities to ideate, evaluate, and reflect on ideas and learning. Students develop effective problem-solving skills through this iterative process that includes idea incubation.

Creativity - authentic assessments positively reinforce students' creativity through the inquiry process.

Learn to fail - authentic assessments provide formative feedback to help students build resiliency and strengthen their self-efficacy even when faced with failure.

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Take risks - authentic assessments encourage student risk-taking, and the instructor provides a safe and supportive learning environment for taking risks.

Search for multiple answers - students learn how to brainstorm ideas and develop numerous solutions to address problems.

Internally motivated - authentic assessments support students' internal motivation by providing opportunities for student choice based on their interests and future careers. Students develop metacognition and self-regulation skills as they reflect on their motivations, interests, and learning.

Take ownership of their learning - authentic assessments foster student ownership and autonomy. Students develop scholarship and a commitment to life-long learning through participation in authentic assessments.

Leadership - authentic assessments foster leadership, professionalism, and decision-making skills as students self-direct their learning and performance.

Citizenship and empathy - in many cases, authentic assessments ask students to reflect on an audience, end-user, or global community when solving a problem or designing a product. These experiences help to foster citizenship and empathy.

Considerations for Authentic Assessments
There are several variables that you should consider as you begin to design an authentic assessment:

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The education and experience level of students - consider how you will support students who may not have the professional skills yet to complete the authentic tasks (see the Student Success during Authentic Assessments in the HOW section of this guide).

The subjectivity of authenticity - consider how you will ensure that the designed assessment is authentic to the students. Please note that authenticity is subjective in nature; this means that what one person views as authentic might not be regarded the same by another (see the Elements of Authentic Assessments in the WHAT section of this guide for ways to make your assessment more authentic). Will you provide students with an opportunity to give you feedback to improve authenticity? Will you engage with practitioners in the field to ensure the authenticity of scenarios, problems, or prompts?

Complexity - consider how you will ensure that the assessment's level of complexity is aligned to the learning objectives, course outcomes, and real-world situation, problem, or field of study.

Instructor's role - consider how you will interact with students during the authentic assessment (see the Student Success during Authentic Assessments in the HOW section of this guide). How will you ensure that your role supports the education and experience level of your students? Will you provide guidance, facilitation, or direct instruction during the authentic assessment?

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Student ownership and choice - consider what level of student responsibility and choice that will be present in the authentic assessment. Will students have minimal responsibility if you are using direct instruction, or will the students have higher levels of responsibility if you are guiding student-directed inquiry? Will students have the opportunity to choose how they will demonstrate their learning with a final product or performance?

Formative feedback - consider how students will receive formative feedback during the authentic assessment. Who will provide the formative feedback (instructor, TA, peers, or self)?

Manageability - consider the manageability of the authentic assessment regarding class size and course modality.

In large class sizes consider incorporating authentic assessments through partner or group work to reduce grading and feedback time as well as encourage communication and collaboration skills of students.

In online courses consider incorporating asynchronous peer review to provide opportunities for student interaction and feedback.

Alignment of assessments and instruction - consider how you will utilize authentic learning instruction to support student achievement in authentic assessments. For example, if using design-based learning during a group assignment then consider utilizing design thinking during your lectures and activities.

There are numerous types of products and performances to choose from when designing an authentic assessment. This is not an all-encompassing list of authentic products or performances, but more of a starting point for ideas. Instructors should also consider allowing students or groups to brainstorm ideas for products or performances and self-select a format.

Writing for an Actual Audience

Performances

Design of Products

Creation of Products

Other Types

A well-planned and communicated authentic assessment will help improve student performance and student satisfaction during the authentic assessment.

Communication of Authentic Assessments

Expectations and Grading for Authentic Assessments

Facilitation and Guidance during Authentic Assessments

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Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence

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Authentic assessments involve the application of knowledge and skills in real-world situations, scenarios, or problems. Authentic assessments create a student-centered learning experience by providing students opportunities to problem-solve, inquire, and create new knowledge and meaning.

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What is the purpose of the assessments in your course? This is a simple question that can be hard to answer, particularly when the assessments we include in our course are ones we inherited from previous courses, textbooks, or ways we learned the content ourselves.

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The goal of authentic assessments is to evaluate a student's ability to demonstrate understanding of core leaning objectives in a real-world context. Unlike traditional assessments, authentic assessment does not seek to measure rote learning and then require students to recall and restate the information. Instead, authentic assessment focuses on students' capacity to understand, analyze, and integrate instructional materials and apply that knowledge to real-world examples. Additionally, authentic assessments typically allow time for students to reflect on their work, and in some instances, include collaboration with cohorts. Therefore, an immediate answer to a question is not required as it would be with a timed traditional examination. These types of tasks encourage students to use higher-ordered critical thinking skills. For example, an authentic assessment in an accounting class would allow students to demonstrate their ability to solve complex problems in ways that are similar to professionals in the field of accounting. Authentic assignments can help connect students to learning outcomes.

Authentic assessments are often referred to as performance assessments (Muller, 2008). Stiggins (1987) defined performance assessments as those tasks that require students "to demonstrate specific skills and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered" (p. 34). Simply stated, performance assessments emphasize what a student can do. Therefore, instructors have an opportunity to evaluate what students have learned by evaluating students' demonstration of specific skills and abilities.

The table below distinguishes authentic assessments from traditional assessments and highlights some of their benefits. As you review the two columns, reflect on the assessments in your online course.

Requires students to do something to demonstrate knowledge skills

Requires students to respond to a question to demonstrate knowledge and skills.

Fosters active learning

Fosters passive learning

Requires students to contextualize and apply what they have learned

Asks students about what they have learned out of context and tends to encourage rote memorization

Achieves deep learning, which is more likely to transform stduents' views and be remembered

Achieves shallow learning that is less likely to be retained over long periods of time

Inspires students to make connections between course content and the real-world

Generally keeps learning confined to a book or other academic context

Some additional benefits of authentic assessments include:

Reducing the ease of "finding the right answer" -- a common problem, especially in online courses

Reducing the tendency of "cramming" the night before an exam

Providing opportunities for "Non Disposable Assignments," which students can take with them and use or share after the end of your course

Introducing variety into a students' learning, increasing interest and engagement

Incorporating opportunities to support the variable interests, levels, and needs of learners

What are some myths about authentic assessment?

Authentic assessments don't work for my discipline.

Authentic assessments can be developed for any discipline. It is human nature to teach the way we were taught. Disciplines and departments also have their own cultures of assessment that create fixed mindsets about how student learning can be measured. These factors can influence how faculty think about authentic assessments, but they can work in any discipline.

Authentic assessments involve big, complex projects.

Authentic assessments can involve complex projects, they can also involve simpler tasks, as well.

All authentic assessments are summative in nature (they measure learning that has occurred).

