Learning Pedagogies and On-Line Assessments in Higher Education: Innovations and Challenges

The increasing interest in online teaching, learning and assessment is based on the notion that current and future generations of students in higher education are and will be increasingly attuned to digital forms of communication and assessment (Prensky, 2001; Buckingham & Willett 2013). Hard pure disciplines tend to make more use of objective online assessment techniques (such as online quizzes and tests) than soft pure or qualitative disciplines (Smith et al, 2008). Furthermore, online exam assessments tend to be 'output' oriented; they act as final tests aimed at replacing traditional end of course handwritten assessments. In other words, summative exam assessments provide no opportunity for individual and generic feedback. In this context, the key question is: can pedagogies of face-to-face teaching and learning be enhanced by innovative (formative) forms of online exam type assessments? This case study reports on a three-year pilot online formative exam type assessment (2011-12 to 2013-14). The pilot ran in conjunction with a ten week face-to-face course (SA4H7) entitled 'Urbanisation and Social Policy in the Global South' offered by Dr Sunil Kumar in the Department of Social Policy and was supported by the Centre for Learning Technology, London School of Economics and Political Science. The case study critically reflects on how the incorporation of a formative online essay based exam assessment has enhanced the pedagogy of face-to-face learning offered by the course. The case study, in four sections, begins with a discussion of the pedagogies of teaching and learning and the role that online formative exam type assessments play in its enhancement. Second, it critically discusses the opportunities and challenges of designing and running online assessments. Ranging from the choice of platform to the anonymous extraction of student responses, a number of practical, technical and logistical issues had to be assessed and dealt with. These are discussed all along with the solutions provided before and after the assessment process. Third, it reports user perspectives by drawing on focus group discussions held in each of the three years. Despite being a small scale pilot, a wealth of information emerged. These ranged from practical issues such as technical requirements (e.g. spellcheck, keyboard noise management etc.) and accountability in using students own devices (BYOD), to more substantial online assessment information (e.g. changes in cognitive processes/approaches in answering questions when typed in compared to handwritten exams and stress/nerves leading up to online exam). Fourth and finally, the case study reflects on the key opportunities and challenges in integrating the pedagogies of face-to-face teaching and learning with online exam types of assessment that incorporate both individual and generic feedback. The discussion will cover the limitations of the pilot as well as key issues in scaling up online assessments at the LSE. Some of the lessons learned may be of value to others in higher education with an interest in similar assessment formats.