Intellectual Outputs - Remote EDU

This evaluation study aimed at exploring, analysing and reporting the perceptions of higher education instructors, students and administrators (stakeholders) about online assessment within the partner institutions.

The study was based on surveys that were developed upon the theoretical framework for online assessment developed in the project (IO1).

The results of this IO were the basis for the development of the self-guidance tool for online assessment (IO3) and of the open professional development course for online assessment (IO5). On the other hand, the results were disseminated through the different partners' multiplier events, an online panel discussion and several conference presentations (see below) that aimed at raising awareness on the current situation from the stakeholders’s perspectives based on the large-scale institutional exposure to online assessment following the emergency remote teaching situation during the Covid-19.

Supplementary material IO2: Questionnaires' templates at zenodo

For the third intellectual output, the aim was to develop an interactive Q&A-tool that responds to the needs of Higher Education Instructors and proposes and defines best suited online assessment methods. The final results comprise (1) an interactive self-guidance tool that guides instructors through the decision-making process on what online assessment method matches their pedagogical intention and setting. Aspects covered in the tool are the purpose/modality of the online assessment (formative/summative), learning objectives (Bloom’s Taxonomy Level), size of the student cohort and type of assessment (oral, other like written/multimedia).  In total, the tool covers 13 online assessment methods, including less commonly used methods such as simulation, case study and E-portfolio as well as possibilities for student empowerment (self- and peer-assessment). Furthermore (2), the recommended online assessment methods that result from answering the questions in the tool are defined, and a detailed overview of each online assessment method is provided (including suggestions for implementation, handling fraud and practice examples). Lastly, (3) a comprehensive Checklist was developed that can be used as general guidance for the organisational and technical implementation of the selected online assessment method(s). To ensure the quality criteria fairness and transparency, the aspects of inclusion and communication with students are included, too. The checklist addresses overarching issues that may be considered before and during the implementation and differentiates between formative and summative online assessment (remote and/or on campus).

All IO3 elements are also available in Spanish and can be accessed as stand-alone elements via the remote.EDU webpage and are integrated part of the remote.EDU Open Online Course (IO5).

The IO3 report can be accessed on zenodo: https://zenodo.org/record/7817359

In recent years, virtual mobility has become a key strategic theme in the European Higher Education Area, e.g. with the promotion of university networks that aim to facilitate virtual exchanges. These strategic advances build on decades of projects on this concept as a means of broadening internationalisation in education, taking advantage of the technical possibilities offered by digitalisation. Within the Remote.EDU project, virtual mobility was defined as “the set of ICT supported activities, organised at institutional level, that realise or facilitate international, collaborative experiences in a context of teaching and/or learning” (European Commission, 2021).

Online assessment also has particular significance for European collaboration in education. In IO4, we therefore looked at the needs for online assessment within the context of virtual mobility. The innovation in this output was twofold: (i) the reflection on assessment in virtual mobility through the focus of both learner skills and experiential learning and (ii) the creation of a design-supporting instrument that combines the needs of assessment and of virtual mobility. The primary aim hereby was to create an instrument that can support instructor(s), instructor teams and educational support staff in the decision-making and the design of appropriate (online) assessment in a virtual mobility or international context. The developed instrument is a reflective step-by-step guide that is aimed at orienting in choosing an appropriate assessment method in the online assessment design for learner skills in virtual mobility. Such an instrument is expected to be of interest to the growing number of institutions and instructors interested in the concepts of virtual mobility across Europe and worldwide.

The IO4 report is available on zenodo: https://zenodo.org/record/7881053#.ZE6TL7ritPY

The open online course that is developed in Remote.EDU meets the current and presently growing need of providing pedagogically sound concepts for developing online assessments in higher education and offering means of exchange within the community. The main objectives of the course are to empower and professionalise higher education instructors in designing and implementing online assessment practices and choosing online assessment methods and tools. In addition, this course gives insights into how to assess internationally online where to benefit from focusing on specific learner skills in designing for an international context. The content, available in English, is conceptualised for both beginners and people with prior experience in online assessment. This diversity in experience is addressed through a general introductory module on assessment practice in general (module 1) and excursus/knowledge deepening options at various points in the course. The course is designed to inspire and support the participant’s knowledge deepening process through concrete practice examples, field reports/video interviews with 13 experts, as well as interactive tasks in addition to theoretical and empirical knowledge. Additionally, formative self-checks are distributed throughout the online course to support the participant’s learning process.

The online course is fully only and designed for self-paced asnychrony study (without live sessions or fixed learning perios) with an approximate workload of 6hours. Being open to the public and fully online, the course helps to generate knowledge beyond borders. With CC-BY-SA 4.0 international licence, the content and most videos can be transferred into professional development offerings at institutions and other contexts (incl. modifications).

Access to the online course after registration on the FAU MOOC-Platform: https://mooc.ili.eu