Authentic assessment has been described as an assessment that requires students to use the same competencies, or combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they need to apply in the criterion situation in professional life (Gulikers, Bastiaens, & Kirschner, 2004, p.69). Wiggins proposes that for authentic assessments (1998, pp. 22, 24) instructors should create tests and assignments that are realistic, require judgment and innovation, are contextual, assess the use of knowledge and facilitate practice .

Blended learning can provide different opportunities to develop authentic assessments both online and in face-to-face environments including some of the following approaches:

Case Studies
Asking students to respond to a case study is a common teaching and learning activity. Case studies offer a student-centered approach to learning that asks students to identify, explore, and provide solutions to real-world problems by focusing on case-specific examples (Wiek, Xiong, Brundiers, van der Leeuw, 2014, p 434). This approach simulates real life practice in sustainability education in that it illuminates the ongoing complexity of the problems being addressed.

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
In an OSCE, which are often used in the health sciences, a learner is examined on a one-to-one basis with either real or simulated (actors or electronic patient simulators) patients. It is a hands-on, real-world approach that simulates real medical decision-making processes and challenges learners to be innovative and engaged in evidence-based practices for real-world responsibilities.

ePortfolios, Blogging, Journaling
Online reflective writing assignments can be used in blended courses to help create a sense of community, or to provide reflective writing practice. Portfolio and online writing entries are often also structured to include peer review, self-assessment, and collaborative editing.

Writing Computer Programs
In computer science courses, students are often asked to code real working programs using realistic models. These assignments are often scaled with students first developing simple programs and then, as the course progresses, going back and adding additional functionality and complexity, which can mirror how professional developers work where programs are first built and then expanded and revised.

Editing Wikipedia
Wikipedia-based assignments can engage students in an learning activity where they improve or create Wikipedia articles related to their course topic. This type assessment involves students collaborating with communities outside of the university and opening their ideas up to public scrutiny. These activities can have a blended scaffolding approach: students learn about Wikipedia's communities and processes together in the classroom, work in groups to create their proposals and do research, and do their writing, responding to community feedback, and revisions online. For more information, see this article by Dr. Tina Loo, UBC Department Head of History in the Faculty of Arts, on her experience integrating a Wikipedia assignment into one of her courses.