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Introduction
Modern-day learning institutions have become more complex in terms of developing their educational facilities and infrastructure. Before, the school setting was restrained to having a physical class with chairs and tables. Most of the learning activities were undertaken in a classroom in front of the students, and assessment processes were conducted in class with paper and pen assessments. Considering that technology has advanced very fast and has impacted every facet of life, including learning, ICT should be incorporated into classrooms to enhance teaching and assessment practices. Particularly, for assessments, ICT can be used to support assessment processes in many ways. Technology can be used as an avenue for assessing, and grading the tests done by students utilizing automated grading software, and as a medium for undertaking assessment tests. This trend is seen as a new technique of gauging academic outcomes and is commonly called technology-based assessment. According to Pillai et al. (2021), the current developments in ICT are changing student assessments in a way that is forcing stakeholders in education to change the techniques, logic, and means of testing. Additionally, Pinchuk et al. (2019) state that using ICT to support classroom assessments is undertaken by transforming the traditional assessment methods into digital formats. For instance, computer-based surveys, quizzes, and testing can also be utilized in assessing high-order educational outcomes.
This paper evaluates the concept of ICT-based assessments and their functions in education. It is believed that it can make assessments in classrooms more effective and beneficial in the future.
Objectives
- To evaluate the impact of using ICT in assessing students on teachers and students
- To determine the negative and positive aspects of utilizing ICT-based assessments
- To provide recommendations based on the findings
Research Questions
- What role does ICT play in enhancing student assessments?
- What are the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards the use of ICT in classroom assessments?
- What are the factors that encourage the utilization of ICT in enhancing assessment processes?
Literature Review
Today, technology has become a medium for passing on knowledge in most nations. It has transformed societies in a way that has changed how people live, work, and think (Pinchuk et al., 2019). Education has not been left out in this transformation. Schools, which are obligated to prepare learners to live in today’s society, should consider integrating ICT into their programs… Integrating ICT in classrooms means using computer-based systems in everyday classroom instruction and assessment processes. Along with equipping students with the skills needed in today’s world, educators are considered key players in integrating ICT into their regular classrooms. That is because of the potential of ICT in delivering vigorous and positive learning and assessment environment (Fonseca et al., 2017). While the objective of integrating ICT in classroom assessments is to enhance the accessibility and quality of the delivery of tests to students, it also equips students with skills to cope with the challenges of today’s globalization (Haseeb et al., 2019). Quality education requires quality assessments. Ozdemir-Yilmazer & Ozkan (2017) define assessment as the procedure used to make judgments about students; schools, programs, and curricula; and academic policy. Teachers should utilize several information sources to assess the accomplishments of their students.
ICT can support assessment processes in various ways. It can also aid in summative and formative assessment. According to Kılıçaslan & Töngür (2019), modern-day employers consider individuals with ICT expertise to be better. ICT is also regarded as a necessity for social involvement in the workplace and community since it is now considered the same as literacy. Additionally, the integration of ICT in classroom assessments is beneficial in that it leads to enhanced involvement of parents in the educational progress of their children and improved interactive commitment of learning institutions in society.
Students who use ICT in undertaking and completing their assessment tests become more conversant with ICT (Suleiman et al., 2020). The current problems in academic assessment can be recognized by communicating with professionals through ICT-based tools. Since student assessment is part of learning and teaching, it can also be extended and improved using ICT to provide various assessment requirements. ICT helps instructors in assessing the achievements of their children by grading tests and analyzing the assignment results. It is often utilized for questionnaires, quizzes, and exam-type assessments. ICT can also help instructors in conducting assessments in situations where a professional decision is necessitated. According to (Saravanakumar, 2018), integrating ICT in classroom assessments helps in reducing the hectic task of marking tests, such as computing marks and documenting y hand. Consequently, teachers can use more time developing quality responses, reflections, and balancing students.
ICT is not only utilized to assess tasks; it can also be used to formulate and undertake assignments (Suleiman et al., 2020). Basically, the utilization of ICT in assessing students can either be done in either offline or online settings. Some examples of online assessment tools include quiz creation platforms such as QuizStar, rubric software such as Rubi Star, internet assessment systems such as ExamBuilder, Quia, and survey tools such as Survey Gizmo and Survey Monkey. These systems are utilized to generate assignments such as matching, true or false, essay, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank types of tasks in online settings. For offline assessments, questions can be developed using various software, such as the Adobe Dreamweaver. This software cans create questions offline and generate the grades.
It is crucial for teachers devoted to utilizing ICT to assess students to know these tools and understand how they are used (Alt, 2018). Integrating ICT in education requires implementing the right usage of technology in the various areas that involve complex skills and concepts to enhance students’ accomplishments. Also, teachers need to review the curriculum to ensure that the integration of ICT primarily focuses on achieving the goals and objectives of the curriculum (Hatlevik & Hatlevik, 2018). Governments have been investing a lot of money to integrate ICT in schools. Regardless of these efforts, most countries undergoing the same problem of teachers are not making the most out of the technology granted (Rajabion et al., 2019). That has become a serious issue because studies have shown that using ICT in student assessments could enhance student accomplishments.
