Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Engineering and Science Education
Committee Chair/Advisor
Lisa Benson
Committee Member
Althea Hagan
Committee Member
Kelly Best Lazar
Committee Member
Claire Dancz
Abstract
Assessment practices play a central role in shaping how students engage with learning, demonstrate understanding, and participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Despite increasing calls for more inclusive and professionally relevant educational practices, undergraduate STEM assessment remains heavily dominated by traditional examinations emphasizing memorization, speed, and standardized performance. These concerns may be particularly important within Natural Resources (NR) education, a field that requires students to integrate scientific knowledge with communication, collaboration, and applied problem-solving. This dissertation explores authentic assessment within undergraduate NR education through a multi-phase investigation examining assessment prevalence, student experiences, racially marginalized (RM) student perspectives, and faculty implementation of authentic assessment practices.
Grounded in authentic assessment literature, this dissertation examines how assessment structures shape engagement, learning strategies, confidence, participation, and opportunities for students to leverage cultural wealth within science learning environments. Chapter II investigates the prevalence of authentic assessment within an undergraduate NR department at a large research-intensive (R1), predominantly White institution (PWI). Findings revealed that traditional assessments remained dominant across much of the curriculum despite increasing recognition of authentic assessment practices and opportunities for implementation. Chapter III explores undergraduate students' perceptions of traditional and authentic assessments in a Wetland Wildlife v Biology course that used both formats. Survey findings demonstrated overwhelming student preference for authentic assessments, which students described as less stressful, more engaging, and more supportive of long-term retention and confidence compared to traditional exams.
Chapter IV centers on the experiences of RM undergraduate students through interviews exploring how assessment structures shaped learning experiences, engagement strategies, belonging, confidence, and opportunities to draw upon forms of Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005). Findings suggested that assessment functioned not simply as a neutral mechanism for evaluating learning, but as a system shaping participation, legitimacy, and access within STEM learning environments. These findings informed the development of a conceptual model illustrating how assessment structures may either constrain or support meaningful engagement and cultural wealth activation.
Finally, Chapter V examines faculty experiences across an iterative series of authentic assessment workshops to identify the forms of support instructors find most valuable when redesigning assessments. Findings indicate that faculty consistently sought discipline-specific examples, structured implementation supports, and student-centered evidence to guide assessment redesign.
Collectively, this dissertation positions assessment as a powerful component of STEM learning environments rather than a neutral mechanism for measuring knowledge. Findings suggest that authentic assessments that emphasize realism, productive challenge, communication, collaboration, and professional relevance may support deeper learning and more inclusive forms of participation in NR education. This work vi contributes to broader conversations surrounding assessment reform, equity, and faculty development by illustrating how assessment design influences not only academic performance but also students’ experiences of opportunity, engagement, and belonging within STEM education.
Recommended Citation
Marsh, Aradaryn, "From Gatekeeping to Opportunity: Authentic Assessment In Natural Resources Education" (2026). All Dissertations. 4343.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/4343
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-1007-7461
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons