Assessing authentically in the Graduate Diploma of Education

Abstract

This paper presents a cutting-edge planning process that embeds authentic assessment, work-integrated learning, professional standards and e-Assessment in a Years 1-9 Graduate Diploma of Education course. The process is innovative in that it utilises an e-Portfolio to capture the evidence for assessment across all ten professional standards in core professional practice subjects, core curriculum subjects and practicum. The e-Portfolio also serves a purpose for teaching applications to future employers. The paper will outline the process undertaken to systematically plan for authentic and relevant assessment, templates developed for curriculum and assessment mapping, subject calendars outlining the explicit links to professional standards and assessment, and examples of the e-Portfolios. Further, the paper will present research undertaken to gain insights into students’ and professional advisory committee members’ perspectives of the process, authentic assessment tasks and e-Portfolio. The planning process, implementation and review of assessment tasks in the Years 1-9 Graduate Diploma of Education has built new capacities in assessment knowledge and practice for students, lecturers and the advisory committee members.