Education Technology Services

Transforming learning through digital assessment

Boosted by the pandemic, the wave of digitisation has pervaded all spheres of life. In such a scenario, globalisation and digital technologies are increasingly altering the educational landscape, profoundly impacting learning. The focus of education is shifting from cramming up study material to indulging in critical thinking. In line with the change, accurate assessments, engaging experience, better security, and higher flexibility have emerged as significant advantages of digital assessment.

Digital assessment and its benefits

Digital assessment is defined as the delivery of assessments, exams, surveys, and evaluations of learning outcomes using digital devices and the internet or intranet.[1] The fundamental purpose of online assessment methods is to administer evaluations and provide feedback as quickly, conveniently, and accurately as feasible. Digital assessment tools provide better insights into students’ learning outcomes and help institutions take appropriate decisions on their methods and means. Here are a few benefits of online assessment methods for educators:

• Security:

  Digital assessments are more secure than paper-based assessments as institutions secure the files before and after the exam. Even in paper-based exams, digital assessment tools like e-marking can protect the results. Moreover, assessments in online learning are fully traceable with remote proctoring and time-bound tests, which ensure a secure environment and prevent breaches.[2]

• Flexibility:

  Digital assessment allows educators to create and design new modules, mark papers anytime and anywhere, and use various assessment methods for summative and formative evaluation. Online assessment tools help teachers and institutions to offer better assessment experiences.

• Integration with other technologies:

  Digital assessment systems can be integrated with other tech processes and workflows in an organisation, such as student information systems, administrative structure, and learning management systems. The integration helps keep data centralised and easily accessible to all departments. Moreover, faculty members can easily store, manage, and retrieve the data.

• Time efficiency:

  Online assessment tools make designing, managing and evaluating assessments faster. Routine tasks can be automated, and intelligent exam software can digitise evaluation. Proctoring services make manual invigilation obsolete and save precious time. Automated item generation, item banking, test creation, and publishing make digital assessment a time-saving advantage for educators.

• Data analysis:

  The data available from digital assessments is a storehouse of performance information for both the students and the teachers. Digital assessment tools allow data analysis to derive valuable, actionable insights, which can drive improvement. Real-time data on examiners’ performance and adaptive comparative judgement of learners enable institutions to tweak processes, share best practices, and introduce improvements faster.

How digital assessments benefit students?

The benefits of digital assessment to educators, in turn, benefit the system. The different approaches to assessment may change the degree of convenience for educators as well as for students. Here’s how an online assessment system benefits students:

• Equity and accessibility:

  Digital assessment delivers equity as the process ensures fairness, accessibility, and accuracy in marking and grading. It reduces the bias as the details of the learners are anonymised. Appearing remotely for tests breaks geographical and social barriers. Computer-based exams provide a level playing field for special needs students through accessibility software.

• Flexibility:

  The flexibility of e-learning from anywhere at any time also extends to digital assessments. Candidates have the freedom to complete tests as and when they best can, thus minimising disruptions and travel costs.

• Well-being:

  Online assessment methods reduce exam anxiety and stress. The flexibility of digital assessment lets candidates appear for the test at a time when they are prepared instead of on pre-specified dates. Moreover, by using remote proctoring, students can appear for examinations in comfortable environments.

• Personalised learning:

  Real-time assessments and individual feedback help students absorb knowledge faster, as well as boost their confidence.

• Faster feedback:

  With autoscoring, candidates get instant feedback on their tests. This saves time and allows students to act on performance improvements faster. Online assessment tools expedite detailed teacher feedback using the reporting functions embedded in the systems.

For organisations on the digital transformation journey, agility is key in responding to a rapidly changing technology and business landscape. Now more than ever, it is crucial to deliver and exceed organisational expectations with a robust digital mindset backed by innovation. Enabling businesses to sense, learn, respond, and evolve like living organisms will be imperative for business excellence. A comprehensive yet modular suite of services is doing precisely that. Equipping organisations with intuitive decision-making automatically at scale, actionable insights based on real-time solutions, anytime/anywhere experience, and in-depth data visibility across functions leading to hyper-productivity, Live Enterprise is building connected organisations that are innovating collaboratively for the future.

How can Infosys BPM help?

Infosys BPM offers AI-powered Intelligent Assessment Services, Smart Virtual Event Hosting Services, Gamification Services, Enterprise Services, and Learner Segmentation & Recommendation Services for a complete online assessment solution.