Bennett, Harper and Hedberg (2001)
suggest designing real-life cases to support
authentic activities. Their argument is based
on the premise that there is value in
involving students in tasks that reflect the
way knowledge and skills are used in
practice. It also supports some theorists who
argue the importance of providing students
with authentic experiences – experiences
that reflect real-world ways of knowing and
doing. Such experiences allow learners to
transfer knowledge from formal education to
practice, and so provide opportunities for
meaningful learning. The challenge is how
to incorporate these authentic activities and
the realistic contexts needed to support them
into the learning experiences designed for
the students.