University Students’ Perception and Satisfaction with Online Formative Assessment: A Case of University of Kabianga, Kenya

Abstract

Online assessment is an evaluation of a person's abilities, behaviors, and characteristics conducted over the Internet by use of available web technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMS). Online assessments support a variety of question types and provide tailored feedback useful in improving learning and academic achievement of the learners. Online teaching and assessment had not been popular in some parts of the world, prior the COVID-19 pandemic. However with the pandemic, learning was taken online necessitating the need to make a move towards the computerization of assessment. In Kenya, this was done in a hurry without training learners on how to handle both online learning and assessment. As a result many students were apprehensive of these processes and were resisting the shift. This study provides University of Kabianga second year students’ perspective on formative online assessment. Study was based on the Constructivist Theory of learning which holds that, learners construct knowledge and learn best when engaged in learning experiences rather than passively receiving information. Only an experience can facilitate students to construct their own knowledge. Students in this study were exposed to online assessment for the first time and their perception and satisfaction was given in a feedback survey tool emended in the LMS. Analysis of students’ feedback indicated that they were satisfied and preferred online assessment to the face-to-face written assessments.

Keywords: Online Assessment, Perception, Formative Assessment

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-32-09

Publication date: November 30^th 2022