Abstract
COVID-19 has changed the way we teach. Today, we have become far more experienced in the delivery of distance education and use of online tools. However, the quality of distance education and learning outcomes have become a matter of ongoing debate. Just as higher education aims to develop high-level skills in its students, researchers are seeking ways to perform valid and reliable assessment in distance education. Institutions and educators are also in search of assessment tools that can help prevent instances of cheating and plagiarism. However, performance-based assessment tools may also offer options to measure both high-level skills and in limiting cheating behaviors. In this study, we used the take-home exam as a formative remote assessment tool as a local case in Turkey. We surveyed the views of 43 undergraduate students about the quality of take-home exams as a remote assessment tool. The results showed that participants had a high quality perception about the use of take-home exam, especially with regards to being kept informed about evaluation and scoring, rapid assessment, the provision of feedback, and consistency of scope between assessment and course content. Whereas students highly perceived the use of take-home exams, they reported more moderate views regarding take-home exams increasing the level of interaction with their peers. The results of this study suggest that the use of take-home exams is significantly preferred by higher education students, that it is a reliable and distinctive way to measure students’ academic performance, and may increase student-teacher interaction through its formative use.
Highlights
Measurement results produce “indicators” that can be used for different purposes in education
The purpose of the current study is to present an example of the take-home method used in higher education assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic using case study methodology, and to provide empirical evidence about how this method is perceived by students
Considering that the maximum score that can be obtained from the scale is 55, this value can be interpreted as an indicator of the students’ positive perception regarding the take-home exam method
Summary
Measurement results produce “indicators” that can be used for different purposes in education. These indicators form the basis for crucial individual decisions such as gaining entrance to a certain school or program of academic study, measuring successful completion of a program, achieving the course objectives or obtaining a certificate, and for social decisions such as the determination of educational policies. Most of these decisions are based on summative assessment (Knight, 2002). The importance of measurement results within education is indisputable in terms of determining the quality of education, enhancing academic output, and in making appropriate and necessary decisions
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