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Authentic Assessment Redesign in Australian Universities

Authentic assessment redesign constitutes a systemic educational shift within Australian higher education, transitioning evaluative practices from static artifacts to iterative, contextualized professional processes. This framework articulates the theoretical tensions, vulnerability differentials, and institutional mechanisms necessary to sustain academic integrity in generative technological environments. By synthesising practice-based models and process-oriented criteria, the work provides an actionable blueprint for equitable curricular reform across tertiary disciplines.

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Honours Thesis

Degree:
Authentic Assessment Redesign in Australian Universities

Author:

Group

First M. Last

Advisor:

Dr. First Last

City, 2026

Contents

Introduction
Chapter 1: Theoretical Foundations of Authentic Assessment in Higher Education
1.1 Conceptual Evolution and Dimensions of Authenticity in Tertiary Learning
1.2 Transitioning from Product-Centric to Process-Oriented Evaluative Designs
1.3 Pedagogical Integrity and GenAI Disruption in University Assessment
Chapter 2: Analytical Evaluation of Assessment Vulnerabilities and Redesign Models in Australian Universities
2.1 Comparative Vulnerability of Task Formats to Automated Content Generation
2.2 Institutional Policy Responses and Evaluative Frameworks Across Australian Higher Education
2.3 Contradictions in Technology-Mediated Authentic Practice and Disciplinary Contexts
Chapter 3: Strategic Framework and Implementation Paradigms for Authentic Assessment Redesign
3.1 Methodological Guidelines for Scaffolding Authenticated Process Tasks
3.2 Collaborative Change Laboratory and Practice-Based Academic Development
3.3 Institutional Governance, Equitable Access, and Programmatic Implementation
Reference List
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

Authentic assessment redesign has emerged as a paramount priority across Australian higher education institutions seeking to safeguard academic integrity and enhance pedagogical value in generative artificial intelligence environments [1]. As automated tools challenge traditional evaluative instruments, universities are prompted to reconfigure curricular models toward tasks reflecting complex real-world application, critical contextual reasoning, and disciplined professional judgement [2].

Existing institutional frameworks frequently experience tensions between standardized evaluative mechanisms and the nuanced requirements of contextualized authentic practice [5]. While authentic assessment is widely recognized as a catalyst for workplace readiness and cognitive engagement, the operational transition from conventional artifact-based grading to dynamic evaluative ecosystems remains unevenly theorised across disciplines [3], [6].

This investigation examines the systemic principles, structural tensions, and practical frameworks governing assessment renewal within Australian tertiary settings [1], [4]. Through comparative analytical review of policy documentation, technological affordances, and practice-based interventions, this work delineates an integrated paradigm for authenticated process design that maintains pedagogical equity and evaluative rigour.

2.1 Comparative Vulnerability of Task Formats to Automated Content Generation

The structural vulnerability of conventional higher education assessment formats under generative artificial intelligence necessitates a critical realignment toward authenticated, process-oriented evaluative tasks across tertiary curricula. In specialized professional contexts, such as digital health and health information management education, generative artificial intelligence tools challenge traditional assessment validity across standard task formats that lack situated evaluative components ("Susceptibility of Assessment Types," 2026). Consequently, evaluating complex learning outcomes—including contextual reasoning, technical execution, and professional judgment—requires tertiary institutions to identify vulnerable product-focused formats and redesign them into resilient, educationally meaningful activities ("Susceptibility of Assessment Types," 2026). Within the Australian university context, this pedagogical shift demands systemic frameworks that transcend simplistic technological containment or surveillance. Supporting assessment redesign across Australian institutions requires a critical practice-based framework that actively centers equitable curricular change and collaborative academic development ("Supporting Assessment Redesign," 2026). Furthermore, framing authenticity exclusively as economic preparation generates profound pedagogical contradictions in technology-mediated learning environments, where digital interfaces complicate collaborative interactions between students and lecturers ("The Collaborative Redesign," 2024). Rather than treating authenticity solely as an external reflection of economic employment, academic programs can cultivate authentic practice within higher education itself by explicitly exposing, confronting, and renegotiating these systemic activity tensions ("The Collaborative Redesign," 2024). By integrating critical practice-based frameworks and scaffolding iterative professional reasoning, Australian universities systematically mitigate vulnerability to automated content generation while sustaining academic integrity across diverse disciplinary domains.

References

  1. Supporting assessment redesign in the age of AI: a critical practice-based framework for equitable change
    Laidlaw, Prue
    Open Source
  2. Susceptibility of Assessment Types to AI-Generated Content in Digital Health and Health Information Management Education: Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study.
    Tafheem Ahmad Wani, Michael Liem, Natasha Prasad et al.
    DOI Link
  3. From authentic products to authenticated processes: a systematic conceptual review of authentic assessment in AI-rich higher education
    Vangelis Tsiligkiris
    DOI Link
  4. The Collaborative Redesign of ‘Authentic’ Technology-Enhanced Learning: Analysis of a Change Laboratory Research-Intervention in Engineering Higher Education
    Philip Moffitt, Brett Bligh
  5. Authentic Assessment in Higher Education
    Sinfree Gono
  6. Authentic assessment in higher education: conceptual evolution, key debates and implications for practice
    Yusuf Josiah
  7. Authentic Assessment in Higher Education: A Collaborative Approach
    Angela Siobhan Wright
  8. Assessment in higher education in the professions: action research as an authentic assessment task
    T.W. Maxwell

Bibliography

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