Exploring the Role of Authentic Assessment on the Development of Future Marketers: An Abstract

This research aims to explore the role authentic assessments can play in the learning, engagement and skill development of students who wish to pursue a marketing career. The use of assessments within the classroom has taken on a more significant role today with assessments not merely testing students to evaluate learning, but rather demonstrating students’ success in achieving pre-set learning outcomes (Stone Watt 2012; Astin and Antonio 2012). The role of assessments in ‘authentic learning’ has emerged as a way in which students learn-by-doing and ultimately challenge educators to provide opportunities for students to experiment with complex issues in varying settings as they would in the workforce (Lombardi 2007). Interestingly, it is perceived that authentic learning is most likely to flourish in a ‘high-impact’ setting such as business practice, in which ‘students integrate diverse theories and concepts, share ideas with faculty and peers outside of class, judge the value of information in specific situations, and learn from perspectives other than their own’ (Brownell and Swaner 2009, p. 26). Ultimately, this is expected to contribute to higher grade achievement and knowledge transfer (Kuh 2009). This research study is set within the context of an undergraduate business module, integrated marketing communications (IMC), and serves to provide interesting insight into the role of formative authentic assessments in generating and nurturing learning, engagement and key skills of students, while creating solutions for organizations in response to specific marketing problems that mimic the real-world projects. Three authentic assessment practices were undertaken by 134 marketing students within the IMC module over a 12-week period. These assessments were based on the information of key skills required by graduate employers in Ireland in 2018/2019. A multi-method approach was adopted using a two-stage survey as well as a student reflection journal to gather rich insight into student’s perceptions of the authentic assessment practices on their learning, engagement and skill development. Through the authentic assessment practices, students reported enhanced skills sets as well as feeling better prepared to undertake a marketing career. It is evident that this type of formative assessment practices is beneficial for future marketers and employers, demonstrating a marrying of the academia/practice divide as well as providing students with future skills as marketing practitioners.