Authentic assessments can be used as formative assessments too, providing students with progress checks about their learning.

I teach online. I need to use quizzes and exams for assessments.

Regardless of the modality of your course, authentic assessments provide valuable opportunities for students to develop skills they will use in the real world.

Examinations, or traditional unit tests, mid-terms, or final exams, are arguably the most common type of summative assessments. These tests typically include multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer questions that can be directly linked to student learning objectives. They test how well a student can recall and communicate course content and provide instructors with a snapshot of student learning. An advantage of traditional exams is that they are typically easy to develop, administer and grade. Additionally, summative data can be easily analyzed and student scores can be easily compared.

So, traditional tests have limitations. While they provide rich data related to the recollection of course content, they are also more likely to measure superficial knowledge and lower-level thinking skills. And, there are other drawbacks to consider. Traditional tests often raise feelings of anxiety severe enough to negatively impact student performance (Kulm, 1994). Therefore, when a course assessment plan consists solely of examinations, it could be detrimental to students' grades, and the data may inaccurately reflect the teaching and learning, ultimately providing little value for improving future courses.

Many instructors have become dissatisfied using traditional assessment methods (e.g., testing) as the sole means of evaluation in their courses. The main argument is that traditional assessments do not assess a variety of skills and abilities that students need to be successful beyond the classroom. Educators contend that students must be prepared to do more than memorize information. Instead, the focus should be on encouraging students to practice higher-order thinking skills to solve real-world problems. Unfortunately, traditional tests do not typically measure these more advanced skills. As a result, there has been a movement from traditional assessment to alternative methods of assessments (Dietel, Herman, and Knuth, 1991) which require students to demonstrate the skills and concepts they have learned (Stiggins, 1987).

Additional Readings

Attributions

Content on these pages is adapted from

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Rethinking authentic assessment: work, well-being, and society

Abstract

This article seeks a deeper understanding of the concept of authentic assessment which ensures it does not become another educational buzzword, slowly diminishing in real meaning. I consider the origins of the term in the US schooling sector, and how it has developed over time, and in different countries, to today focus in higher education largely on real world tasks. There is, however, I argue, a common conflation of real world with the world of work. Little of this literature actually engages with the rich philosophical debates on authenticity, and in this article, I suggest that this deeper understanding of authenticity can enable us to build on existing work on authentic assessment to develop a more holistic and richer concept that will be more beneficial to individual students and to the larger society of which they are part. I argue that we should move from thinking in terms of either the so-called real world, or the world of work, to focus our justification for authentic assessment on its social value (which encompasses but is not limited to its economic value). To achieve this aim, I suggest we move from simply focusing on the authentic task to considering why that task matters? This then enables a shift from the student in isolation to the student as a member of society. Senses of achievement can become richer, thus enhancing the students' sense of self, self-worth, and well-being.

Introduction

For academic activity in higher education to be self-perpetuating it has to some extent to be unworldly. In each generation higher education has to provide exemplars for the next generation of socially uncommitted and irrelevant scholarship, teaching, and research. For only by preserving this element - which does not mean in practice preserving it in every single corner of higher education but generously spreading it through-out - can it begin to maintain capacities for neutrality and independence, for objectivity and disinterestedness which may make what it has to offer at the same time socially useful. Too close a social involvement can make higher education socially useless (1975, p. 427).

The contrast between Weinstein's, 1975 vision of higher education (in this journal) and prevailing attitudes today is stark. Where Weinstein valorises separation from broader society, today universities around the world are expected to have explicit, close, and direct links to wider society, and particularly the economic realm. One important way in which contemporary higher education has promoted its relationship with the wider world is through the concept of authentic assessment, which is variously understood as assessment linked to real-world tasks, the world of work, or authentic knowledge. The increasing international focus on the idea of authentic assessment demonstrates the importance of reflecting deeply on what we do and do not wish to achieve through this form of assessment. Authentic assessment in higher education has been particularly prominent in the UK (Maclellan, 2001; Rust, 2007; Sambell & Brown, 2021; Sambell et al., 2013) and Australia (Ajjawi et al., 2019; Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014; Herrington, 2014; Herrington & Herrington, 1998); however, we can also see engagement in other parts of the world: for example, Chile (Villarroel et al., 2018), Indonesia (Arlianty et al., 2017; Sutadji et al., 2021), Sri Lanka (Karunanayaka & Naidu, 2021), Singapore (Chong et al., 2016), Netherlands (Gulikers et al., 2004), South Africa (Maniram & Maistry, 2018), and Botswana (Oladele, 2011). Interest in authentic assessment also covers many disciplinary fields, including those in STEM, health, and social sciences.

Much of the authentic assessment literature uses a fairly disarticulated and ahistorical sense of authenticity, with little or no reference to the significant philosophical discussions of the term. The most common understanding of authentic assessment in higher education describes it as involving 'real-world' tasks (Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014; Bryan & Clegg, 2006; Karunanayaka & Naidu, 2021; Rust, 2007). There is also a frequent assumption that this 'real world' is the world of work: ways of applying knowledge and skills that graduates would use in the professions and workplace (Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014; James & Casidy, 2018; Karunanayaka & Naidu, 2021; Villarroel et al., 2018; Wiewiora & Kowalkiewicz, 2019). It is this conflation of the real world and the world of work which I find troubling (McArthur, 2020). This lack of deeper philosophical understanding of the idea of authenticity risks it becoming something of a buzzword, as happens too often in higher education. In an online blog ahead of a conference, I recently warned:

Higher education is also adept at taking a good idea and turning it into a buzzword, from which the original meaning drains away. A buzzword concept is no longer reflected on, challenged or probed. It becomes so obviously what we must do, that we no longer contemplate why we should do it. (McArthur, 2021)

Indeed, in 1964 Adorno ( 2003) warned of the 'jargon' of authenticity:

Whoever is versed in the jargon does not have to say what he thinks, does not even have to think it properly. The jargon takes over this task and devalues thought. (6)

I should stress, however, that the existing scholarship on authentic assessment is rich and most is genuinely directed to students' best interests (e.g. Ajjawi et al., 2019; Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014; Forsyth & Evans, 2019; Herrington & Herrington, 1998). My exploration of authentic assessment is built on this earlier work. But Adorno's quote does give a salutary warning. Policy makers and senior management in higher education love to grasp buzzwords. Before we know it, authenticity will be mandated in every assessment-and its meaning will be lost.

It is therefore fair to observe that, apart from general references to the real world or world of work, much of the literature on authentic assessment does not critically consider what the term authentic might mean (e.g. Bearman et al., 2017; Jackson & Bridgstock, 2021). Indeed, the promotion of authentic assessment is generally linked to innovative approaches to higher education teaching, learning, and assessment (Sambell & Brown, 2021; Sambell & McDowell, 1998). This is important work, but it is not directed at broader social and political change in this context of authentic assessment. A rare exception is the work of Forsyth and Evans ( 2019) which seeks to use authentic assessment to address decolonialisation and the need for more inclusive approaches to teaching history.

