The Quality of Online Assessment in the Wake of Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The study intends to investigate the effectiveness of online evaluations at the University of Technology as well as the difficulties encountered when switching from face-to-face to online assessment. Many universities had to embrace online assessment with the advent of COVID-19, which resulted in major lockdowns in institutions of higher learning to preserve the academic year. This study is based on interviews with four students and four faculty members about their experiences using online assessment and its implications for assessment quality. Although the academic staff appreciates the online exam, some of them are not computer proficient, therefore they are concerned about its quality. The online assessment has been well received by the students because it gives them more time to complete their examinations. The results showed that there is a problem with the quality of online assessment because students are not assigned an invigilator, particularly when they take examinations online. It might quickly result in students asking one another for help with their examinations or passing along referrals. On average, they are given three more days to finish the online test, which affects the quality of the evaluation. It is recommended that students take online examinations in university computer labs or through an invigilator app if they want to maintain the quality of the assessment.