Online Formative Assessment in Higher Education: Bibliometric Analysis

Natalia E Sudakova,Tatyana N Savina,Sergei P Zhdanov,Lyudmila G Karandeeva,Mikhail N Mikhaylovsky,Alfiya R Masalimova

doi:10.3390/educsci12030209

Abstract

Assessment is critical in postsecondary education, as it is at all levels. Assessments are classified into four types: diagnostic, summative, evaluative, and formative. Recent trends in assessment have migrated away from summative to formative evaluations. Formative evaluations help students develop expertise and concentrate their schedules, ease student anxiety, instill a feeling of ownership in students as they go, and confirm the module’s subject notion. Online formative assessment (OFA) emerged as a result of the convergence of formative and computer-assisted assessment research. Bibliometric analyses provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of a study topic across a particular time period. We used a PRISMA-compliant bibliometric method. The Scopus database was searched for BibTex-formatted publication data. In total, 898 studies were analyzed. According to the results, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education and Computers & Education are the most influential sources. RWTH Aachen University and Universitat Oberta De Catalunya are the most effective institutions. The red cluster includes terms associated with higher education and evaluation. The word “e-assessment, e-learning, assessment, moodle” appears in the green cluster. This group is quite influential yet has a low centrality. The highest percentage is 79.2 for “online assessment”. The subject is comprised of three components: “distance learning”, “accessibility”, and “assessment design”. The most important topics were “e-assessment”, “higher education”, and “online learning”. According to the country participation network, the USA and UK were the two main centers.

Highlights

This study aimed to conduct scientific mapping and bibliometric analysis related to the studies on the use of Online formative assessment (OFA) in higher education
We employed a bibliometric technique that adhered to the PRISMA guidelines [37]
An online search was performed on the Scopus database website. “online formative”, “e-assessment”, and “higher education” were chosen as search keywords

Summary

Introduction

It is perceived as an issue because assessment is defined differently for different procedures and purposes [1] it is self-evident that assessment has a substantial impact on learning. There are four types of assessments: diagnostic; summative; evaluative; and formative. For the purpose of providing students with feedback that might help them learn and teach better, formative assessment is utilized [5]. During the development of teaching, formative assessment can be referred to as assessment for learning [6–9]. There is no doubt that formative assessment has its advantages, and studies have demonstrated that these methods help students attain higher academic goals [10–12]. Recent assessment trends have shifted away from summative assessments, in which students’ achievements are checked, and toward formative assessments, in which the assessment is utilized for learning and used in learning [13]. Formative assessment is a type of assessment used to provide students with feedback while they are learning and to enhance the curriculum and teaching techniques [7,14]

Objectives

Methods

Results