Connecting adult learning principles, assessment and academic integrity

Designing assessment tasks that will uphold academic integrity can be challenging in a world of artificial intelligence (AI). Amid growing concern in higher education about academic misconduct, principles from adult learning (andragogy) and authentic assessment can offer insights. In addition, assessments created in addressing these issues can engage students in powerful learning experiences and evidence the skills that employers want to see in graduates (in communication, leadership and cultural awareness, for example).

Authentic assessment as a developmental process

Authentic assessment mirrors real-world contexts, where students develop skills and attributes when they use new knowledge to create an end product such as a report on an industry issue. Students might be required to document discussions with stakeholders or industry experts, adopt roles to help gain different perspectives or reflect on what they learned, according to a 2010 guide by Jan Herrington of Murdoch University and co-authors. Many traditional assessment tasks, however, focus entirely on delivering an end product such as an essay or completing an exam. A student’s mark then becomes a measure of learning (think of this as assessment of learning). Despite the student’s end product being visible, their cumulative thinking processes are not, which is at the heart of why concerns over academic integrity arise.

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• How to partner with AI and improve the learning experience
  

As an alternative view, what if assessment were thought of as a developmental process – that is, one that observes students completing assessment activities and how they progressively demonstrate and adjust their skills? Embedding a series of checkpoints in the process helps to make the learning process visible while allowing the assessment task to become the learning (this is assessment for learning). Observing the learning process and progressively verifying stages of student learning allows educators to see how a student created an end product. This should reduce concerns over academic integrity.

We can compare this model to the process of constructing a house. An engineer checks foundation and slab reinforcement before pouring the concrete, then progressively inspects other stages such as the walls and roof. Regular inspections during construction allow the completed house to be certified, rather than a single inspection once the house is built. 

Authentic assessment based on adult learning principles

Thinking about who students are as learners can affect how teachers design assessment tasks. In his explanation of adult learning in 1970, Malcolm Knowles highlighted how adults:

• Want to apply their learning now to relevant situations (not perhaps years later)
• Aim to develop increased competency (not simply acquire subject knowledge)
• Bring life experiences and previous knowledge to enhance their learning (as opposed to learners who have limited life experiences).

Adopting adult learning principles in assessment design can help to shift the focus towards authentic assessment tasks. That is, connecting assessment tasks with the real world makes learning practical and relevant, which emphasises its value for the student. 

Here’s how to integrate authentic and adult learning principles into assessment design and make learning processes visible. 

1. Make assessment real

Authentic assessment and adult learning principles link to real-world learning, so lean into that. Andragogy principles imply assessments could include a workshop, report or oral presentation, where students articulate theoretical concepts in their own language. These tasks should encourage students to connect new concepts to their real-life experiences. In addition, scaffolding and checkpoints embedded during the assessment task can enhance teachers’ ability to verify students’ work during the learning process. 

2. Make learning active

Research has shown that students achieve better learning outcomes through active learning (doing) rather than passive learning (listening, taking notes). Active learning gives students opportunities to demonstrate purposeful learning, thereby helping to make their learning visible. Specifically, classes need to adopt a student-centred approach to assessment tasks, enabling students to demonstrate how they connect to course content and theories.

3. Rethink resourcing

Integrating authentic and adult learning principles can require rethinking how teachers use resources. For example, students pitching assessment ideas may replace tutors presenting problem solutions. Conversations generate peer and tutor feedback that feeds forward into student end products, enhancing the learning process visibility. Tutor preparation time can be used to review students’ draft assessment ideas, with tutorial solutions and questions that are not covered posted as asynchronous videos. 

Advantages of authentic assessment that embeds adult learning principles

Several advantages emerge when embedding adult learning principles in authentic assessment design to make the learning process visible. First, it allows students to use life experiences to make sense of new concepts by connecting with previous knowledge (as occurs in the MOSS Book and CLEAR-JE methods outlined previously on Campus). Second, students can see relevance and value in receiving regular and timely feedback during their learning rather than simply receiving marks for their assessments. Third, using active learning gives your course a strong value proposition (it’s a lot more than just covering content). And, fourth, making the learning process visible motivates deep learning (sense-making) rather than shallow learning (memorisation), thereby promoting retention and application of learning as opposed to just memorising and forgetting.

Disadvantages in blending authentic assessment with andragogy

Yet there are disadvantages, too. Authentic assessment, adult learning principles and the learning process are challenging ideas. It can take time to effectively integrate them into an assessment design. An incremental approach, gradually introducing modifications, can be beneficial. Also, if a traditional assessment such as an end-of-semester essay or final exam is replaced, resistance from colleagues might need to be managed. Early discussions with a programme leader, however, can help ensure a new assessment design meets both course and programme learning outcomes.

The challenge of addressing academic integrity in higher education in a world of AI requires new thinking about assessment design. An approach that integrates andragogy and authentic assessment not only makes assessment relevant and valuable for student learning, but also helps to make the student learning process visible.

Carl Sherwood is a senior lecturer and John Raiti is principal learning designer, both in the School of Economics at the University of Queensland. 

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