Critical-reflective paper exploring the topic of "Curriculum, Pedagogy, and e-Assessment":

 

I am a PGD STEAM Education student from Kathmandu University and we were introduced to various courses and “Designing e-assessment in education” happened to be one of it. This course was introduced in our second semester. Our course facilitator was Mr. Sushil Upreti. The main purpose behind introducing this course was to provide us with a thorough understanding of the idea of assessment in the digital age and the use of technological tools in an e-assessment setting.  According to Jordan (2013) “E-assessment takes a broad definition, including any use of a computer in assessment, whilst focusing on computer-marked assessment.” (p. 87). Definitely e-assessment is the term for the use of technology to evaluate students learning and developing technological skills amongst our learners. It is important in 21^st century because it has certain benefits over conventional assessment techniques. The main goal of this course was also to promote an understanding amongst educators the value of assessment in developing effective learning outcomes. It is the integration of technology in assessment. It is quite useful since it saves a lot of time of the teachers since we can design automated task, in which there is no hassle of correcting the answer sheets, preparing results since everything is auto generated. It is also convenient as compared to paper-based assessment.

                        Everything comes with certain pros and cons, even though e-assessment has a major advantage, but there are certain challenges posed at the same time like that of technical issues, not being able to select appropriate tool for assessment, lack of training to the teachers, accessibility to good internet connectivity, security concerns and plagiarism, which poses a major setback to e-assessment practice. The integration of technology has had a major effect on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment methods in today’s rapidly evolving learning environment. The way we plan and deliver teaching is completely different as a result of the development of e-assessment and other digital technologies. In this critical-reflective paper I have examined how curriculum, pedagogy and e-assessment are interlinked. E-assessment integration requires classes that may shift to work in dynamic online settings. I came to know about Mazumdar’s four stages of ICT integration i.e. Emerging, Applying, Infusing and Transforming. SAMR Framework was another learning in which I got the insight that it is a model that helps us to integrate technology into teaching and learning activities effectively. SAMR model provides a way to categorize how technology is used in education based on the level of transformation it brings to the learning process. SAMR stands for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition.

I got an opportunity to explore a wide range of learning resources through the specific learning pathways made possible by digital tools. As technology keeps spreading through every aspect of life, curriculum design should give the growth of digital literacy skills first priority. By easily integrating technology into the curriculum, we can provide students with the tools they need to successfully explore the digital world in an effective and appropriate manner. It can provide scope for interdisciplinary integration in learning. We can develop cross-curricular connections with the help of different usage of digital tools.

As stated by Larke (2016) “The use of ICT to support the iterative process of gathering and analysing information about student learning by teachers as well as learners and of evaluating it in relation to prior achievement and attainment of intended, as well as unintended learning outcomes. Thus e-assessments are built on traditional assessment techniques, but facilitated via online processes and digital tools.” (p. 67).  In some way Larke in his view is correct. Even though the main purpose of introducing e-assessment was to somehow do away with the conventional assessment practices, it’s only that the platform has changed but the questioning pattern remains the same, I happened to develop this perception about e-assessment when I was introduced to the SAMR model’s  first step i.e. Substitution. But that doesn’t mean that e-assessment is totally conventional, it depends on the ways we use it. It supports student-centered pedagogies, in which students actively participate in knowledge construction by actively getting engaged in online forums, interactive simulations fostering collaborative, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Since this course also focused on assessment, it would not sound appropriate if we had not been introduced to the different needs of assessment like Assessment of Learning  (AoL), Assessment for Learning (AfL) and Assessment as Learning (AaL). In our context prioritizing assessment kinds need to take into consideration the unique requirements and objectives of the educational requirement. Every assessment style has advantages of its own and various purposes. Assessment for Learning is concerned with giving students timely and helpful feedback during the learning process. Its main objective is to promote the development of each student by highlighting their strengths and areas for development. This type of evaluation usually aids in formative education. It includes exercises like peer reviews, informal questions, self-evaluations, and classroom observations. We take into account the following aspects when prioritizing assessment for learning:

·         The significance of continuing feedback and assistance for student learning.

·        Establishing an environment in the classroom that is supportive of progress.

·         Personalized teaching strategies that take into account the needs of each learner.

As part of assessment as learning, our students actively track their own educational development. They take stock of what they’ve learned, and use feedback to change and advance. This kind of evaluation encourages the development of meta cognitive abilities, self-control, and a greater comprehension of the learning process. Commonly utilized exercises include self-evaluations, goal planning, portfolios, and learning journals. This is largely practiced in the higher grades. We take into account the following elements when giving Assessment as Learning priority:

·         Encouraging student ownership of their learning.

·         Encouraging students to adopt a growth attitude.

Assessment of Learning is used to evaluate learning objectives and assess students performance. It presents a recap of what students have learned and usually takes place at the end of a unit, course, or academic year. This type of evaluation, including might include tests, exams, projects, and standardized tests, is frequently summative. We think about the following elements while determining assessment of learning priorities:

·         Fulfilling external specifications like curriculum standards or grading guidelines.