Consider, as a comparison, the expansive way in which the term authentic is used when we write about ourselves: our profession as academics and teachers or the idea of authentic academic life. It is very often far richer than simply 'real world tasks'. For example:

The results revealed that authenticity in teaching consisted of themes of being one's own self, pedagogical relationships, contestation, and ultimate meaning which were enacted in the participants' practices through their sense of responsibility, awareness of their possibilities, understanding of pedagogical relationships, self-reflection, critical reflection, and critical hope. (Ramezandadeh et al., 2017, p. 299)

Such an understanding of authentic should extend to our students and their achievements. The idea of authentic assessment that I develop in this article seeks to make three important shifts in our conceptual understanding and practical application: firstly, to shift our focus from the real world/world of work to a richer understanding of society as a whole; secondly, to transcend a focus simply on the task, and consider instead the value of that task; and finally, I outline an understanding of authentic assessment which does not reinforce the status-quo but is instead a vehicle for transformative social change.

The article is in five parts. After this introduction, I give a brief history of the term authentic assessment, highlighting its origins in US work on alternatives to standardised testing in schools, and how the term has expanded internationally and into different meanings. In order to ground authenticity in a stronger philosophical base, I then consider the very different viewpoints of Heidegger and Adorno. The main section explores how we can rethink the rationale for authentic assessment: why we should embrace it in higher education, but also in what form. I conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of adopting this revised understanding of authentic assessment.

A brief history of authentic assessment

Early use of the term authentic assessment comes from the USA at the start of the 1990s. There is little mention of so-called real-world tasks; instead the authenticity is conceived on the basis of the knowledge being evaluated. Wiggins ( 1990) describes authentic assessment in terms of a direct assessment of what the student is meant to have learned, which therefore does not rely on common proxies for evaluation. Such proxy forms of assessment get the student to do something a bit like a real task and then make inferences about their achievement from that. Wiggins and others writing at this time were responding to standardised testing-which was a cornerstone of the US educational system. This early literature promoted the educational merits of a more time intensive, but richer, approach to assessment within schools.

Through the early 1990s, literature on authentic assessment continues to have a focus in US secondary education, often through a psychological lens. A small sign of the future development of the concept comes in Wooster's ( 1993) article linking authentic assessment to global education. One of the earliest references to authentic assessment being about real-world problems or tasks can be found in an account of a teaching innovation led by educational researchers in Massachusetts (McFarlane, 1993). But the emphasis remains largely on better ways to assess work, rather than on outside tasks or roles. Common among early references to authentic assessment is the mention of portfolio assessment-gathering together a range of students' best work in order to evaluate progress. Some evidence of the concept crossing the Atlantic can be found in Torrance's ( 1993) analysis of links between the 'American idea' of authentic assessment and the national school curriculum in England and Wales.

Australian, John Biggs ( 1996), while working in Hong Kong, is influential in bringing the concept of authentic assessment into higher education in an early outline of constructive alignment (in this journal). However influential, Biggs' meaning of authentic remains somewhat under-developed at this stage. An early example of the direct link between higher education, authentic activities, and the workplace comes in Seagraves et al. ( 1996) study of the relevance of academic outcomes to the workplace (again in this journal).

Another early example of authentic assessment crossing into the higher education literature comes from medical education (Snadden & Thomas, 1998). Here again authentic assessment is very much associated with the use of portfolios and, in this case, evidencing the application of theory in practice. In a similar way with reference to teacher education, Riley and Stern ( 1998) make an argument for authentic assessment bridging theory and practice. They criticise the conflation of authentic assessment with both alternative assessments and performance-based (reflecting, however, common usage in the US literature) and instead refer to Thermer's work of 1996 in which the concept is understood in terms of describing 'the process of evaluating a learner's original piece of work or completed task, arrived at based upon a previously acquired body of knowledge, and demonstrated in a concrete form' (178).

To return briefly to the US school literature on authentic assessment, we should note that its broader focus on the nature of the task and knowledge continued even as higher education's use of authentic assessment began to focus increasingly on the world of work. For example, Newmann, King, and Carmichael ( 2007) focus on early years of schooling as well as later years. Their emphasis is therefore on assessment that has value and relevance beyond the classroom or school, but not necessarily work. For an 8-year-old student, it may not mean a lot to think about their working life at least a decade away, but the application of knowledge in the playground or at home offers something more than just learning something in the classroom for the purpose of being tested in the classroom.

From alternative assessments to real-world tasks

By the late 1990s, authentic assessment is appearing regularly in the mainstream higher education literature in many western countries, and a few years later, also in literature from many other parts of the world (e.g. Arlianty et al., 2017; Chong et al., 2016; Gulikers et al., 2004; Karunanayaka & Naidu, 2021; Maniram & Maistry, 2018; Sutadji et al., 2021; Villarroel et al., 2018). Early use in the mainstream higher education and assessment literature appears to follow the association of authentic assessment with alternative forms of assessment (e.g. Sambell & McDowell, 1998), even though this is simultaneously challenged in the teacher education literature, as outlined above, by Riley and Stern ( 1998). Often such alternative/authentic forms of assessment involved reflective journals and portfolios (e.g. Woodward, 1998).

At this time, Joughin ( 1998) gives a clear definition of authentic assessment in higher education, which seems very much in line with our current usage today: '"Authenticity", he argues, refers to the extent to which assessment replicates the context of professional practice or "real life"' (371). But the association with alternative assessments-alternative generally meaning in comparison to traditional exams and pen and paper exercises-continues for some time (e.g. Maclellan, 2004).

An important work by Herrington and Herrington ( 1998) connects authentic assessment to work on situated learning which began to emerge a decade earlier. This ground-breaking work on the social nature of learning, such as from Brown et al. ( 1989), challenges traditional psychological and purely cognitive approaches to individual learning. It is an important step for the argument I aim to construct here, whereby connecting work, well-being, and society, the link to social and situated forms of learning is essential. When learning itself ceases to be understood purely as an individual act of cognition, our ways of assessing that learning should also necessarily change.

In 2003, Tynjälä et al. ( 2003) observed in this journal that the relationship between higher education and its environment had profoundly changed over the past two decades. Indeed, much about the quote from Weinstein in 1975, at the start of this article, is already looking outdated. And yet, this 2003 perspective supports just the same worry Weinstein appeared to have in 1975, namely that moving from an elite to a mass system would change the relationship between higher education and the broader realm in which it is located.

