Authentic Assessment for Senior People: "I Think that I am Doing This Already"

Research pulls academics to live authentic assessment,
particularly with the rapid changes with AI. But to make it
successful we need it to be viewed as authentic by our
students. This presentation discusses an authentic
assessment and how we are evaluating its effectiveness
for students who are already working in the broader field of
HRM.

The new PG course students need a practical understanding
of each specialism and higher order skills. An authentic
assessment is required to be proximal (Oliver, 2015). The
module is “Strategic Employee Relations in a Diverse World
of Work”. The case has EDI embedded, and students use three tools (focus group, interview and questionnaire) to evaluate the effectiveness for Employee Relations. Students use the
Gibbs cycle (2008) to reflect on both the process and the
effectiveness of the tools. Modules are not siloed - students
reflect on these research tools.

Authenticity is complicated by students’ perceptions - we
are carrying out qualitative questionnaires to review
perception of assessment authenticity and constructive
alignment, repeating over three cohorts (50) with focus
group.

References:
Gibbs G (1988). Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and
learning methods. Further Education Unit. Oxford
Polytechnic: Oxford.

Gulikers, J.T.M. Kester, L. Kirschner, P.A. and Bastiaens, T.J. (2008) The effect of practical experience on perceptions of assessment authenticity, study approach, and learning
outcomes. Learning and Instruction, Volume 18, Issue 2, Pp
172-186.

Oliver, B. 2015. “Redefining Graduate Employability and
Work-Integrated Learning: Proposals for Effective Higher
Education in Disrupted Economies.” Teaching and Learning
for Graduate Employability 6 (1): 56–65.