Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Online Assessment at Undergraduate Level
Keywords:
Online Assessment, COVID-19, Teachers’ Perception, Higher EducationAbstract
The pandemic of Covid-19 resulted in shifting towards remote education worldwide. Many research studies are being conducted regarding investigating perceptions of students about online assessment. However, there is limited research in addressing teachers’ perceptions about it. The current study aimed to provide in-depth reporting about the perceptions of undergraduate teachers of Pakistan’s higher educational institutes regarding online assessment practices during pandemic of Covid-19 and the first lockdown of the country. The sample size comprised of fifteen undergraduate level teachers of private universities of Lahore, Pakistan. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of the study revealed that participants encountered numerous challenges while using technology as a means for assessing students online like technical problems, unstable internet connection, academic dishonesty among students and mostly held negative perceptions about online assessment. Teachers did not Online tests were not thought to be as effective by teachers as in-person tests. The outcomes also showed that students who took examinations online as opposed to those who did them in person showed different levels of academic accomplishment. Online tests were not perceived as effective by teachers as on campus tests. Additionally, the results indicated that there were differences in academic achievement between students who took online tests and those who took exams on campus. The findings also indicated that the teachers mostly used formative, summative and diagnostic assessments for assessing students online. The major recommendations of the study is about the participants views regarding suggesting various strategies for improving or changing the online modes of assessment. Moreover, the research study further recommended that teachers must be provided with proper training regarding how to conduct online assessments effectively so that unfair means cannot be used by students.
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