Table 3 Students’ Self-reported perceptions of online assessment practices during COVID-19
Question | Response (n = 547) |
|---|---|
(1) There was a change in assessment practices in one or more subjects | |
Yes | 64.8% |
No | 9.2% |
Some | 19.7% |
Don’t know | 6% |
(2) If there was a change in assessment practices, the nature of this change wasa | |
Change in grade division only | 88.5% |
Change from paper-based to Computer Based Tests (CBTs) | 60.8% |
Change in the nature of assessment itself | 42.7% |
No noticeable change | 3.6% |
(3) If there was a change in assessment practices, as a student, I felt that it was | |
In my favor and lightened the workload | 18% |
In my favor, but increased the workload | 41.2% |
Not in my favor, as workload increased & grades affected negatively | 30.7% |
Neutral/ no opinion | 10% |
(4) If there were practical subjects (such as labs, studios, etc.) the assessment was | |
Fully theoretical via homework & quizzes | 29.6 |
Practical via virtual classrooms/ online | 28.5 |
Cancelled/ postponed | 7.7 |
Had no practical subjects | 30.9% |
Other (open-ended) | 3.3% |
(5) Subjects requiring direct interaction between student & teacher (such as speaking/ reading in language learning), the assessment was | |
Carried out synchronously/ Online via Blackboard®, Zoom, etc. | 48.7% |
Cancelled/ replaced | 10.6% |
I didn’t have any such subjects this term | 40.8% |
(6) Regarding online assessment (synchronous and asynchronous), my opinion of it was | |
Better because I was home and felt comfortable (less stressed than exam hall) | 45.2% |
Worse because of distractions, unlike in an orderly exam hall | 23.2% |
Worse because of technical issues at home (devices and internet) | 17.7% |
Worse because of my lacking technical skills or knowledge | 11% |
No difference | 11.9% |
(7) I felt that student assessment practices during the crisis, compared to pre-crisis, were | |
More lenient with students | 30.8% |
Stricter with students | 33.8% |
No difference | 14.1% |
Not sure/ I don’t now | 16.5% |
My first semester, so I cannot compare | 4.8% |
(8) In my opinion, the best solution to assessment during the crisis was to | |
Use semester 1 grades | 12.1% |
Continue with the same grade division (of the MoE) | 31.3% |
Not count semester 2 in the GPA, just get pass or fail | 23.2% |
No opinion | 23.2% |
Other (open-ended) | 10.2% |
(9) Personally, I found the changes to assessment practices during the crisis | |
Positive and will improve my GPA | 45.5% |
Negative and will lower my GPA | 16% |
No change to my GPA | 13% |
I’m not sure yet | 25.6% |
(10) The new assessment practices (online) had a psychological effect on me as a student | |
Negative effect (anxiety/ fear of tests) | 56.8% |
Positive (no anxiety/ fear of tests) | 25.6% |
No noticeable effect | 17.7% |
(11) There were ample opportunities for cheating on exams this semester | |
Yes | 20.9% |
No | 48.1% |
Not many | 31% |
(12) When it came to cheating online, I | |
Cheated in all assessments | 3.4% |
Cheated in some assessments | 15% |
Cheated in one assessment only | 16.1% |
Didn’t cheat in any assessment | 65.5% |
(13) If I cheated, it was because of (n = 217) | |
Ease of cheating online | 18.9% |
Difficulty of understanding lessons online | 20.3% |
No time to study | 6.4% |
Not in the mood to study | 3.2% |
Fear of failing subjects | 10.6% |
General anxiety of situation | 18% |
Other (open-ended) | 12.9% |
(14) In my opinion, the most common method of cheating among students was | |
27.4% | |
Internet | 6% |
Phone | 1.6% |
Identity impersonation | 3.1% |
I don’t know | 57% |
Other (open-ended) | 4.9% |
(15) Finally: in general, the online learning experience at KAU during the covid19 crisis/ lockdown was in my opinion | |
Successful overall despite the challenges | 47% |
Unsuccessful despite some positives | 11.9% |
Equally positive and negative | 32.7% |
No opinion | 4.7% |
Other (open-ended) | 3.7% |