Carol Hernandez, Senior Instructional Designer

Online assessment is an equity issue. Right now, the majority of us are doing some, if not all, of our teaching and learning online while at the same time, all of us are living through a global pandemic. But we are not all facing the same barriers. COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting people in low income groups and those who are members of racial and ethnic minorities (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). In addition to facing an increased risk of becoming ill, and experiencing job, food, and housing insecurities, these circumstances have also exacerbated the digital divide–the gap in technology and internet access that already existed between wealthy and poor households (Ramsetty & Adams, 2020).

What does this have to do with assessment? Everything. Oftentimes we hear the word assessment, and immediately think of multiple choice exams and grades. This may lead to assuming that exams must be synchronous, proctored, timed, or otherwise “controlled” to prevent cheating and to ultimately ensure academic honesty (Hubler, 2020). However, we may not be aware that these approaches could also place extra burdens on already marginalized students. How? If a student does not have access to technology, Wi-Fi, and other resources, such as a private, dedicated workspace with a video camera and an open schedule that does not include working or caring for family members, a synchronous proctored online exam could be out of reach (if not impossible). A recent Pew Research study found that low-income parents of school-aged children expect to experience at least one of these three digital obstacles: having to complete schoolwork on a cell phone, having to use public Wi-Fi, and not having a computer in the home (Vogels, 2020). 

When designing assessments, it’s important to remember that the types of controls that can be enforced in a physical setting may not be ideal for an online setting. This challenges us to think in new ways about how to conduct assessments that take into consideration not only the online environment, but also the associated factors that result in COVID-19 disparities in the lives of our students. Earlier this year, Montenegro and Jankowski (2020) discussed the need to embed equity into the assessment practice. Now that we are all living through the pandemic, this concept has taken on a greater sense of urgency. 

According to Singer-Freeman, Hobbs, & Robinson (2019), “timed tests that use closed-ended questions and are completed in groups [synchronously] have the greatest potential to reveal false achievement gaps,” and fail to reflect a student’s true competence (p. 15). This points to less equity for students. However, assessments that use open-ended test questions and projects with real-world applications, such as reflective writing, ePortfolios, and research experiences, increase equity for students.  

One way to bring equity into the process of designing assessments is to reframe them as a way to see how students have transformed as a result of learning what we are teaching (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010). In doing so, we open the door to more creative ways to document student progress. Furthermore, in an online environment, there are arguably an increased number of opportunities for students to show or demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Students can create, present, write, problem solve, and collaborate via the tools that are already available to them through Blackboard or Google Suite. 

Here are three approaches to keep in mind when designing equity-minded assessments for the online classroom.

1. Asynchronous. This avoids having students all try to take the same exam at the same time (Cohn & Seltzer, 2020). Is there a way to keep it open for a period of days so students are able to log in when they have the time and access to Wi-Fi or the technology they will need? Better yet, is there a way to randomize the questions or provide choices of assessment questions or types so that students are not all taking the same assessment?
2. Open-ended, reflective, relevant to real-world applications. This option takes into account the different challenges that students may be facing and invites them to make the course concepts relevant to their own professional or academic goals. For example, students may interview a practitioner already in the field, may create a plan for addressing a case study, or work with a partner to solve a problem or create a presentation for their peers.
3. Frequent, low-stakes, iterative, scaffolded. Is it possible to break up a project into a series of low-stakes chunks that students submit steadily throughout the semester? In this way, both you and your students can see their progress increase steadily rather than waiting for one or two high-stakes exams that may not reflect their true competency.

For more ideas and strategies, watch this presentation, Assessment Through a Lens of Inclusion in Times of COVID-19, or email us at CELT@stonybrook.edu and set up a consultation.

References

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. Jossey-Bass.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, July 24). Health equity considerations and racial and ethnic minority groups. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/health-equity/race-ethnicity.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fneed-extra-precautions%2Fracial-ethnic-minorities.html

Cohn, J., & Seltzer, B. (2020). Teaching effectively during times of disruption, for SIS and PWR. Retrieved from bit.ly/stanfordteachingdisruption

Hubler, S. (2020, May 10). Keeping online testing honest? Or an Orwellian overreach? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://nyti.ms/2LcnKz7

Montenegro, E., & Jankowski, N. A. (2020, January). A new decade for assessment: Embedding equity into assessment praxis (Occasional Paper No. 42). National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA). Retrieved from https://www.learningoutcomesassessment.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/A-New-Decade-for-Assessment.pdf

Ramsetty, A., & Adams, C. (2020). Impact of the digital divide in the age of COVID-19. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(7), 1147-1148.

Singer‐Freeman, K., Hobbs, H., & Robinson, C. (2019). Theoretical matrix of culturally relevant assessment. Assessment Update, 31(4), 1-16.

Vogels, E., A. (2020). 59% of U.S. parents with lower incomes say their child may face digital obstacles in schoolwork. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/10/59-of-u-s-parents-with-lower-incomes-say-their-child-may-face-digital-obstacles-in-schoolwork/