3 research outputs found
Cost-effective, scalable online assessment solutions to assure academic integrity, privacy and equity of access: Towards a framework for success
In the context of the rapid transition to fully on line teaching and learning, the ABDC
commissioned a project into online assessment in higher education in Australia. This report
summarises the findings of that project, providing current evidence about the forms of online
assessment in use in undergraduate and postgraduate business courses at Australian ABDC
member institutions, and developing a framework to guide best-practice decision-making about
online assessments.
We based our investigations on five design considerations for online assessments: the
assessments must assure academic integrity, allow for the provision of quality feedback, support
a positive learning experience for students, assure the integrity of student information and be
delivered so that all enrolled students have an equal chance to complete the assessment
successfully. Using input from a comprehensive literature review, the results of a survey of
educators, and focus group discussions, we have extended these considerations to include
authenticity. Our analysis confirmed that scale of delivery and resource limitations are broader
and interrelated contextual factors that influence decisions about assessment design. These
contextual factors also include institution policies and accreditation requirements.
This report contains summary information about the assessment types in use in business
disciplines within Australia. We found that most survey respondents used written assessments
and online exams/ quizzes, with more than half also reporting that they used live or recorded
presentations. The report also summarises the constraints and trade-offs identified in focus
group discussions.
The outputs of this project include a summary diagram to assist future educators and accreditors
in applying our framework of design criteria for online assessment solutions, and a description of
our online portal that will enable our project to be current beyond 2022, as academics access
our framework and share their best practice assessment designs. We conclude this report with
our recommendations as to the way forward for future educators, researchers and peak funding
bodies
Reflective mode of deformed-helix ferroelectric liquid crystal cells for sensing applications
We present a detailed theoretical and experimental study of the reflectance response of a deformed-helix ferroelectric (DHF) liquid crystal (LC) cell to an applied voltage under cross-polarisers. Using a model based on the effective dielectric tensor approximation, we derive simple analytical formulas to design a LC cell with maximum modulation depth and optimal linearity of the electro-optical response intensity versus the electric field. Our experimental results show that the cell works at frequencies up to 10 kHz and exhibits excellent linearity, with a total harmonic distortion as low as -70 dB. These findings suggest that DHF-LCs can be exploited to develop simple and accurate optical sensors