EMERGENCY-REMOTE ASSESSMENT PRACTICES FOR QUALITY ONLINE EDUCATION AT TRADITIONAL CONTACT UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The pandemic forced many universities to swiftly move online. A surge in student plagiarism was observed and needed to be circumvented. This work showcases assessment practices which lessen plagiarism amongst first-years in biology within a South African university. Our CoP (Pyrko et al., 2017), which included lecture staff, discussed experiences which enabled quality online assessment during remote learning. This presentation provides examples of assessment practices which assess at higher-order cognitive levels, and alleviate plagiarism, on the virtual, online environment. Recommendations include the provision of assessments which allow the students to express their views as this encourages students to use their words rather than ‘cut-and-paste’. One could include topical issues/challenges, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic. Longer assessments can be segmented into incremental tasks. Students can receive the assessment question at the start of the course and build towards their response as they cover topics. Lecturers could provide a choice of questions that incorporate their cultural or social experience, or students could be asked to write from a particular role, e.g. a scientist. Avoidance of plagiarism on online assessments is fundamental to providing a quality learning experience. Under current pandemic times online learning will continue, this work illustrates how quality assessment can continue also. REFERENCE Pyrko, I., Dorfler, V., & Eden, C. (2017). Thinking together: ¨What makes communities of practice work? Human Relations, 70, 389–409.