Another way of extending the perspective of authentic assessment comes with Boud and Falchikov ( 2006) who connect it to their work on assessment and longer-term learning. While generally supportive of the idea of authentic assessment, they warn that it does not on its own, or necessarily, support the longer-term ambitions of learning in the future on which they focus. Elsewhere these authors do not explicitly link authentic assessment and work, but rather acknowledge the wisdom of authentic assessment approaches that connect the knowledge learned to how that knowledge may be later applied (Boud & Falchikov, 2007). Kearney ( 2013) also brings together sustainable (life-long) assessment, authentic assessment, and peer and self-assessment for learning.

Evidence of the cultural shift in our thinking of assessment comes from Bryan and Clegg ( 2006) who argue that by the mid-2000s the evidence base for innovative forms of assessment is well established. Their understanding includes the idea of authentic assessment, understood as actively participating in real-world tasks that enable the application of knowledge and skills. So, we see innovative and real-world being used almost as synonyms. Rust ( 2007) then builds on this as he seeks to establish a scholarship of assessment, and includes active engagement with real-world tasks as one of the features of any scholarship of assessment.

Trevitt and Stocks ( 2012) provide an interesting approach to authentic assessment by exploring the concept of authenticity through the work of educational theorists such as Carolin Kreber and Jon Nixon, including notions of being self-aware and true to oneself. Thus, they do move closer to a philosophical understanding, and yet Trevitt and Stocks also pull this back into a largely work-based context of professional learning. One of the few specifically philosophical accounts comes for Vu and Dall'Alba ( 2014) where they use Heidegger's concept of authenticity to explore assessment.

In 2014, Ashford-Rowe et al. ( 2014) sought to identify the key aspects of authentic assessment. By synthesising the rich literature in this field, the authors propose eight critical elements of authentic assessment. These are:

Authentic assessment should be challenging

The outcome of an authentic assessment should be in the form of a performance or product (outcome)

Authentic assessment design should ensure transfer of knowledge

Metacognition as a component of authentic assessment

The importance of a requirement to ensure accuracy in assessment performance

The role of the assessment environment and the tools used to deliver the assessment task

The importance of formally designing in an opportunity to discuss and provide feedback

The value of collaboration (pages 207-210)

As they appear here in this list, these critical elements seem to reasonably capture many dimensions of authentic assessment; however, as each is elaborated in the larger text, very quickly several elements are explained and justified by the narrower reference to work or the workplace. This highly influential overview of authentic assessment itself falls into this problem of a conflation of world of work with real world. It is, however, clear that many authors who reference authentic assessment in terms of the workplace are not necessarily intending this as a passive understanding of the workplace (e.g. Villarroel et al., 2018). And it is also the case that because their focus is on the acts of assessment, some of the broader issues of how economic and social factors inter-relate in society are not at the fore of their analysis, and nor are they intended to be.

It strikes me as problematic, however, to suggest, as Wiewiora and Kowalkiewicz ( 2019) do, that this work/real world focus necessitates we have too much focus on knowledge in higher education and instead need to foreground skills and competencies. A more appropriate approach is the way in which Ajjawi et al. ( 2019) bring authentic assessment specifically into the realm of vocational education. This issue of skills or knowledge is important and has had some, but as yet insufficient, attention in the literature on authentic assessment. A welcome development can be found in the impressive range of examples of authentic assessment compiled by Sambell and Brown ( 2021). These suggest a return (or continuation) of Sambell and McDowell's ( 1998) earlier view of authentic in terms of alternative forms of assessment. Sambell and Brown focus particularly on alternatives to the traditional essay and in this sense helpfully transcend the limitations of a real world/world of work approach that often appears to exclude non-vocational subjects from the realm of authentic assessment. In contrast, the systematic review of literature on authentic assessment by Sokhanvar, Salehi, and Sokhanvar ( 2021) has the narrower focus of links with employability as does Sotiriadou et al. ( 2020).

I turn now to what we may gain by greater engagement with the philosophical literature on authenticity, in order to re-imagine authentic assessment. Here I focus specifically on Heidegger and Adorno, as the juxtaposition of their philosophies provides a helpful frame to my own critical theory approach (using Adorno) and existing work on authentic assessment using Heidegger (see Vu & Dall'Alba, 2014).

Authenticity: the significance of Heidegger and Adorno

Authenticity is a vexing concept. It promises so much and yet is so easily devalued, as in marketing campaigns for authentic travel experiences and the like. I believe we can build a stronger, more transformative, idea of authentic assessment by building on the existing scholarship through the introduction of more reflection on the meaning of authenticity. Heidegger is a towering figure in the literature on authenticity, and his influence is undeniable. And yet, as a critical theorist, I am sympathetic to Adorno's ( 2003) critique of Heidegger, and explaining why will establish the foundations for my later discussion of an alternative understanding of authentic assessment.

Heidegger's ( 1962) authenticity is about our relationship to self or being. There is therefore no one authenticity as it is unique to each person's relationship to self. One cannot understand Heidegger's authenticity from the outside: it is 'only relevant to the individual and their relationship with their being' (Trubody, 2015, p. 22). This intensive focus on self is fundamental to the existential tradition in which Heidegger's work is typically located (Blackburn, 2016). Conceptually, this leads to a number of problems if we try to use this as a foundation for authentic assessment. The idea of authenticity solely as a relationship to self makes it problematic to use the term in any sort of systematised way: hence, the idea of an authentic curriculum or authentic education 'seems completely removed from Heidegger's sense' (Trubody, 2015, p. 22). As Trubody argues, many who use Heidegger to ground their idea of authenticity do so in ways probably quite remote from what Heidegger actually meant.

In The Jargon of Authenticity, Adorno ( 2003) offers a damning and visceral critique of Heidegger's work. Reading Adorno's text, it is clear that he has no issue with the word authenticity itself (an observation confrimed by Jay, 2010) but rather with what he regards as the unhistorical, selective, and illusionary way Heidegger makes use of it. To understand his objections, one must understand the key differences between an existential philosophy and critical theory. As a critical theorist, Adorno's understanding of the self and individual is definitively different to that of an existential philosopher. For critical theory, ranging from Horkheimer's ( 1993) early elucidation to Honneth's ( 2004b) contemporary work, the fundamental idea is the inter-relationship between self and society in a paradoxical sense that requires both cooperation and autonomy. Heidegger's self is about escaping bonds; critical theory is about being nurtured (or harmed) by relationships. While Heidegger places the self in an historical context to some extent, it differs significantly from the immanence at the heart of critical theory: that basis in history and the world as it is, while simultaneously seeking to transcend that world (Fraser, 2003). It is these features at the heart of critical theory, which I bring to my rethinking of authentic assessment.

