Vol. 2 (1) Jul. 2020

Article ID. JHSSR-1014-2020[1]

Future Assessment in Higher Education: Reframing Conventional Practices

Ramlee B. Mustapha

Abstract:

The role of universities in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is changing. New demands associated with living in a highly-technological and globally-competitive world require today’s students to develop non-conventional sets of competencies. In the 21^st century, universities are expected to have digital-savvy students. Hence, digital technology is being used to transform assessment and to provide feedback for students’ work. As such, the use of technology-enhanced assessment (TEA) is expected to increase. This article discusses the critical issues of assessment in higher education from varied perspectives. This review signifies critical synthesis of assessment corpus and envisages futuristic world of assessment. The intent is to provide practitioners with tangible alternatives to conventional assessment systems so that they are able to engage and produce more responsive learners. In the old paradigm, assessment in the classroom tends to collect cognitive data − both formative and summative ̶ to provide an indicator of each student’s achievement. In the future, digital technology could be used to individualize assessment for each student based on his or her own relevant learning trajectories. Thus, it is critical to rethink the concept of educational assessment in higher education.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2020.v2.n1.id1014.p19