How to get started with online assessment
We give you 7 tips to get you started with online assessment.
How to get started with online assessment
Research
Do proper market research. Visit different vendors’ websites, subscribe to demos and webinars, and compare functionality, design, and customer cases, before you start sketching your requirements. Make sure to contact institutions similar to your own and ask them about how they have handled the transition to online assessment. Engage in local or national IT networks, and join the discussion.
Framework agreements
Investigate if a framework agreement is available. A tendering process can be complicated and could cut into your resources. Framework agreements save you the time and cost of a sourcing process, as they remove the need to renegotiate standard terms and conditions.
Piloting
Consider running a pilot project. A pilot project helps to trial the different processes in a controlled and managed environment, and is a good way to reduce risks. Use the lessons learned from these early-stage trials to inform and direct the strategy for wider adoption of digital examinations.
Why digital?
Identify why you are switching to online assessment. Defining the project background is integral in both aligning the implementation strategy and gaining support from your stakeholders. Benchmarking the benefits and readiness of the organisation against a digitalisation of exams processes should be essential to your pilot project.
Platforms
Consider your device strategy. Should your institution adopt a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy or invest in computer labs? The devices students will use to sit their exams should be established early on. With an increase in remote exams, BYOD holds many advantages over onsite setups.
Involvement
Involve all stakeholders from the start. Bringing the right people together right from the beginning of your online assessment project may be crucial to your success. Communicating the benefits and implications of online assessments is important when setting up your team.
Change management
Implementing digital assessment is essentially about people, not technology. Your e-assessment project should be recognised as a business-critical change management process. Make sure that the project is anchored within the management of your organisation. Engage your stakeholders and motivate them through change with ongoing communication, well-planned awareness activities, and regular reporting.