·         Offering a thorough assessment of students performance.

·        Ensuring accountability and showing stakeholders the students’ proficieny.

It’s important to prioritize various assessment methods in a way that is consistent with our educational objectives and ideals. While prioritizing Assessment for Learning and Assessment as Learning can improve student engagement, motivation, and growth, Assessment of Learning is still important for accountability and evaluation purposes. In order to assist student learning and growth, it is frequently advantageous to integrate all three types of evaluation into one comprehensive strategy. Even though I had the prior knowledge about different assessment models, I had not thought about how these models could be incorporated in e-assessment and this course provided that scope of showing the pathway of how it could be incorporated in the e-assessment framework.

From my own personal experience during the lockdown period I realized that digital platforms provide a variety of tools and materials which are suitable to different learning styles and abilities. Video tutorials and various other learning digital tools offer teachers to enable and modify their instructions effectively. In this course we also partly got the insight about Blended Learning Models. The integration of e-assessment has actually figured the path for blended learning approaches, combining physical class instruction with online components.

Well reflecting about my learning in this course, it all started with E-Learning Ecologies which provided a holistic view of e-learning like dealing with complex systems that are interrelated and interconnected components that support learning in digital environment. It also deals with diverse range of elements like technology tools, resources,  pedagogical approaches, policies  and social norms. Goals in E-Learning Ecology should be environment that is supportive, flexible and responsive to the needs of the learners and teachers. I came to know about two entirely unheard pedagogies – Didactic Pedagogy and Socratic Pedagogy. Didactic pedagogy is teacher-centered and is also known as traditional pedagogy. It is an approach that focuses the role of teacher as the main source of knowledge. As opposed to this approach is Socrative Pedagogy, which is also known as the Socratic method, it is an instructional approach which stresses on encouraging the learners to undergo the process of critical thinking, and inquiry through a series of questioning and discussion. In this approach, the teacher acts as a facilitator.

The session on “Features on E-Learning “ provided us with the gist that it can take place anywhere and at any given point of time, it leads to the making of active knowledge through the use of digital multimodal. It helps learners to develop collaborative intelligence and metacognition. It caters to the need of differentiated learning where learners have the choice to enhance their learning via different digital tools. All of this has been made possible due to the rapid advancement of technology. We also got to understand that how assignment and assessment go hand in hand. Assignment is a part of assessment. It is a tool to access. Assessment is an ongoing process. We explored and learnt to use various Google Apps and sharing features. Knowing about Chrome Extension was something new, even though I had heard about it but had not explored it earlier. Through chrome extension, we tried to understand the feature of “Beep” which is mostly used for audio comment.

The most exciting part of the course was E-Certificate Creation. We figured out to design a certificate using the templates provided in Canva and the process of auto generating digital certificates for multiple persons in the simplest manner. We were also engaged in various collaborative tasks which really helped us to learn the art of working in team and the ways of contributing for the success of the team. Sangeeta Chettri ma’am and myself also gave a presentation on the topic “Assessing Collaboration and Teamwork in STEAM Education through E-Assessment.” This presentation really helped me and my partner to figure out the benefits and challenges of online teamwork, assessment task design, group setting, tips for designing online activities, teamwork assessment and rubric design.  Through other group presentation on various topics also helped me to understand and better my insights on different aspects of: “Why & How ICT in Education” and ”Digital Pedagogoy.”

            We also got an opportunity to explore various digital tools in this course, which will definitely help us to enhance our digital literacy skills and at the same time would also help in designing e-assessment plan. Some of the tools that we explored are mentioned below:

·                     www.explainpaper.com

·                     Qr-code-generator.com

·                     Slidesmania.com

·                     Slidescarnival.com

·                     Badge.design

·                     Canva.com

·                     Flippity.net

·                     Bookcreator.com

 

Another most interesting thing that I learnt from this course was to create a hyper doc, again something new for me. It is an interactive digital document which contains various multimedia elements like images, text, web links, audio-video contents, etc. We learnt to create hyper doc through Google Docs. It would help the teachers to create multimodal learning content as it would integrate various multimedia elements. It could be a teaching tool which the teachers can actually use it to design flipped classroom resources.

 

In conclusion I would like to mention that as technology continues to shape education, the interconnection between curriculum, pedagogy and e-assessment has become increasingly significant. Embracing e-assessment opens up new possibilities for personalized learning, student engagement and data-driven instruction. However, it is also necessary to figure this digital world carefully, ensuring that pedagogical principles and the integrity of the curriculum remain at the forefront. By setting certain level of liberty the potential of e-assessment can be practiced by upholding sound educational practices. We can empower learners in their educational journey, preparing them for the demands of a digital future. I am thankful to the STEAM department for incorporating such type of courses which would help us better understand the integration of technology in educational teaching practices.

 

References

 

Jordan, S. (2013). E-assessment: Past, present and future. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, (9), 87-106.

De Villiers, R., Scott-Kennel, J., & Larke, R. (2016). Principles of effective e-assessment: A proposed framework. Journal of International Business Education, 11, 65-92.