Beyond the Bubble Test: Bringing Authentic Assessment to Every Discipline

[MarisaBluestone]

Traditional assessments have their place. Sometimes you need to know if students remember the equation, read the chapter, or, yes, stayed awake during your last lecture. But if we want students to do more than just regurgitate facts on command, we need assessments that go deeper. Enter: authentic assessment.

This doesn’t mean elaborate semester-long projects and color-coded rubrics -- authentic assessment isn’t about complexity for complexity’s sake. It’s about alignment. Specifically, aligning what we teach, what we value and what we ask students to do. 

Authentic assessments aren't just for composition or communications classes anymore. They can happen in every discipline, including the ones you might not expect. We share ideas for those, and how to create authentic assessments on your own, below. Or you can check out ideas from instructors who’ve been using them for years from the free webinar “Authentic Assessments for Every Discipline: Engaging Techniques That Reflect Real-World Learning.”

What Is Authentic Assessment, Really?

At its core, authentic assessment asks students to apply what they’ve learned to real-world situations, problems, or audiences. It’s not just what they know, it’s how they use it. Unlike traditional assessments (e.g., multiple-choice tests, five-paragraph essays), authentic assessment engages students with tasks that mirror professional and practical applications of course concepts

Authentic assessments tend to share a few key traits: they connect to real-world contexts, give students some choice in how they show what they’ve learned, emphasize the learning process (not just the final product), often involve collaboration, and help students build practical, discipline-relevant skills along the way. 

When done right, these assessments become less about catching mistakes and more about supporting growth. They help you spot misconceptions earlier, design feedback that sticks, and watch your students connect dots across your course in ways multiple-choice exams rarely allow.

But What If My Discipline Doesn’t "Lend Itself"?

Even if you teach a STEM-heavy, skills-based, or survey-style course, authentic assessment can work. That’s because it’s not about abandoning content, it’s about contextualizing it. Even in highly structured or technical disciplines, there are ways to create space for relevance, problem-solving, and transfer. 

Start by asking: Can students apply this concept to a scenario they might face in their future profession? Can they explain their thinking to a non-expert audience? Can they create something that demonstrates not just what they know, but how they know it?

Here are a few examples of authentic assessment in disciplines that may surprise you: 

• STEM: Instead of traditional problem sets, have students analyze real-world data, design a prototype, or build a simulation that models a current scientific issue.
• Computer Science: Ask students to develop a basic app or software solution to solve a real-world problem on campus or in the community.
• Health Sciences: Partner with local organizations and task students with creating accessible public health materials like infographics, brochures, or social media campaigns.
• Business: Move beyond theoretical cases and have students pitch a business idea in a Shark Tank–style format, complete with financial modeling and audience Q&A.

What these have in common: they're relevant, they're active, and they reflect the kinds of challenges students might actually face beyond your course. Authentic assessment doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be intentional. And the payoff is more meaningful learning for your students and more insights for you.

If you’re looking for additional ideas, be sure to check out Macmillan Learning’s Authentic Assessment for Every Discipline guide.