Assessment in Higher Education in Times of Pandemic: Obstacles and Opportunities for Change

Abstract

Our objective is to understand the decision-making process of teacher educators and university teachers in adapting their methodology for assessing student learning during the pandemic.

Assessing learning in professional teacher education poses challenges related to student support (Burns, 2011). For this reason, many courses use assessment methods such as classroom observation, reflective writing, etc. (Matsumoto-Royo & Ramírez-Montoya, 2021). However, in a distance learning context, these strategies need to be implemented by integrating formative assessment and self-assessment during courses (Burns, 2011). This requires adequate preparation for both students and teachers. International reports have shown that teachers have adapted their learning assessment strategies during the pandemic (Ferretti, et al., 2021; Meinck, et al., 2022).

In order to answer our research question, we adopted a qualitative research approach (Miles & Huberman, 1994). We collected several types of data from teacher educators in 28 different countries: (1) open-ended questionnaires, (2) personal accounts, (3) unstructured interviews, and (4) a specific questionnaire about assessment. The categories of analysis emerged from our data and we consolidated their definition and indicators by linking to the literature and comparing our coding across researchers. Four main categories were used: (1) challenges, (2) assessment practices, (3) changes in teachers’ perceptions and practices, and (4) reflection on assessment.

We can mention some findings: (a) the uses of technology for assessment have developed strongly; (b) the importance for teacher educators to coordinate carefully with their colleagues; (c) the development of formative assessment strategies; (d) educators' reflection has focused on many challenges: ethical, technical and pedagogical.

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