A Critical Review of the Purposes and Authenticity of E-Assessment Policies and Practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/obp2-2024-10Keywords:
Assessment policy, e-assessment, pedagogical practices, authenticity, challenges, opportunitiesAbstract
In general, the overall purpose of assessment is to account for the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and attitudes that learners possess as a result of their educational experiences. In recent times, there has been an increased emphasis on the role of technology-enhanced assessments, which have mainly been referred to as e-assessments, to improve assessment designs through the use of innovative digital tools. However, it is important that these changes are directed and driven by appropriate education policies to ensure that the attendant practices remain authentic by demonstrating alignment between the pedagogies used in curriculum coverage and the digitised assessment tools and modalities. This was a literature-based study examining the purposes of e-assessment and reflecting on the authenticity of attendant policies and practices in South Africa, in relation to the extant pedagogical practices and learners’ classroom experiences. From the literature, four most-cited purposes of e-assessment were identified and described, namely (a) efficiency and scalability, (b) enhanced feedback, (c) data-driven insights, and (d) accessibility and flexibility. The policy challenges faced by the country in relation to authentic e-assessment are presented and described. These include questions of validity and reliability, equity and inclusion, pedagogical alignment, and academic integrity, while implementation challenges encompass technical, training and support, ethical and privacy concerns, technological infrastructure, cultural and linguistic relevance, and data management and privacy considerations. It is argued that a better understanding of these challenges and opportunities brought about by these reflections would contribute significantly towards the development and implementation of well-rounded digital education policies in South Africa.
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