Heidegger is clear that because authenticity is about self, authenticity can only ever be known by that self, and every instance of authenticity is different, and thus there can be no general sense of what it is. For some, such as Macdonald ( 2008), this seems very close to Adorno's central idea of non-identity. Macdonald and Ziarek ( 2008) even suggest that the conflict between Adorno and Heidegger is sharpened because of 'undeniable points of proximity' (2): they seem to imply that Adorno is cross because Heidegger has wandered into his territory. Putting Adorno's motivations aside, what these authors miss is how Adorno's non-identity rests in a context with a belief in immanent understandings of our situation and the associated strong inter-relationship between self and society. Thus when Trubody ( 2015) argues that Heidegger's sense of authenticity cannot be systematised, the enormity of the gulf between it and Adorno becomes clear. Adorno ( 1973) argues that attempts to tie objects into tidy definitions reflects our impulse to dominate nature, one of the most problematic legacies of the Enlightenment (see also Horkheimer & Adorno, 1997). Attempts to tie universal meanings to particular objects are always problematic because there is always something of the individual that is not reflected in the universal. While Adorno's non-identity means there is an unresolvable limitation to our understanding of the world we are in, yet openly acknowledging this then allows for some consideration of historically situated change. From Adorno's perspective, Heidegger does attempt to reconcile this inescapable state of unknowability. In a 'slight of hand', Heidegger makes his analysis appear to do something it simply does not do (Foster, 2007). Because in the end, Heidegger, according to Adorno and many critical theorists, does seek a 'gold standard' for authenticity (Jay, 2010): in other words, a definition.

Heidegger's existentialism lacks the potential for transformative change inherent in a socio-historical perspective. That positive interdependence between individual and social well-being has powerful potential in terms of how change can happen. Thus, Heidegger's authenticity may promise change, but in fact reinforces the status-quo (Swer, 2019). Grounded on self alone so that it cannot be systematised, as Trubody ( 2015) argues, there is little scope for it to form a conceptual foundation for educational or social change. This, for me, is the problem with earlier attempts to ground authentic assessment in Heideggerian existentialism, such as Vu and Dall'Alba ( 2014). They either need to misuse Heidegger's key concept or misunderstand it.

Rethinking authentic assessment: three key principles

Hanafin et al. ( 2007) offer one of the earliest suggestions that we could mean more by the concept of authentic assessment in higher education than real-world tasks or the world of work. Their argument that authentic assessment offers one of the best strategies for more inclusive forms of assessment, particularly for students with disabilities, thereby makes the connection to social justice. The implication of their analysis is that authentic assessment is not simply about the task, but the relationship the person/student has to the task and their sense of well-being.

Some time, later Forsyth and Evans ( 2019) also imagine authentic assessment in broader terms and explicitly relate it to challenging institutional norms, taken for granted practices and the hegemonic status-quo: very much at the heart of critical theory. Rather than adopting the jargon or buzzword of authentic assessment they ask the difficult question-'Whose authenticity is it?' In recognition of the decolonial movement and the imperative to recognise Indigenous epistemologies, they associate authentic assessment with challenges to homogenous and dominant epistemological assumptions and practices in how we assess knowledge.

Decolonialisation is but one of the urgent problems now facing higher education and wider society. In addition, we face the ever-growing climate emergency, a breakdown in civic trust, and the continued rise of groups and movements which seek to promote their interests largely through the denigration of the interests of others. Thus, to the extent that we ever talk about the real world, this is the world we should think about more in higher education: a world desperately in need of change. It should be referred to directly and explicitly and not through hopeful connections or wishful assumptions. It is on this basis that we take the existing work on authentic assessment and frame it beyond the real world as it exists or a narrow conception of work, and enable assessment to fulfil its role shaping how, what, and why our graduates gain the education that they will take forward into a range of social roles.

I offer three principles on which the idea of authentic assessment can be re-thought, with a stronger philosophical/conceptual foundation. I reject Heidegger's authenticity of the existential self, and instead embrace the dialectic of self and society at the heart of critical theory, and a commitment to genuine transformative change. Firstly, I argue that we move from thinking of the real world or world of work to thinking in terms of society. Secondly, that we move from a focus on the task, to the reason for doing the task and how that validates the social belonging of the student. Finally, that we embrace a transformative relationship with society, with authentic assessment not just perpetuating what already exists, but propelling us on to a better future for all.

From real world/world of work to society

As previously discussed, much of the higher education literature considers authentic assessment as real-world tasks and appears to conflate this with the world of work. This does not necessarily mean a lack of concern for student success and well-being (e.g. Ajjawi et al., 2019; Ashford-Rowe et al., 2014). But philosophically I think there are three problems with this conflation, which is why I suggest we should move to thinking of authentic assessment and society and neither the real world nor the world of work. First, there is a potential risk in conflating the real world with the world of work in that this can lead to a further hidden conflation such that this becomes simply what employers want. It can also be associated with a commodification of graduates' identities such that they associate their self-worth with the exchange value of their labour. The pernicious idea of 'graduate premiums' (Ashwin, 2020) is a prime example of this. It suggests that the higher a graduate income, the more successful the student. What they do becomes alienated from who they are: value and worth are based only in the exchange value of their labour, and not what they do or what they contribute to society.

Neoliberal proponents of an unfettered market economy, such as Milton Freidman, would not see a problem in the logic of graduate premiums, because if the market pays someone a higher salary, it must mean the market judges them to be of higher worth. That is, in their world, the beauty of the market. But most of us know this is not true. We live in a mythic meritocracy (Frank, 2016; Littler, 2017; Liu, 2011; van Dijk et al., 2020). Indeed long forgotten is the fact that when Michael Young first used the term meritocracy in 1958 (Young, 2017), his use was satirical (van Dijk et al., 2020) and equally an argument against the idea as for. As the recent global pandemic showed, those most needed to ensure the well-being of the most people in society did not have salaries to match their 'essential' status. In this and many other ways, the pandemic has reinforced the illusionary nature of merit in many western societies (Sandel, 2020). I therefore argue that there must be something that we do in work as an activity that goes beyond what we are paid for that work, and this is what authentic assessment should instil in our students (note: this does not mean they should not be properly financially rewarded for their labour as well). This echoes Honneth's ( 2004a) element of esteem recognition, in his plural understanding of social justice, and the importance to an individual of having traits or abilities through which they make a social contribution for which they are recognised.

The second problem is that this awful phrase 'the real world' makes it sound external to students and ourselves. The real world is out there, reinforcing a stereotypical image of the 'ivory tower' university which fails to recognise the university's earliest foundations in labour, such as in the early craft guilds (Kivinen & Poikus, 2006). Indeed it is ultimately self-defeating to the notion of authentic assessment to position the real world as something out there and fundamentally separate from higher education. To do so, also has echoes of the now surely outdated opening quote from Weinstein?

Finally, portrayed in this rarified way, the real world becomes something that we cannot change. Students must accept it as given. Even in the case of those who link authentic assessment and sustainable assessment (Boud & Falchikov, 2006), there is very little sense that this long-term future the student is preparing for is something that they can shape or influence.

