Shaping Student Experiences Through Assessment Design

As educators seek to prepare students for future careers and strengthen transferable skills, authentic assessment offers a practical and equitable alternative to traditional exams in STEM education. This study explores undergraduate students’ experiences with both traditional and authentic assessments in an upper-level wetland wildlife biology course at a land-grant university. The course instructor (Author 1) implemented a presentation-based, authentic assessment after a traditional exam and surveyed students at the end of the semester to gather their perspectives. This study presents qualitative data on students’ preferences for the two assessment types, their perceived emotions, and their perceived learning associated with each. A substantial majority of student respondents preferred the authentic assessment format. Open-ended responses revealed that students found the presentation-based exam less stressful and more engaging than the traditional exam and perceived knowledge retention to be more likely. In contrast, traditional exams were more frequently associated with stress and time pressure. These findings contribute to the growing literature on assessment in STEM courses and provide insight into how assessment format may influence student emotions and perceptions of learning in upper-level classrooms.