26 research outputs found
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Introduction
This section introduces the work of the Online Assessment Special interest group at EADTU, explains the structure of the work and the report and considers various ways to design future online assessmen
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Assessment Design
This chapter summarises approaches to moving assessment online, taken by European HEIs in response to the pandemic challenges in 2020 and 2021, and possible assessment strategies for the future, as a result of the experiences and with reference to the institutional and national frameworks and policies. It includes small case study inserts and refers to further 'Good Practices' case studies in Annex 1 of the publicatio
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Online remote exams in higher education: distance learning students' views
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, universities had to re-structure their assessment design, policies and processes. It is clear that the experiment of having exams delivered in an online format has allowed institutions to question what the most appropriate format for the future is (St-Onge et al., 2022). The assessment conversation around the design of the online exams and the technology used aimed at ensuring that student expectations were met while securing assessment standards.
This study aimed to explore student views at a major distance-learning university in the UK about participating in online remote exams. The institution replaced the common pre-covid practice of taking face-to-face exams at local centres appointed by the university with remote open book-style exams.
This work focuses on responses to:
(a) a closed-ended question on whether students had a positive, negative or mixed experience with online exams and
(b) an open-ended exploratory question inviting students to report their previous experiences with online exams, if any. Content analysis was used to make valid inferences from the survey respondentsâ open-ended responses focusing on the meaning in context (Krippendorff, 2018).
The majority of respondents (83%) reported that they never completed an online remote exam at home (or work) as an alternative to their face-to-face exams. The rest (n = 107) completed online remote exams at home in one course (12%) or more than one course (5%). This may have occurred due to pandemic or to accommodate students with disabilities or other circumstances as part of standard processes. The students who completed an exam at home mainly described their experience as positive (76%, n = 81). However, some students had a mixed (19%, n = 20) or negative (5%, n = 5) experience.
Findings from 107 student responses to an online survey on assessment, pointed to positive and negative areas of experience with online exams. Exploring studentsâ comments on positive experiences (n = 76), the area with the largest proportion of positive mentions (36%) was âexam duration and timeâ, followed by âanxiety/pressureâ (26%), âexams at homeâ (20%), âtravel to exam centreâ (16%), âreal-life equivalentâ (8%), and âinvigilationâ(4%). Exploring studentsâ comments on negative experiences (n = 15), the area with the largest proportion of negative mentions (52%) was âequipment and technical issuesâ, followed by âinvigilation and rigorousnessâ (26%), âexam duration and timeâ (9%), âmarksâ (8%), and âdistractions at homeâ (7%).
The evidence from this study suggests that while most survey respondents show a clear preference towards online remote exams, there is no clear âwinnerâ as different groups of students reveal barriers and challenges in assuming a different exam model. This study provides an agenda for universities with temporary and permanent distance learning programmes to develop or improve ways that students or particular groups of students are assessed by providing positive areas of perception.
References:
[1] Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage publications.
[2] StâOnge, C., Ouellet, K., Lakhal, S., DubĂ©, T., & Marceau, M. (2022). COVIDâ19 as the tipping point for integrating eâassessment in higher education practices. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(2), 349-366
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A microcredentials-based Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice (PGCAP)
This paper presents a new certificate that consists entirely of microcredentials: a stackable model. The postgraduate qualification was piloted extensively with staff members at the Open University (OU) and will soon become available for a global audience. The successful completion of study entitles the certificate holder to become a Fellow of the Higher Education Agency in the UK, a highly regarded first stage professional membership and a proxy for teaching excellence. We will present key elements of the programme, key steps in the approval of the qualification and initial feedback from the pilot cohorts
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Examining university student satisfaction and barriers to taking online remote exams
Recent years have seen a surge in the popularity of online exams at universities, due to the greater convenience and flexibility they offer both students and institutions. Driven by the dearth of empirical data on distance learning students' satisfaction levels and the difficulties they face when taking online exams, a survey with 562 students at The Open University (UK) was conducted to gain insights into their experiences with this type of exam. Satisfaction was reported with the environment and exams, while work commitments and technical difficulties presented the greatest barriers. Gender, race and disability were also associated with different levels of satisfaction and barriers. This study adds to the increasing number of studies into online exams, demonstrating how this type of exam can still have a substantial effect on students experienced in online learning systems and
technologies
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Online exams in higher education: Exploring distance learning students' acceptance and satisfaction
Background
Research into online exams in higher education has grown significantly, especially as they became common practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, previous studies focused on understanding individual factors that relate to students' dispositions towards online exams in âtraditionalâ universities. Moreover, there is little knowledge on university distance learning students' experience of transitioning from in-person to online exams.
Objectives
This study investigates the acceptance and satisfaction of university distance learning students in their transitioning from in-person to online exams, through multiple factors.
Methods
We employed a mixed-methods study to understand the relationship between assessment and online exam factors (e.g., revision and online exam satisfaction, assessment competencies, invigilation acceptance, exam anxiety and workspace satisfaction). Cluster analysis and interview data contributed to our understanding of students who are âstrongly positiveâ and âless positiveâ towards online exams.
Results and Conclusions
Our findings highlight the overall importance of increasing student confidence by building their assessment competencies throughout their studies and familiarising them early with the technologies and formats to be used in the actual exam. We also shed light on particular student characteristics that relate to reduced online exam acceptance, such as students with disabilities, caring responsibilities and mental health issues, or students who lack access to the necessary technology.
Implications
The findings and recommendations of this research contribute to the wider agenda of designing fair and trustworthy online assessment, including exams, for the futur
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Cultural transformation in Eastern Germany after 1990
The six papers in this volume are a selection from presentations in the culture section of the conference Transformationsprozesse in den neuen BundeslĂ€ndern, held in London in April 2004 and organized by the Association for Modern German Studies and the Centre for East German Studies at the University of Reading with the support of the Goethe-Institut London. A selection of papers from the politics and society section were published in the previous issue of German as a foreign language (GfL 3/2004). All contributions, including two papers focusing on language issues (Reiher & Baumann, Roth, both in GfL 2/2004) mark the attempt of organizers and participants to take stock 15 years into the existence of a ânewâ Germany