Qualifying online assessment during COVID-19 pandemic: Reflecting on our experience under the cognitive lens of Miller’s pyramid

Abstract

[...]when the practical examination was converted to series of factual/ image-based viva questions (conducted using the Zoom platform), only the distal outcome of the process was discernible, and it was not possible for teachers to differentially analyse students based on their reasoning abilities.7 It was observed that these assessments were able to provide only low-stakes score metrics and could not enable us to make high-stakes decisions (pass or fail) because of the risks associated with the reliability of decision.8 Some examiners also expressed serious concerns that students were simultaneously referring to books and online sources during the assessment. Because of the difficulty in monitoring such activities, this has called into question the very purpose of assessment.9 Thus, conducting authentic online assessment could be regarded as chasing a magical deer, in a sense, since at the outset it appears to provide us with a lot of opportunities and at the same time it poses critical questions regarding its validity and reliability. Few are of the opinion that standard open-book examinations for testing problem-solving skills akin to clinico-pathological conferences coupled with competency-based assignments might enable the testing of the higher rungs of Miller's pyramid compared to non-authentic 'namesake' online assessments.3,10 However, for novice learners such as first-year students, online assignments may be of considerable benefit. [...]COVID-19 has thrown us into a 'zone of unplanned educational disruption'.