| Abstract: | A problem for educators and the developers of interactive multimedia is the apparent incongruity between the demands of authentic assessment and the deliverables of computer‐based assessment. Lecturers wishing to use interactive multimedia are commonly limited to assessment using multiple choice tests which are easily marked by the computer. This article describes seven defining characteristics of authentic assessment which have been operationalized in a learning environment employing interactive multimedia. The article describes the multimedia program and its implementation with a class of pre‐service teachers. The implication of these findings for educational practice are that authentic assessment can be used within interactive multimedia learning environments, albeit not totally contained within the software itself. The qualitative study reported here showed that students responded favourably to the elements of authentic assessment; that they had a good understanding of the content of the interactive multimedia program; and that the assessment was corroborated by observation of teaching strategies used by the students in their teaching practice. |
