Problems Encountered by College Students in Online Assessment amid COVID-19 Crisis: A Case Study

Abstract

The implementation of online assessment within the context of emergency remote learning presents a major practical concern for many students today. This paper aimed to describe the problems encountered by the students in online assessment amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Following the case study as a research design, it involved students in a higher education institution in General Santos City, Mindanao, Philippines. Drawing from multiple data sources such as documents observations, and interviews, the researcher initially presented the case description. The results revealed six themes of problems encountered by the students in the online assessment. These problems are 1.) incompatibility of browser; 2.) anxiety over tracking tools; 3.) unstable internet connection; 4.) electric power interruptions; 5.) distractions in the environment; and 6.) unknown accessibility issues. This paper draws several useful recommendations. It is suggested that, in selecting the application to use for online assessment, school administrators should consider the complexity of the application but without compromising its capacity to guard assessment integrity. Moreover, given the knowledge about the selected application, teachers should prepare alternative measures should inevitable problems like the ones found in this study occur. Lastly, to keep the students guided throughout the online assessment, it is proposed that courses should include a test orientation and provide a test manual for the students.