Authentic assessment can be a powerful pedagogical approach in STEM Education. In addition to providing a more meaningful measurement of student learning, when crafted correctly, it can drive learning and engage students in meaningful ways. Practicing teachers who lack the time to pursue formal training in more expansive frameworks such as Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2010) could benefit from a descriptive and tangible tool for self-evaluation of existing assessments.
While not unique to technology and engineering, the need for authenticity in these fields is particularly important. While there are clear benefits to authentic assessments in STEM education, barriers exist that prevent teachers from meaningful implementation, such as a lack of time and access.
As a practicing professional in the field of teacher preparation, the author has worked with a diverse group of in-service and pre-service educators in the creation and revision of authentic assessments. Using observations of the challenges faced in these experiences and building upon the works of scholars discussed in the full article, the following rubric was developed to aid teachers in the creation of new authentic assessments and the reflection on existing assessment tools.
