Authentic assessment: Academic developers and curriculum transformation through distributed leadership

Shashi Nallaya, Kat Kenyon, Sheridan Gentili, Stuart Dinmore and Amanda Janssen
University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

Assessment plays a significant role in education and over the past few decades, there has been a global call for assessment practices to evolve from traditional standardised tests to those that appraise complex and higher order thinking. Professional bodies, employers and government regulations have further driven the agenda to re-invent both assessments and curricula. To address these concerns, and to further strengthen the institution's industry-informed curricula, University of South Australia (UniSA) launched its institution-wide Authentic Assessment Project (AAP), a key priority of its strategic academic plan. The successful implementation and adoption of the AAP required distributed leadership with various streams led by academic developers (ADs). Our article discusses the action research approach undertaken by the ADs and accordingly focuses on the planning, action, and observation stages. Reflection on the success of the initiatives was directed by two research questions: "How successful were the ADs in leading the different streams?" and "What needs to be done by the ADs to solicit more engagement from participants?" Engagement data from the various streams identifies, to an extent that buy-in from the different stakeholders was positive. Elements of the project that could have been better planned and implemented are also discussed.
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Authors: Associate Professor Shashi Nallaya is an Associate Director and Academic Developer at the Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU), University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia. Shashi has many years of experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of English language and teacher training programs at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, in various linguistic and cultural settings. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-8112 Email: shashi.nallaya@unisa.edu.au Ms Kat Kenyon is a Learning Designer in the Teaching Innovation Unit. She works collaboratively with teaching staff to develop innovative teaching practices and engaging activities that encourage flexibility, continuity, and sustainability. Kat is passionate about diversity and inclusion in education and preparing students to be ethical and global citizens. Email: kat.kenyon@unisa.edu.au Associate Professor Sheridan Gentili is the Director of the Teaching Innovation Unit. Sheridan is interested in exploring how learning and teaching tools and technology, through the use of learning analytics can be used to improve student experience and academic performance. She is also interested in exploring the impact of personalised feedback. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5568-9106 Email: sheridan.gentili@unisa.edu.au Dr Stuart Dinmore is a Senior Lecturer: Academic Development at the Teaching Innovation Unit. Stuart's focus is on technology enhanced and blended learning. This involves support for academic staff in the implementation of online learning environments and the design of effective use of the new generation of collaborative and flexible learning spaces. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4311-533X Email: Stuart.Dinmore@unisa.edu.au Ms Amanda Janssen is a Lecturer: Academic Development, Teaching Innovation Unit. Amanda leads UniSA's Academic Integrity Portfolio. Amanda supports academics with academic integrity processes and resources to ensure that students are educated about ethical behaviours in learning. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7583-0074 Email: Amanda.Janssen@unisa.edu.au Please cite as: Nallaya, S., Kenyon, K., Gentili, S., Dinmore, S. & Janssen, A. (2025). Authentic assessment: Academic developers and curriculum transformation through distributed leadership. Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1644-1663. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/nallaya.pdf