The influence of online assessment on secondary students in Bangladesh: consequences and challenges

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the teaching-learning process in a whole new direction. The traditional school teaching and learning process was suddenly diverted and forced to virtual classes where Bangladeshi teachers were instructed to take classes through online platforms including Google meet, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp and Zoom. The demand of the new system requires changes in teaching as well as in assessment. Although with the limited technological support teachers managed to conduct classes online, assessing students remotely was a very challenging task. This qualitative study explored the challenges of assessing students online and the impact online assessment exerts on secondary students. It has been evident that Bangladeshi secondary teachers do not have the proper guidance to the new form of teaching. The study also found that teachers failed to communicate with the students to ensure quality of assessment. This study has documented the challenges of assessing students remotely, various forms testing and evaluation process that were being used by the teachers, and overall consequences of online assessment at the secondary level in Bangladesh. The findings of this study may have important implications for various stakeholders including teachers, curriculum developers, teacher training institutions and other relevant stakeholders.