Designing and delivering assessments is an important part of student learning and teaching efficacy. In any environment, but especially in online learning, academic integrity is key to an accurate assessment of student knowledge--so what are the five things educators need to know about remote assessments with integrity?
- Feedback is more important than ever. Face-to-face settings give teachers the ability to observe student confusion or comprehension; online learning environments diminish this. As a result, learning in online environments relies even more heavily on student-teacher feedback loops.
- Design assessments that uphold academic integrity. Provide multiple versions of the same test and set time limits to mitigate collusion and other forms of misconduct that may take place outside the visual field of the camera and screen.
- Use varied and comprehensive assessment types. By varying assessment formats, educators can gain insight into higher-order thinking as well as be inclusive of different learning styles. Additionally, different assessment formats can assess breadth (multiple-choice) in addition to depth (long answer) of knowledge. Item analysis, the practice of analyzing student responses to individual exam questions, can also provide further insight into student learning.
- Be aware of emerging forms of misconduct in remote learning. The nature of online learning environments makes certain forms of misconduct readily accessible. In addition to copy-paste plagiarism, AI text generators, smart devices, and essay mills are a button-click away in online learning.
- Take advantage of tools that uphold academic integrity. Tools like similarity checking, proctoring, and browser lockdown tools can support academic integrity.