Perspectives on Online Assessment: Reflecting on the Voices of Students and Academics Amidst the COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The unprecedented change in the education system brought by COVID-19 has affected both students and academics in higher education institutions in many ways, including how assessment was conducted. The methods used to assess students shifted from in-person to virtual platforms. The sudden change from conventional classroom learning to online education has significantly influenced the evaluation processes and the strategies employed for student assessment. Hodges et al. (2020) define emergency online teaching methods as a temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternate delivery mode due to crisis circumstances. It involves the use of fully remote teaching solutions for instruction or education that would otherwise be delivered face-to-face or as blended or hybrid courses and that will return to that format once the crisis or emergency has abated.  This transition has brought about various challenges in maintaining fairness and accuracy in evaluations, emphasizing the importance of modifying assessment approaches to suit the evolving educational setting. The impact of the pandemic on learning and teaching in South Africa varies across different societies because of the social, economic, political, and cultural statuses.

During the COVID-19 induced lockdown, students in many rural areas faced significant challenges with online assessment systems, primarily due to limited and unreliable internet access. The digital divide has posed significant obstacles for rural based students, making it difficult for them to engage in assessments fully. This has often impacted on their academic performance and resulted in an unequal learning experience compared to students in urban areas. This paper explores the challenges and experiences faced by students during online assessments amidst the COVID-19 era, particularly as they navigated emergency online teaching methods. Hence this review critically examines various assessment methods used in virtual mode. The focus of this paper employs the qualitative research approach, using convenient sampling to select and interview academics and students in higher education institutions.  A case study research design approach was applied, and data collected using focus-group and semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using the thematic analysis process. One of the significant issues the study found, reveals that the quality and integrity of assessments have been somewhat compromised. It transpired during data presentation that; students did cheat because they were not supervised. In solving the problem of online assessment dishonesty, it was recommended that implementation of online proctoring software programs be used as an effective tool to minimize academic dishonesty in online exams.

Keywords: Amidst, COVID-19-, Online Assessment, Reflecting, Students

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-10-06

Publication date:September 30th 2025