Many scholars have tried to evaluate the factors that affect the acceptance of ICT usage by instructors (Joo et al., 2018). They have found that the primary obstacle to implementing ICT in education is teachers’ perceptions, as they are the ones who implement change in their assessment process. According to Lawrence & Tar (2018), teachers have a crucial role in ensuring the effective use of ICT in classroom assessments to enhance students’ thinking skills, creativity, and achievements. Teachers will need to change from being instructors to being facilitators, coaches, and creators of ICT-based learning and assessments (Martin et al., 2019). They require new skills to be able to implement the use of ICT in assessments.
Methodology
This study used a quantitative method for data collection and analysis. The researchers created a questionnaire and distributed it to 5 teachers from public schools in the US. Therefore, questionnaires were randomly distributed to teachers regardless of their teaching experience, race, and gender. Researchers set no limitations provided the respondents had a teaching experience, especially in the US. The questionnaire had four sections: demographics, teachers’ perception of ICT in assessment, the effectiveness of integration in assessing students, and the effective tools of ICT integration in student assessments. The data was analyzed using SPSS. The researchers utilized descriptive analysis to investigate the percentage and frequency of the general population in the demographic setting.
Findings/Results
The results of this study provide the information required by the researchers to address the research questions. The findings were done based on the questionnaire and some descriptive statistics. Here is a summary of the results:
Table 1: Demographics of Participants
Based on gender, there were 4 (80%) males and 1 (20%) female from the total population of the research respondents. Based on race, the greatest frequency of respondents is Whites, with 3 (60%), and the other 2 (40%) are blacks. In terms of teaching experience, 2 (40 %) of the respondents have 1-5 years, 2 (40%) have 6-10 years, and 1 (20%) have more than 10 years. Based on the location of the schools, 2 (40%) teachers came from schools in rural areas, and 3 (60%) came from schools in urban areas. 4 (80%) of the respondents prefer a modern teaching style that uses ICT while the other 1 (20%) prefers the traditional teaching style. Based on educational attainment, 3 (60%) of the teachers had degrees, 1 (20%) had a KPLI, and 1 (20%) had a diploma. In terms of the capacity to use ICT in assessments, 3 (60%) respondents had average skills, 1 (20%) was highly skilled, and 1 (20%) had low skills.
Table 2: Teacher’s Perception on ICT-Based Assessments
The above data shows that most teachers understand the usefulness and goodness of ICT in assessing students. Most teachers realized that using ICT helps them get more time to better manage their students. However, most teachers also believe that they can undertake effective student assessments even without ICT. Also, most teachers agree that using ICT will provide more opportunities for effective learning. That shows that educators consider the utilization of ICT in assessing students as positive as ICT is the help required by teachers to enhance the effectiveness of the learning and assessment process. The competency and familiarity of teachers in handling ICT also show that teachers feel confident learning new ICT skills. On the other hand, all teachers disagree that using ICT in assessments is a waste of time. Also, most teachers disagree that students conduct tests more effectively without the help of ICT. Most teachers also disagree that students are less attentive when ICT is utilized in assessments.
Table 3: The Effectiveness of Integration in Assessing Students
The results acquired from table 3 show that using ICT in classroom assessments promotes learning and assessments as most of the teachers agree on the effectiveness of technology-based assessments. On nine questions, four teachers agree on the effectiveness of ICT-based assessments. Still, three teachers agree that students are under control and more behaved when using ICT on the remaining question. That shows that ICT-based assessments are effective for both teachers and students.
Table 4: Effective Tools of ICT Integration in Student Assessments
The results in this part show the least score mean of 1.25 in seven questions out of ten, with teachers showing that they face various challenges in accessing and using the ICT infrastructure in their schools. The worst finding indicates that teachers are not allowed sufficient time to learn and understand how to use ICT in assessments. It would be best if teachers are given enough time to learn and familiarize themselves with ICT tools for them to make the best use of them.
Discussion
The study results show that ICT-based assessments are more effective when compared to traditional assessment methods. That is because utilizing ICT makes the classroom environment more effective and interesting for both students and teachers. The findings also show that teachers prefer using ICT in assessments as students are more focused and well-behaved. Additionally, this study attested that students learn more effectively with ICT tools as lessons are designed to be more interesting and engaging. Thus, the respondents agreed that integrating ICT in classroom assessments can enhance student learning. However, teachers cite problems with the effective integration of ICT in schools because they lack the support, they need to ensure that they are well-versed and comfortable with the technologies. They cited the lack of sufficient support from ICT technicians and the school’s top management. Professional development and training are not sufficiently provided for teachers, and the computer labs are not in good condition to ensure student learning about ICT. That corresponds with the Gil-Flores et al. study that says that the current integration of ICT in schools today is faced with both infrastructural and professional development and training problems.
