Accra, July 09, GNA – Participants at a virtual workshop on Electronic Assessments (e-Assessments) have urged educational institutions to work towards ensuring the integrity of online examinations.
A statement issued by Laweh Open University College, Nungua, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said ingenious methods, including Open Book assessment, randomization of questions and answers, and oral examinations, otherwise described as Orex, could be used to curb copying and impersonation.
It noted that similarly, applications and tools such as block copy-pasting, identity check, proctoring, and plagiarism could all be used to build the integrity of e-Assessments to boost confidence in online examinations.
The statement said the workshop themed, “e-Assessment in Tertiary Education: A Pathway Project Follow-on Activity”, drew participants from universities in Ghana, The United Kingdom, Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mauritius.
It said the workshop focused on four areas – Assessment Integrity, Assessment Software and Technology, E-Assessment for Large Class Number, and Assessments for Practical Subjects.
It said the workshop was collaboratively organised by The Open University UK (OU) and the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE).
The statement said output from the workshop would inform the development of a new-assessment for open resources and training materials, which would be available to all relevant stakeholders in August 2021 to support teaching and learning.
It said, according to Pathway Project, “Ensuring good quality and rigorous assessment is critical in changing attitudes to online learning and extending the reach and access to quality education online.”
GNA