Do Synoptic Assessments Lead to Authentic Learning? A Critical Perspective on Integration and Intentionality in Higher Education Assessment Design

Abstract

Synoptic assessment has gained prominence in higher education as a way to bridge fragmented curricula by enabling students to synthesize knowledge across modules. However, structural integration through assessment does not automatically produce authentic learning. Drawing on theoretical analysis and three reflective case studies from UK undergraduate programmes, this paper offers a critical practitioner perspective on how synoptic assessment and authentic learning intersect in practice. We argue that integration and authenticity represent distinct pedagogical imperatives that require deliberate alignment. Through comparative analysis of successful, partially successful, and unsuccessful implementations of assessment strategies, we demonstrate that authentic learning emerges not from integration per se, but from intentional design embedding real-world relevance, developmental scaffolding, clear purpose, and student agency. Our case studies reveal that without such intentionality, synoptic assessments risk becoming structurally coherent but pedagogically hollow exercises that fail to engage students meaningfully. Key challenges include inconsistent staff understanding, inadequate contextual framing, and insufficient attention to progressive capability development. We propose practical design principles grounded in practitioner experience: embedding authenticity through professional relevance, scaffolding complexity appropriately, enabling open-ended student responses, and establishing strong programme-level leadership with authority over assessment strategy. The core contribution of the paper is to articulate these design principles for embedding authenticity within synoptic assessment at programme level, particularly in increasingly modularised and flexible curricula, such as those designed to enable lifelong learning. By positioning integration as necessary but insufficient for authentic learning, we advance critical understanding of assessment reform and address emerging tensions between programme coherence and increasingly modularized curricula serving diverse learner pathways.