VOlUME 05 ISSUE 07 JULY 2022
1Sylvia Ndapewa Ithindi, 2Elock Emvula Shikalepo
1,2Faculty of Education the International University of Management, Namibia
Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
The devastating effect of Covid-19 have prompted educational practitioners to maximise efforts for ensuring
continuous teaching, learning and assessment, by making use of instructional and assessment methods that do not involve human
contact. The use of eLearning has since gained momentum, used for curriculum instruction and assessment. The purpose of this
study was to establish the authenticity online assessment as used in higher education institutions, with the aim of advancing a model
for ensuring an effective online assessment of curriculum content during and post-Covid-19 era. A desktop research methodology
was used to gather data for the study. Published research articles on the challenges and effectiveness of online assessment were
traced, reviewed and analysed according to predetermined topics of research interests. The findings from the review informed the
themes that were interpreted and discussed as ultimate answers for the study. The interpretation of the themes draws insights from
literature evidence and current observations in the field of online assessment.
The study established that online assessment was characterised by challenges that compromised its authenticity, thus not
contributing to the effective mastery of learning outcomes by students. As students attempt assessment tasks on their own, it was
difficult to establish if the submitted work was indeed their own or not. In addition, assessment tasks were too many and impractical
for students to handle in a given time. Covid-19 pandemic requires that higher education institutions consider employing online
instruction and assessment. However, online assessment methods should be authentic in design and implementation to reflect good
quality teaching and learning. The study recommends that higher educational institutions should use online assessment methods that
enhance objective and credible assessment such as administering synchronous activities and by customising assessment tasks for
students.
Online assessment, Authentic assessment, eLearning, Covid-19, Higher education
REFERENCES
1) Baijnath N, Singh D (2019) Examination cheating: risks to the quality and integrity of higher education. S Afr J Sci
115(11/12):1–6. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2019/6281
2) Farhana, Z., Tanni, S. A., Shabnam, S., & Chowdhury, S. A. (2020). Secondary Education during Lockdown Situation Due
to Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Teachers’ Response on Online Classes.
3) Gaytan, J., & McEwen, B. C. (2007). Effective online instructional and assessment strategies. The American Journal of
Distance Education, 21(3), 117-132. doi:10.1080/08923640701341653
4) Gupta, R., Aggarwal, A., Sable, D., Chahar, P., Sharma, A., Kumari, A., & Maji, R. (2021). Covid-19 Pandemic and Online
Education: Impact on Students, Parents and Teachers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1-24.
5) Kearns, L.R. (2012). Student Assessment in Online Learning: Challenges and Effective Practices. MERLOT Journal of
Online Learning and Teaching. 8(3):198-208
6) Lim, I. (2020). Reality for Malaysia’s university students: Online learning challenges, stress, workload; possible solutions
for fully digital future until Dec. Malay Mail, 16.
7) Nurwulan, N. R., Kurniawan, B. A., Rahmasari, D. A., Rahmasanti, J. W., Abbas, N. A., & Hadyanto, M. H. (2021).
Students Workload and Stress Level during COVID-19 Pandemic. Indonesian Journal of Educational Studies, 24(1), 9-
16.
8) Pal, D. Funilkul, S. & Vanijja, V. (2018). the future of smart watches: assessing the end-users’ continuous usage using an
extended expectation-confirmation model. Universal Access in the Information Society. Doi:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-018-0639-z
9) Walsh, P. (2009). Global trends in higher education, adult and distance learning. Oslo, Norway: International Council for
Open and Distance Education. Retrieved from
http://www.icde.org/filestore/Resources/Reports/FINALICDEENVIRNOMENTALSCAN05.02.pdf
10) Yang, Y., & Cornelius, L. F. (2004). Students' perceptions towards the quality of online education: A qualitative approach.
Association for Educational Communications and Technology.