Sometimes called performance assessment or real-world assessment. The defining contrast is with recall-based testing.
Authentic assessment is assessment that measures what a learner can do in a real or realistic context. Instead of multiple-choice questions about a topic, the learner ships a deliverable in that domain — a marketing plan, a feasibility study, a prototype, a strategic recommendation — and is evaluated against criteria a practitioner would actually use.
The practical case for it is straightforward: a CV line that says 'completed coursework in marketing' is a weaker signal than a portfolio piece that says 'delivered a market-entry analysis a sponsor reviewed and signed off.'
Ewance is built around authentic assessment. The student's deliverable is the assessment, not a side artefact of it. The rubric criteria are the kind a sponsor or hiring manager would use. The credential a student earns is tied to specific work — readers can see the brief, the deliverable, and the assessment all in one place.
The fastest way to know whether challenge-based learning fits you is to ship one.