The best way to avoid all these traps is to positively re-embrace the concept of society, for so long made unpopular by neoliberals and radical individualism-and some might argue Heidegger's existentialism (and often also linked to the much-disputed quote by Margaret Thatcher - 'There is no such thing as Society'). In contrast, the idea of society and thinking of authentic assessment as a socially situated achievement is powerful and transformative. It gives genuine agency to a student's sense of applying what they learn in higher education to the professional and social roles they later go on to hold, including the member of society they become.

I will illustrate this with two assessment examples. Firstly, from engineering, which is an obvious discipline for authentic assessment in terms of real-world/world of work tasks. An authentic assessment in the conventional sense might be to research and write a report with recommendations on the best affordable and low carbon transport option to get students from the local town to the university or college campus. Implicit in this assessment is that affordable and low carbon are desired attributes for a transport system. There is, however, no explicit sense of why they are desirable and for whom? These could be traits that are prized by the customer and only have an accidental link to the climate emergency and social well-being. Indeed research from McArthur et al., ( 2021) reveals that students often do not associate an assessment task with its social purposes, even when it seems to explicitly deal with a social need. The first step to make this assessment authentic in my alternative conceptualisation is to make what is implicit and, of social worth, explicit.

If we turn now to English Literature, we can consider the same issues for a non-vocational authentic assessment. Imagine students are doing an assignment on gothic literature, where conventionally they might be asked to write an essay critically exploring a particular novel. Before we even alter the assessment task, we can make this more authentic by explicitly situating it in the social world and issues of social justice. Gothic literature is often used as a device to explore issues of social marginalisation. We can make this explicit link between why we might study gothic literature and social well-being. As I work through the next two principles for rethinking authentic assessment, I will expand on the ways we can develop both these assessment ideas in terms of their authenticity for students' individual well-being and that of society.

From task performance to why we value the task

Situating authentic assessment within a social context also helps us to understand why we must think beyond the task performance, which was the feature of so much early work on authentic assessment. Performing a task does not mean an awful lot until we are able to establish that such a task is worth doing. Again, for some, a task may be obviously worth doing if this is what the employer wants. But this reinforces a sense of self-worth purely determined externally rather than intrinsically, whereas the two should inter-relate when we understand the relationship between individual and social well-being.

The climate emergency and the recent COVID-19 pandemic are powerful representations of the interconnectedness of human welfare and well-being. And it is this which, I argue, should be the second pillar of authentic assessment. The reason we need this sense of the value of a task and not the task itself relates to both individual and social well-being, as understood in critical theory. Again, Honneth's ( 2004b) concept of esteem recognition, one of the three aspects of his plural theory of social justice, refers to recognising in oneself and being recognised by others, that one has skills, knowledge, or a disposition through which you contribute to wider social well-being. And through this social contribution, their own individual well-being is ensured; thus, individual and social well-being are fundamentally inter-connected in a far more complex way than the traditional liberal view of social well-being as simply the sum-total of individual well-being.

Because we now focus not only on the task but why that task matters, we also transcend traditional associations of authentic assessment only with vocational disciplines. Students in a music conservatoire are participating in authentic tasks because these are tasks that will bring joy to the human world. The usefulness of joy, kindness, and beauty to wider society, and each of us as individuals, provides a powerful, but not purely economic, defence for the need for disciplinary diversity in higher education. Despite what the former UK Secretary of State for Education says, it is never a dead-end degree (Bothwell, 2021) if it helps nurture the sum total of human creativity, diversity, joy, and understanding.

The focus on the reason for the task also challenges our engineering student to rethink conventional ways of calculating costs. Our current system in which we allow industry and businesses to pollute to a reasonable level (within statutory guidelines) and then mitigate this through public funding hides the true cost of production. The reason for the task (climate emergency) shapes the task and hence cannot be separated from it: this has to be part of our understanding of authentic.

There is also something intrinsically important to the individual student of associating their assessment task with the micro detail of people's lives and not just the 'big' issues (because of course the two inter-relate). The engineering student should be able to understand the potential of their work to help children with asthma or poor communities in flood-prone areas: all victims of pollution and the climate emergency. This is the essence of the students' own esteem recognition and hence their well-being. Individual and social well-being are intwined. Turning to our English Literature student, we could ask her not simply to commentate on how the gothic novel deals with marginalisation, but to think about what that form of marginalisation might feel like. She could write a blog or article on lessons we must learn about marginalisation in society, referencing the novel and demonstrating her engagement with it. Literature is one of the ways in which we either perpetuate myths about our society or explore hidden and unacknowledged forms of oppression. As such understanding literature is an immensely practical act of enormous social value (as well as being enjoyable). In both cases, the authentic assessment experiences require the application of empathy: a sense of what the student does and how this may impact on the lives of others, who the student may never meet and with whom they may have little in common other than shared social membership.

From the status-quo of real-world/world of work to transforming society

My aim so far has been to rethink the concept of authentic, in the context of assessment, from the task to the reason for the task, and hence the person, and to consider that student/graduate not as an isolated individual but as part of wider society. Authentic assessment should be that which enables a student to find their place in society and be recognised for their contribution to that society. Clearly in many ways, this will happen through their working lives. But we do not have to limit it to that, nor does our concept of work and well-being need to conform only to employer expectations. The relationships between work, well-being, and self-understanding are complex (Guess, 2021).

I return again to Weinstein's claim that the university serves a unique purpose for society by being separate from that society, enabling an objective and disinterested stance. There is an element of the same thinking in critical theory, but the implications are far from the same. For Adorno, this is about escaping mainstream society, built upon the status-quo, while so clearly a part of that society because otherwise how do you tackle injustice from within a social structure that is itself unjust? Adorno refers to the ease with which people may swim with the current they profess to be so against (Adorno, 2005). Unlike Weinstein, however, Adorno is very much focused on moments of being outwith and within society at the same time, and not an elitist preserve of a select group of intellectuals. Richter ( 2007) describes this aspect of the Frankfurt School in the idea of 'paleonomy' whereby one can stand inside and outside a tradition at the same time, clearly part of that tradition while also breaking from it. Weinstein appears to hope to perpetuate a social order about which he is generally quite satisfied (happy to stay within), while in contrast, critical theory rests of 'a deep conviction that society is organized unfairly' (Brookfield, 2003, p. 141). McArthur ( 2013) draws upon Adorno to argue that in order to achieve greater social justice within and through higher education, it is necessary for higher education to provide moments outside mainstream society: otherwise how does one pursue greater social justice from within an unjust system? This is clearly a very different sense of separation than that implied by Weinstein: with one arguing for the status-quo and the other for radical transformation.

