Perspective Chapter: Perspectives on the Emergency Remote Assessment during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The unprecedented health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic put on hold traditional educational practices. Emergency remote teaching was adopted as a response, with various degrees of success and satisfaction around the globe. This perspective chapter focuses on the remote emergency assessment as a measure to ensure the completion of the educational cycle for students caught in the 2020 crisis, after debates around the relevance and soundness of such activities both for students, and for society at large. Some voices enthusiastically champion the technological innovation and point to the benefits brought by the computer-assisted assessment, while others warn against the ‘one-size-fit-all’ approach and insist that the emergency measures need a careful examination and, although lessons can be taken away from the situation, the traditional patterns should be kept in place.

Emergency remote assessment practices in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa during COVID-19

“…In contrast, other studies found that through computer-assisted assessment technologies, students were able to actively participate in the assessment process during emergency remote learning (Cernicova-Buca, 2021;Seraj et al, 2022). Given that teachers in this study had limited technologically assisted assessment resources, it is not surprising that they were unable to engage students in a way that fosters students' metacognitive abilities and allows them to monitor their own learning.…”

“…The need to involve students in remote assessment has been confirmed by Cernicova-Buca (2021) and Seraj et al (2022). Cervicova-Buca, in his research, emphasized the use of computerassisted assessment technologies that encourage student self-and peer assessment.…”