Programme Lead for Global Health • Module Director • Senior Lecturer in Business and Global Healthcare Management • YSJ London Campus 

 

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) • PGDips/M.Ed • PhD • PGCE • SFHEA • FCMI • FBCS • FInst.LM • FCIM • FSET • CMBE. 

 

In this interview, Dr Lawrence Jones-Esan explains why he is an advocate of authentic assessment and explains the approach he has taken to introducing authentic assessment in Global Healthcare Management at YSJ London. 

 

What is Authentic Assessment? 

Lawrence explains that authentic assessment is a more practical approach to assessment: “Students are asked to perform tasks and demonstrate a meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills”, ready for life after university. He references John Mueller’s work to describe authentic assessment as a type of vocational learning that “bridges the gap between theory and practice”. The idea is that these assessments include a task for students to perform, allowing teachers to assess what the student can do, as opposed to merely assessing how much information the student can recall. Example tasks could be giving a presentation, creating an information sheet or conducting an experiment. For Lawrence, anything practical that utilises knowledge for a greater purpose is an authentic way of assessing students.  

 

Authentic Assessment in Practice 

Lawrence explains that he, together with colleagues, set an assignment in which they “asked students to develop a breast cancer research project where they had to learn about cancer, go out and raise funds, interview cancer patients, and see how they [could] work towards the [early] identification of breast cancer.” Students would have to consider how to use and share their knowledge suitably for the target audience and encourage people to self-check and attend scheduled tests. As Lawrence reports, with this approach, students would not only have to learn about the issue, but would also need to find ways to apply their knowledge towards a purpose: increasing awareness of how to spot the early stages of breast cancer and of where people can go for support. Through the assessment, students develop skills in relation to fundraising, working with external organisations like the NHS to gather information, and interviewing patients. Lawrence now hopes to extend this model of assessment to include other medical issues – for example, prostate cancer. 

 

The Benefits of Authentic Assessment 

Lawrence shared his reasons behind championing authentic assessment. The key benefits he reports are:  

• They can mitigate against the use of GenAI in written submissions: The practicality of the types of assessment Lawrence describes is difficult to replicate using GenAI. Even if GenAI was used to write up the assignment, the progress the student makes comes entirely from their practical experiences, which cannot be replicated with a computer. He says that GenAI becomes completely insufficient as a means for writing such assessments as “there has to be some correlation between the work and its presentation”. 

 

• It enables students to appreciate their personal progress: As Lawrence explains, the way that authentic assessment bridges the gap between theory and practice “exposes all the processes that the students went through to achieve their goal”, thus providing them with an opportunity to reflect and build confidence in their skills.  

 

• Students develop transferable skills: Authentic assessment bolsters student readiness for the world beyond university as they learn how to utilise their knowledge, gaining experience of critical thinking and project management, as well as having opportunities to present their ideas for critical feedback. 

 

• It gives their work purpose: With Lawrence’s model, students develop ideas that can be used to help others. In the example of the breast cancer activity above, the assessment helped people to identify cancer, spreading awareness of the importance of knowing the signs. In addition, students were able to raise funds for the cause. Students are able to get excited about their work, developing a passion for making a difference. Lawrence is a firm believer that these opportunities mean that students are bound to put more effort into their work, leading to better assessment outcomes.  

 

• Such experience is great for job applications: Students can use their university work as evidence of their capacity to fulfil certain roles in the workplace. Lawrence explains that being given the chance to utilise knowledge to create something beneficial for society is a great way to improve student employability, making students more ready for the world of work.  

 

Challenges, Adjustments and Recommendations 

There are, of course, some challenges where authentic assessment is concerned, which must be taken into consideration when developing new tasks. Lawrence gives his thoughts on these below. 

 

• Students may struggle to adjust: Lawrence notes that many students are used to the traditional assessment formats of essays and exams – particularly the international students with whom he works predominantly. However, with the traditional mode, there is no emphasis on meaning or use for an assignment once it’s over. He argues that many students feel, therefore, that they can forget about their work once it is complete. So, he believes the adjustment to a new mode of working is worth it. 

 

• Making accommodations for students’ needs: Related to the previous point, Lawrence explains that students do not always have the skills to complete redesigned assessments – for instance, they may not know how to create a digital poster. He has overcome this limitation by putting on additional workshops to develop students’ skills. This can be tough and time-consuming, but it is rewarding, as again, it is an opportunity for students to gain authentic, transferable skills. 

 

Conclusion 

For Lawrence, the benefits of authentic assessment absolutely outweigh the drawbacks. While the examples he gives are specific to his subject area, he believes there are many possibilities for creating similar approaches within different disciplines. The core principle lies in adding meaning and practical applications to every assignment. Even with traditional assessment types like essays, you can create a broader use – for example, work could be published or shared for other students’ or researchers’ benefit. Similarly, leaflets, posters and presentations can be added to assessment requirements and used to reach a particular target audience either within or beyond the university.  

 

Lawrence emphasises that he has received a lot of positive feedback from students since implementing authentic assessment strategies, and has also noticed a marked improvement in students’ assignment results. Due to his and his colleagues’ successes, authentic assessment is now being rolled out more broadly across the YSJ London campus. He hopes that use of such forms of assessment will continue expand both at YSJ and across the sector. 

 

— By Amber Thomas and Megan Orgill, York St John University.