In this final stage, therefore, the concept of authentic assessment becomes not one of joining an existing world out there but of being part of the transformation of that world, in all its manifestations within and beyond higher education. Authentic assessment is not assessment that mirrors the world as it is, but that which pushes the possibilities of what the world could be. This is why my understanding of authentic assessment is different to that of Vu and Dall'Alba ( 2014) even though they may seem superficially alike. We both talk of thinking beyond tasks when it comes to authentic assessment and instead focusing on the student, who they can become and how they live in the world. But the very different theoretical foundations are hugely significant. While making references to the student being in the world, Vu and Dall'Alba's grounding in Heidegger's existentialism necessarily means a very different relationship of self and society to that in critical theory. It lacks the sense of inter-relatedness to the point of mutual construction which is inherent in critical theory. Their perspective is inescapably individualistic, because that is the essence of Heidegger's work.

Another apparent similarity might be that Vu and Dall'Alba critique the task-based understanding of authentic assessment as preparing students for a changing world. Their ontological approach problematises this idea of a changing world. Certainly, much of the more conventional literature on authentic assessment makes reference to this need to prepare for a changing world (Jopp, 2020; Schultz et al., 2021). But we need to stop and consider what we mean by change. Much of this literature speaks to changes in how things will be done in work and/or society and not changes in why they should be done. They refer to changes in the ways and means of manufacturing goods, providing services or managing the workforce. The sector in which these changes occur can remain largely unchanged, in that it continues to be based on competitive notions of economic winners and losers, disparities in wealth, and continued high levels of production and consumption. These are changes, adjustments, that perpetuate the status-quo rather than transform it.

Fraser ( 2003) is helpful here in her distinction between affirmative change and transformational change. Affirmative change relieves some of the consequences of the prevailing system, without seeking to significantly change the system itself. The welfare state is an example of affirmative change, which mitigates the inequalities caused by late capitalism but does not address their causes. Transformative change, in contrast, would focus on causes and work form there. This then is the challenge for authentic assessment. Is it to prepare students for a changing world in the sense of changes in the means of production, the type of industrial base (manufacturing, service, knowledge, financial), and probably a whole lot of new job titles we cannot even imagine? Or is authentic assessment preparing students to change the world, in the sense of contributing to change in which they and others get to live and work in ways that enhance both individual and social well-being?

Our engineering student experiences authentic assessment when it enables her to see that her transformative engagement with disciplinary knowledge, to use Ashwin's ( 2020) phrase, can in turn be used to ensure transformative change in society: to not think of the calculations involved in evaluating a transport system solely in isolation, but to see a direct link between them and improving other people's lives. Our English Literature student's engagement with gothic literature and marginalisation becomes not simply one of intellectual curiosity (although that is good too) but something that equips her to challenge affirmative adjustments to marginalisation, which are often about bringing the so-called marginalised into the mainstream. She is able to argue for genuine forms of social inclusion which are not based on assumptions of marginal and mainstream.

Conclusion

These two examples from Engineering and English Literature are only partially developed in this space. I offer them as illustrations of how and why we should think differently about what authentic assessment should mean. They can then be taken into a productive dialogue with the rich field of existing examples of authentic assessment, as outlined recently by Sambell and Brown ( 2021).

As authentic assessment captures the imagination of more and more academics and higher education leaders, let us ensure it does so through a rich conceptualisation that reaffirms the role of higher education in contributing to greater social justice. There are a number of foundational statements underpinning this article to reinforce: the world of work does matter, but it is part of a larger, complex entity of society; work is often essential to well-being; humans by their nature need to do useful things; such usefulness is not narrow, utilitarian, or purely economic. The concept of 'real world' suggests some of us are living in some parallel unreal world. Moreover, its core intention to separate higher education and the real world is deeply troubling. Higher education, and those who study and work within it, is all part of our social world.

Building upon the extensive scholarship on how to go about authentic assessment, I seek to push the boundaries of what makes it authentic. Many of the existing examples of authentic assessment (such as in Sambell & Brown, 2021) remain relevant. But in expanding our sense of why we assess in these authentic ways, the concept of authenticity is itself broadened and made richer. Students, and society, gain more from engagement in these tasks because that engagement has an enriched sense of purpose.

As Adorno tells us, the idea of authenticity is itself susceptible to jargon, buzzwords, and grand claims belying often empty promises. Travel brochures and marketing campaigns are full of promises of authentic experiences, but like the term celebrity, today, this phrase can seem rather devoid of meaning. Our students and our societies deserve a higher education which is committed to individual and social well-being, that is prepared to look beyond the status-quo and which is not fearful of transformative change. Assessment-and particularly authentic assessment-has a vital role to play in this endeavour.

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McArthur, J. Rethinking authentic assessment: work, well-being, and society. High Educ 85, 85-101 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00822-y
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Rethinking authentic assessment: work, well-being, and society - Higher Education

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This article seeks a deeper understanding of the concept of authentic assessment which ensures it does not become another educational buzzword, slowly diminishing in real meaning. I consider the origins of the term in the US schooling sector, and how it has developed over time, and in different countries, to today focus in higher education largely on real world tasks.

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Authentic assessments involve the application of knowledge and skills in real-world situations, scenarios, or problems. Authentic assessments create a student-centered learning experience by providing students opportunities to problem-solve, inquire, and create new knowledge and meaning.

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Elements of Authentic Assessments

There are several elements to consider that make an assessment more "authentic" (Ashford-Rowe, 2014; Grant, 2021; Wilson-Mah, 2019;), including:

Accuracy and validity - The accuracy of the assessment refers to how closely it resembles a real-world situation, problem, disciplinary norm, or field of study. The assessment validity refers to the alignment of grading criteria to the learning objectives, transferable skills (e.g., communication, critical thinking, etc.), workforce readiness skills, and disciplinary norms and practices.

Demonstration of learning - The outcomes of an assessment should allow students to demonstrate learning in ways that reflect their field of study, for example, a performance or a product that is authentic to their future career. Or the assessment should allow for student choice based on interests and skills; for example, one group of students decides to create a podcast to demonstrate their learning in general education coursework.

Transfer of knowledge - The assessment should provide the transfer of knowledge from theory to practice and from one task or experience to another. For example, students writing a blog post about a scientific principle that was demonstrated in current events replacing a traditional essay or paper on the scientific principle.

Metacognition - The process of reflecting on learning should be purposefully planned for students to make connections to prior knowledge, experiences, and different subject areas. For example, metacognition can be encouraged in authentic assessments by asking students to evaluate their progress, self-assess their product or performance, and reflect on their thought processes and learning experiences during the authentic assessment.

Collaboration - The assessments should provide opportunities for interaction that are aligned to the real-world situation. For example, if the task is typically completed by a team in the field, then the assessment should be completed collaboratively by a group.

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Flexibility - The assessment should provide flexibility in the timeline and due dates for meeting project benchmarks and deliverables to align with real-world tasks. For example, if the task would take a few weeks to complete while working full time then the timeline in the course should reflect this timing to ensure authenticity and manageability.