Conclusion
ICT implementation in classroom assessments must be effective to ensure that both the teachers and students make the best use of it. Therefore, the integration of ICT-based assessment in schools must begin with the right implementation and support from the top managers of the school. If ICT is implemented appropriately from the initial stages and continuous support and maintenance are provided, it can result in great success and benefits for both students and teachers. The utilization of ICT, especially in assessments, involves practical skills rather than theory.
Recommendations
There is a need for in-depth research on the integration of ICT in the assessment of core subjects. It would be good if further research can be done based on the barriers educators are facing in utilizing ICT in their everyday classrooms. Also, rather than only focusing on public schools, this research can be extended to private schools. That is because these schools might have the required funds to make ICT integration much easier and faster. It is also highly recommended that researchers could compare the implementation of ICT-based assessments in private and public schools. Private schools tend to allow students to bring their gadgets to school, which can help implement learning and assessment using ICT. It would also be helpful to compare the effectiveness of ICT integration in private and public schools.
References
Alt, D. (2018). Science teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning, ICT efficacy, ICT professional development and ICT practices enacted in their classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73, 141-150. Web.
Fonseca, D., Villagrasa, S., Navarro, I., Redondo, E., Valls, F., Llorca, J.,… & Calvo, X. (2017). Student motivation assessment using and learning virtual and gamified urban environments. In Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality (pp. 1-7).
Gil-Flores, J., Rodríguez-Santero, J., & Torres-Gordillo, J. J. (2017). Factors that explain the use of ICT in secondary-education classrooms: The role of teacher characteristics and school infrastructure. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 441-449. Web.
Haseeb, A., Xia, E., Saud, S., Ahmad, A., & Khurshid, H. (2019). Does information and communication technologies improve environmental quality in the era of globalization? An empirical analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(9), 8594-8608. Web.
Hatlevik, I. K., & Hatlevik, O. E. (2018). Students’ evaluation of digital information: The role teachers play and factors that influence variability in teacher behaviour. Computers in Human Behavior, 83, 56-63. Web.
Joo, Y. J., Park, S., & Lim, E. (2018). Factors influencing preservice teachers’ intention to use technology: TPACK, teacher self-efficacy, and technology acceptance model. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(3), 48-59. Web.
Kılıçaslan, Y., & Töngür, Ü. (2019). ICT and employment generation: evidence from Turkish manufacturing. Applied Economics Letters, 26(13), 1053-1057. Web.
Lawrence, J. E., & Tar, U. A. (2018). Factors that influence teachers’ adoption and integration of ICT in teaching/learning process.Educational Media International, 55(1), 79-105. Web.
Özdemir-Yılmazer, M. & Özkan, Y. (2017). Speaking assessment perceptions and practices of English teachers at tertiary level in the Turkish context. Language Learning in Higher Education, 7(2), 371-391. Web.
Pillai, K. R., Upadhyaya, P., Prakash, A. V., Ramaprasad, B. S., Mukesh, H. V., & Pai, Y. (2021). End-user satisfaction of technology-enabled assessment in higher education: A coping theory perspective.Education and Information Technologies, 1-22. Web.
Pinchuk, O. P., Sokolyuk, O. M., Burov, O. Y., & Shyshkina, M. P. (2019). Digital transformation of learning environment: aspect of cognitive activity of students.
Rajabion, L., Wakil, K., Badfar, A., Naeini, S. M., & Zareie, B. (2019). A new model for assessing the impact of ICT and digital knowledge on students’ thoughts and beliefs.Journal of Engineering, Design, and Technology, 17(5), 943-959. Web.
Saravanakumar, A. R. (2018). Role of ICT on Enhancing Quality of Education.International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 3(12), 2456-2165. Web.
Suleiman, M. M. M., Zakari, I. G., Sani, S. H. I. T. U., & Ukashatu, A. (2020). Role of ICT for Authentic Assessment in Higher Education. Tathapi Journal UGC Care, 19(38), 128-36. Web.
Martin, F., Ritzhaupt, A., Kumar, S., & Budhrani, K. (2019). Award-winning faculty online teaching practices: Course design, assessment and evaluation, and facilitation. The Internet and Higher Education, 42, 34-43. Web.
Appendices
Questionnaire for Teachers
Please choose the choice you have made by ticking (√) your answer in the space that corresponds to your choice.
Your personal information will be considered confidential and will not be published in this paper.
Section 2: Teacher’s Perception on ICT-Based Assessments
Section 3: The Effectiveness of Integration in Assessing Students
Section 4: Effective Tools of ICT Integration in Student Assessments
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