Award recipient: Most thought-provoking contribution
Shift from traditional assessments to authentic alternative assessments.
Assessments are various methods or tools used to measure and evaluate a learner's performance. Moreover, they provide further insight into the student's academic readiness, skill acquisition and educational needs. The shift away from traditional, "indirect and unauthentic" to authentic assessments provides a "true evaluation of what the student has learned, develops transferable soft skills and focuses on what the student has acquired by observing their application of knowledge" (Rousseau, 2018).
Authentic assessments, as described by Dikli (2003), serve as a means to evaluate high-order thinking skills while allowing learners to showcase their grasp of the material through various intelligences. The integration of this form of assessment introduces a heightened level of complexity for students who try to engage with Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).
In the context of MIDW1003-Foundations of Midwifery, digital storytelling has been adopted as an authentic assessment method that utilises standardised moderation and grading through alignment of the ULOs to the assessment task and rubric. Students are tasked with creating a short video presentation that not only conveys their understanding of the history of midwifery in Australia and contemporary midwifery but also explores the issue of women's rights in accessing the current healthcare system. Through this video, students are also expected to illustrate the historical and current challenges faced by women seeking healthcare in Australia, emphasising their impact on public health strategies aimed at enhancing maternal health outcomes and the delivery of quality, safe care.
Our presentation will encompass an exploration of the student feedback received, the challenges encountered, and the motivations underlying the adoption of this authentic assessment approach. The primary aim is to illuminate how the utilisation of digital storytelling as an innovative assessment methodology within this midwifery unit serves to humanise sensitive subject matter and aligns harmoniously with the principles of the SCU model, primarily through its emphasis on authenticity and the creation of assessable artifacts and the development of transferable skills.
Dikli, S. (2003). Assessment at a distance: Traditional vs. Alternative Assessments. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 2(3), 13-19.
Rousseau, P. (2018). Best Practices in Alternative Assessments. Ryerson University: Learning & Teaching Office.