Environment and tools - The environment and tools used to provide the assessment should be like the environments and tools in the students' field of study or aligned with a real-world situation. For example, students taking a graphic design course utilizing software that is used in their field to create typography, logos, etc., or medical students practicing authentic tasks in a simulation room to mirror a hospital room.

Authentic assessments can also be referred to as alternative assessments or performance-based assessments. All of these assessments are considered "alternatives" to traditional high-stakes tests or research papers, and are based on the constructivist theory where students actively construct new meaning and knowledge.

Also, it is important to understand that authentic assessments can be used to assess students both formatively (during instruction) and summatively (when the instruction is over). Want to learn more about formative assessments or summative assessments? Please visit the Assessment & Grading Practices teaching guides in the Resources section of the CATE website.

Authentic assessments can be designed using different teaching methods like inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, scenario-based learning, or design-based learning. Select each of the headings below to learn about how these teaching methods can support your design of authentic assessments.

Inquiry-based Learning

Problem-based Learning

Scenario-based Learning

Project-based Learning

Design-based Learning

Impact of Authentic Assessments
Authentic assessments have the potential to improve student self-efficacy (belief in own capacity), performance, and learning.

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Self-efficacy and confidence - in a review of research completed on fifteen studies of project-based learning, 90% of the students reported improved confidence and were optimistic that they could implement project-based learning in future careers (Indrawn, 2019).

Higher grades - In a general education writing course, students who participated in scenario-based learning showed consistently higher averages (one to two letter grades higher) than students who did not receive scenario-based learning (Golden, 2018).

Engagement and retention - authentic assessments have shown improved student engagement and learner retention through participation in authentic assessments.

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Direct evidence - authentic assessments provide direct evidence of students' learning and skills for instructors and students to better understand the learning taking place and plan the next steps for instruction and learning.

Student diversity - authentic assessments allow students to demonstrate their unique abilities, lived experiences, interests, and social identities.

Real-world artifacts - authentic assessments provide students with authentic tasks that can be utilized in professional portfolios, resumes, or interviews.

Workforce Readiness and Graduate Attributes

Authentic assessments' impact has also been viewed through the lens of workforce readiness and graduate attributes. For example, in a project-based learning experience, 78% of students reported that the experience prepared them to be workforce ready because of the real-world practice they received through the authentic assessment (Indrawn, 2019).

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Several graduate attributes have been identified as outcomes of authentic assessment participation (Foss, 2021; Indrawn, 2019; Karunanayaka, 2021; Elliott-Kingston, 2018; Murphy, 2017; Rowan, 2012), including:

Open-mindedness - students who participate in authentic assessments learn to be receptive to the diversity of ideas and multiple perspectives.

Comfort with ambiguity - students who participate in authentic assessments learn to live with uncomfortableness as they construct new knowledge and meaning.

Ability to engage in an iterative process - authentic assessments provide students with opportunities to ideate, evaluate, and reflect on ideas and learning. Students develop effective problem-solving skills through this iterative process that includes idea incubation.

Creativity - authentic assessments positively reinforce students' creativity through the inquiry process.

Learn to fail - authentic assessments provide formative feedback to help students build resiliency and strengthen their self-efficacy even when faced with failure.

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Take risks - authentic assessments encourage student risk-taking, and the instructor provides a safe and supportive learning environment for taking risks.

Search for multiple answers - students learn how to brainstorm ideas and develop numerous solutions to address problems.

Internally motivated - authentic assessments support students' internal motivation by providing opportunities for student choice based on their interests and future careers. Students develop metacognition and self-regulation skills as they reflect on their motivations, interests, and learning.

Take ownership of their learning - authentic assessments foster student ownership and autonomy. Students develop scholarship and a commitment to life-long learning through participation in authentic assessments.

Leadership - authentic assessments foster leadership, professionalism, and decision-making skills as students self-direct their learning and performance.

Citizenship and empathy - in many cases, authentic assessments ask students to reflect on an audience, end-user, or global community when solving a problem or designing a product. These experiences help to foster citizenship and empathy.

Considerations for Authentic Assessments
There are several variables that you should consider as you begin to design an authentic assessment:

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The education and experience level of students - consider how you will support students who may not have the professional skills yet to complete the authentic tasks (see the Student Success during Authentic Assessments in the HOW section of this guide).

The subjectivity of authenticity - consider how you will ensure that the designed assessment is authentic to the students. Please note that authenticity is subjective in nature; this means that what one person views as authentic might not be regarded the same by another (see the Elements of Authentic Assessments in the WHAT section of this guide for ways to make your assessment more authentic). Will you provide students with an opportunity to give you feedback to improve authenticity? Will you engage with practitioners in the field to ensure the authenticity of scenarios, problems, or prompts?

Complexity - consider how you will ensure that the assessment's level of complexity is aligned to the learning objectives, course outcomes, and real-world situation, problem, or field of study.

Instructor's role - consider how you will interact with students during the authentic assessment (see the Student Success during Authentic Assessments in the HOW section of this guide). How will you ensure that your role supports the education and experience level of your students? Will you provide guidance, facilitation, or direct instruction during the authentic assessment?

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Student ownership and choice - consider what level of student responsibility and choice that will be present in the authentic assessment. Will students have minimal responsibility if you are using direct instruction, or will the students have higher levels of responsibility if you are guiding student-directed inquiry? Will students have the opportunity to choose how they will demonstrate their learning with a final product or performance?

Formative feedback - consider how students will receive formative feedback during the authentic assessment. Who will provide the formative feedback (instructor, TA, peers, or self)?

Manageability - consider the manageability of the authentic assessment regarding class size and course modality.

In large class sizes consider incorporating authentic assessments through partner or group work to reduce grading and feedback time as well as encourage communication and collaboration skills of students.

In online courses consider incorporating asynchronous peer review to provide opportunities for student interaction and feedback.

Alignment of assessments and instruction - consider how you will utilize authentic learning instruction to support student achievement in authentic assessments. For example, if using design-based learning during a group assignment then consider utilizing design thinking during your lectures and activities.

There are numerous types of products and performances to choose from when designing an authentic assessment. This is not an all-encompassing list of authentic products or performances, but more of a starting point for ideas. Instructors should also consider allowing students or groups to brainstorm ideas for products or performances and self-select a format.

Writing for an Actual Audience

Performances

Design of Products

Creation of Products

Other Types

A well-planned and communicated authentic assessment will help improve student performance and student satisfaction during the authentic assessment.

Communication of Authentic Assessments

Expectations and Grading for Authentic Assessments

Facilitation and Guidance during Authentic Assessments

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Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence

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Authentic assessments involve the application of knowledge and skills in real-world situations, scenarios, or problems. Authentic assessments create a student-centered learning experience by providing students opportunities to problem-solve, inquire, and create new knowledge and meaning.

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