Traditional Versus Authentic Assessments in Higher Education

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the effect of authentic and traditional assessment on students’ performance in the field of health and educational sciences. Both qualitative and quantitative research designs were used in this study. Study used A questionnaire containing 20 items: 10 items represented traditional assessment and the other 10 represented authentic assessments has been used in this study. The survey sample used in this study consisted of 157 students and 52 educators. In addition, 10 educators were interviewed for the qualitative research part and 25 graduate students as an experimental sample. The main findings of this study indicated that educators preferred using both traditional testing tools and the preference towards traditional and authentic tools depended on academic qualification. This implies the importance of conducting institution in-service courses for educators, which may depend not only on the nature of the training but also on the academic qualifications of the participants. Furthermore, it is important to note that while many educators reported their preference in utilizing novel evaluation methods, a small proportion of them did not deem authentic assessment as their preferred way of assessing students’ performance. This could partly be the result of adopting a traditional curriculum instead. various outcomes of this study can lead educators to design a best model of assessment using both traditional and authentic assessment types. As for students, many advantages of using authentic assessment will help them enhance their academic writing and productivity skills.