Creating Authentic and Engaged Learning Experiences

Originally published October 24, 2025

Creating Authentic Learning Strategies in Your Courses

As Christos’ approach below exemplifies, authentic assessments help students connect their learning to the knowledge and skills required for real-world contexts (Wiggins 1998). Authentic assessments provide students with opportunities to apply and value their disciplinary knowledge in ways that deepen their learning, motivation, and prepare them as future-ready, global citizens (Ajjawi et al., 2023; Timperley and Schick 2025).

Authentic learning opportunities are also being explored as both an approach to mitigate unauthorized GenAI use and, alternatively, as a way to prepare students for future careers with AI-tool integration (Al Amoush 2023; Patel 2025). While debates in the literature caution against uncritically adopting authentic assessments as ‘the answer’ to contemporary higher education challenges, incorporating productive conversations with students on their purpose can enhance the rich learning experience intended by authentic assessment design (Fawns et al. 2024; Chambers & Broadbent 2025; Arnold & Croxford 2025).

Consider one or more of the following strategies to support students in becoming inspired graduates who are better equipped to navigate the complexities of their discipline and their future employment with increased confidence.

Examples of Authentic Learning Activities and Assessments

• Presentations: In-class or recorded presentations develop students’ abilities to be effective presenters, build student confidence, and prepare them for interviews and public speaking, particularly with multiple opportunities to present and receive feedback. Link to course learning outcomes and consider using a peer rubric to support learning about garnering interest, engagement, and reception of their intended message from their audience’s perspective. When thinking about presentation formats, consider also recorded presentations submitted through MyLS, or poster presentations as alternative approaches for submission. 

• Case Study Analysis: Provide students with real-world scenarios to solve in class, such as ethical dilemmas, policy debates, and other relevant issues. In Christos’ video above, he discusses inviting students to tackle problems identified by local city councils that he solicits from partners like the City of Waterloo to give students opportunities to work on actual problems faced by their communities, tying their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to real-life dilemmas. Discover ways Laurier’s Community and Workplace Partnerships supports instructors  embedding community-engaged or work-integrated learning with local partners into classes.

• Project Proposals: Instead of traditional written assessments, students develop proposals that are relevant to their discipline and mimic professional tasks. Project proposals, such as a proposal for a prototype or a grant application, allow students to demonstrate research, writing, and critical thinking skills, but in a format that connects to professional tasks and relevant technologies in their field of study. 

• Pair Authentic Assessments with Reflective Journals: Instructors can integrate reflective and metacognitive components into their assessments, such as self-assessment prompts, to engage students in critically evaluating and connecting their course materials and learning to their current or future experiences (Ashford-Rowe 2014; MacNeil 2024). 

In Conversation with Christos Shiamptanis: Economics Education that is Creative, Inclusive and Experiential

Christos Shiamptanis, from the Department of Economics in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and recipient of the 2025 Innovation in Teaching Award, discusses how he transforms economics education through experiential learning, storytelling, and inclusive classroom design.

Reflecting on the value of learning through practice, Christos shares how he helps students value the journey of education over grades by providing multiple opportunities to practice and receive feedback on their assignments. He aligns assessments and rubrics with learning outcomes to enable his learners to transform from students to professionals, such as with the Bank of Canada’s Governor’s Challenge, building their confidence, skills, and curiosity along the way. Christos also utilizes hyflex teaching to increase access to his course.

By removing barriers, encouraging diverse voices, and connecting theory to real-world experiences, Christos shows how innovative teaching can prepare students for success in their studies, careers, and communities. Watch the video >>

Explore more episodes featuring award-winning faculty and listen to this episode on the Laurier Teaching Podcast!

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