Abstract
Assessment is crucial in teaching as we have to evaluate how well the students understand the taught materials. Written examinations are the most common way to conduct assessment to students. Yet, the recent pandemics of COVID-19 discourages human contacts. Therefore, the implementation of online teaching as well as online assessment are important during this crisis. Online assessment could be challenging. Technical, academic and ethics issues will impact both teachers and students. Previously, the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) has started the evaluation of online assessment practices for teachers but the views from students were yet to be followed. In the current project, we aim to evaluate the 3 aspects: (1) the effectiveness of using Zoom in assessment, (2) barriers of using online assessment; (3) problems encountered using online assessment from the students’ perspectives to avoid overlapping with the ongoing project at CLEAR. Our team will study and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages, effectiveness, obstacles and difficulties of each aspects from our students. The investigation format includes online survey, discussion meetings, and in-depth face-to-face interviews to collect the stakeholders’ reflection, experience, and recommendation to the improvement of the present system to support online assessment. By the end of the study, we will provide a list of recommendations and solutions on adjusting the current system for the betterment of online assessment and the support to teachers for online assessment. This project will provide new insight for the development of online assessment at CUHK in the future.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
The project aimed to evaluate (1) the perceived effectiveness of using ZOOM in assessment; (2) barriers and problems of using online assessment; and (3) suggestions for improvement.
Activities, process and outcomes
1. The first stage involved online questionnaires and 752 students has completed.
2. The second stage involved in-depth interviews and 43 students from 8 faculties joined the zoom interviews.
3. The third stage involved meeting 7 students for sharing of best practices or difficulties in a teacher seminar.
4. Video filming of the difficulties the students from the 8 faculties have faced in online assessment and suggestions for future improvement was done.
Deliverables and evaluation
A total of 739 (98.3%) students have taken online assessment. Only 16.6% of students were satisfied with the online assessment arrangements. The major difficulty that students faced was technical problems (52.6%). Students expressed that teachers’ feedback was essential for learning, and they wished to receive timely and detailed performance feedback. Students suggested that standardized measures should be taken to prevent cheating and maintain high level of academic honesty.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
The finding of the project was presented at CUHK Teaching and Learning Innovation Expo on 29 and 30 July 2020. Individual faculty report has been disseminated to the faculty office. A manuscript entitled “Rethinking Assessment during COVID-19 pandemic from the University Student Perspectives” was submitted to Cogent Education.
Impact on teaching and learning
The current study revealed the need to develop a reliable online assessment system. Online assessment could be enhanced through the provision of a comprehensive platform among teachers in curriculum design, assessment and the betterment of using technology in teaching and learning.
