Creating Authentic Assessments Through Controversy

Abstract

We are surrounded by controversy—politics, religion, diets, and even science are all up for debate in our 24/7 world of social media and the internet. With this controversy comes a lot of misinformation and competition with what our students might otherwise be learning in our classrooms. I know this intimately, since I teach fitness and nutrition courses, two topics widely addressed by internet “experts” who continually contradict what I teach in my class. Whereas some may say this makes an instructor’s job more difficult, I have decided to rise to the challenge and use controversy to enhance my students’ learning. By using an assortment of technologies and platforms—web searches, Twitter, TikTok, and more—I have been able to move beyond the classroom to engage my students in real-world problems, a strategy that results in more authentic assessments.