Student Perspectives on Improving Academic Integrity through Authentic Assessment Design

Authentic assessment has been proposed as a potential solution to deal with increasing concerns around academic integrity in higher education; however, empirical research on its effectiveness remains limited. Moreover, the ability of authentic assessment to improve academic integrity depends on students' perspectives and experiences, yet these remain underexplored in existing literature. To address this gap, a thematic analysis was conducted on the perspectives of final-year undergraduate business students (N = 128) in relation to their experiences with authentic assessment. The authentic assessment was structured using a framework and implementation plan developed by Lehane et al. (2024). The findings of this new study suggest that authentic assessment can play a significant role in enhancing academic integrity. Building on these findings, practical implications and recommendations for educators are discussed to promote the adoption and effective implementation of authentic assessment strategies, strengthening their impact on academic integrity.