The Effectiveness of Distance Learning Assessment Practices: Case Study

Radoine Hamzaoui; Boudhar Abdeslam; Elhoucine OUASSAM; Younes-Aziz Bachiri; Bouikhalene Belaid

doi:10.18535/ijsrm/v12i02.el01

Abstract

Assessment is an essential component of the educational process as it tracks the progress of lessons, activities and facilitates learning through formative assessment or measures performance towards graduation or entry to higher levels of education or employment through summative assessment. However, increasing student enrollments in open-access educational institutions and the need for frequent assessments have led to a shift towards ICT (information and communication technologies) based remote assessment methods. The emergence of health emergencies and the strategy of Moroccan higher education has further accelerated this transition from traditional in-person assessments to remote assessments. This study uses a transversal research design to analyze the impact of distance assessment practices at Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Morocco. The research method includes the development of a benchmark for distance education evaluation methods and a statistical survey of randomly selected students (293) in eight university establishments, as well as other stakeholders involved in the remote assessment process. The objective is to determine the evaluation methodologies most appropriate to the specific context of Sultan Moulay Slimane University. Data is analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Keywords

Distance assessmentDistance LearningUniversal Design of LearningAssessment PracticesICT

References

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[refR-2] A. De Brún, L. Rogers, A. Drury, and B. Gilmore, “Nurse Education Today Evaluation of a formative peer assessment in research methods teaching using an online platform : A mixed methods pre-post study,” Nurse Educ. Today, vol. 108, no. September 2021, p. 105166, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105166.DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-3] D. Boud and N. Falchikov, “Aligning assessment with long‐term learning,” Assess. Eval. High. Educ., vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 399–413, Aug. 2006, doi: 10.1080/02602930600679050.DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-4] P. E. Newton, “Clarifying the purposes of educational assessment,” Assess. Educ., vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 149–170, 2007.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-5] P. Black and D. Wiliam, “Developing the theory of formative assessment,” Educ. Assessment, Eval. Accountability(formerly J. Pers. Eval. Educ., vol. 21, no. 1, p. 5, 2009, doi: 10.1007/s11092-008-9068-5.DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

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[refR-7] D. Boud, “Sustainable assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society,” Stud. Contin. Educ., vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 151–167, 2000.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-8] V. J. Shute, L. Wang, S. Greiff, W. Zhao, and G. Moore, “Measuring problem solving skills via stealth assessment in an engaging video game,” Comput. Human Behav., vol. 63, pp. 106–117, 2016.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-9] M. Webb and D. Ifenthaler, “Assessment as, for and of 21st Century learning using information technology: An overview,” 2018.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-10] E. L. Baker, G. K. W. K. Chung, and L. Cai, “Assessment gaze, refraction, and blur: The course of achievement testing in the past 100 years,” Rev. Res. Educ., vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 94–142, 2016.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-11] J. W. Gikandi, D. Morrow, and N. E. Davis, “Online formative assessment in higher education: A review of the literature,” Comput. Educ., vol. 57, no. 4, pp. 2333–2351, 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2011.06.004.DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-12] Q. Nguyen, B. Rienties, L. Toetenel, R. Ferguson, and D. Whitelock, “Examining the designs of computer-based assessment and its impact on student engagement, satisfaction, and pass rates,” Comput. Human Behav., vol. 76, pp. 703–714, 2017.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-13] C. J. Bonk, M. M. Lee, T. C. Reeves, and T. H. Reynolds, MOOCs and open education around the world. Routledge, 2015.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-14] M. G. Moore and G. Kearsley, Distance education: A systems view of online learning. Cengage Learning, 2011.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-15] Z. G. Baleni, “Online formative assessment in higher education: Its pros and cons,” Electron. J. e-Learning, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. pp228-236, 2015.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-16] Y. A. Kim et al., “Responsive teaching in online learning environments,” J. Coll. Sci. Teach., vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 17–24, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-17] W. Admiraal, B. Huisman, and M. Van de Ven, “Self-and peer assessment in massive open online courses.,” Int. J. High. Educ., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 119–128, 2014.Google Scholar ↗

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[refR-19] H.-S. Lee, G.-H. Gweon, T. Lord, N. Paessel, A. Pallant, and S. Pryputniewicz, “Machine learning-enabled automated feedback: supporting students’ revision of scientific arguments based on data drawn from simulation,” J. Sci. Educ. Technol., vol. 30, pp. 168–192, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

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[refR-21] J. Liebowitz, Online learning analytics. CRC Press, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-22] J. Heil and D. Ifenthaler, “Online Assessment in Higher Education: A Systematic Review.,” Online Learn., vol. 27, no. 1, 2023.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-23] E. Liguori and C. Winkler, “From offline to online: Challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship education following the COVID-19 pandemic,” Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, vol. 3, no. 4. SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA, pp. 346–351, 2020.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-24] W. Al-Mawee, K. M. Kwayu, and T. Gharaibeh, “Student’s perspective on distance learning during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Western Michigan University, United States,” Int. J. Educ. Res. Open, vol. 2, p. 100080, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-25] M. Bączek, M. Zagańczyk-Bączek, M. Szpringer, A. Jaroszyński, and B. Wożakowska-Kapłon, “Students’ perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey study of Polish medical students,” Medicine (Baltimore)., vol. 100, no. 7, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-26] T. Barker and S. Bennett, “The use of electronic voting and peer assessment to encourage the development of higher order thinking skills in learners,” Int. J. e-Assessment, 2012.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-27] I. Sikurajapathi, K. Henderson, and R. Gwynllyw, “Using e-assessment to address mathematical misconceptions in engineering students,” Int. J. Inf. Educ. Technol., vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 356–361, 2020.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-28] L. Ali and N. Dmour, “The shift to online assessment due to COVID-19: An empirical study of university students, behaviour and performance, in the region of UAE,” Int. J. Inf. Educ. Technol., vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 220–228, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-29] J.-J. Choi, C. A. Robb, M. Mifli, and Z. Zainuddin, “University students’ perception to online class delivery methods during the COVID-19 pandemic: A focus on hospitality education in Korea and Malaysia,” J. Hosp. Leis. Sport Tour. Educ., vol. 29, p. 100336, 2021.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-30] A. Akimov and M. Malin, “When old becomes new: a case study of oral examination as an online assessment tool,” Assess. Eval. High. Educ., vol. 45, no. 8, pp. 1205–1221, 2020.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-31] M. De Rond and R. Thietart, “Responsabilité stratégique des dirigeants: Entre hasard, choix et inévitabilité,” Rev. française Gest., no. 3, pp. 63–77, 2007.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-32] M. Al-Balas et al., “Distance learning in clinical medical education amid COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan: current situation, challenges, and perspectives,” BMC Med. Educ., vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1–7, 2020.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-33] D. O’Doherty, M. Dromey, J. Lougheed, A. Hannigan, J. Last, and D. McGrath, “Barriers and solutions to online learning in medical education–an integrative review,” BMC Med. Educ., vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 1–11, 2018.Google Scholar ↗