English abstract
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, higher education institutions around the globe had
to shift to online teaching and learning. This also included an assessment of which various
types were conducted online. Despite the fact that a wide range of new tools and
opportunities for developing effective authentic assessments is provided by technology,
the current e-assessment design at Oman Tourism College does not seem to adequately
achieve the required pedagogical objectives in an e-learning environment. Consequently,
professional development was believed to bridge this gap and enable the teaching staff at
Oman Tourism College to redesign their e-assessment by developing effective e assessment methods and procedures that are more appropriate for their teaching context
which has become totally online.
The aim of this study is to explore the teachers' views on the process of redesigning
and implementing authentic e-assessment. It describes the design concepts that academic
staff have utilized to re-design their e-assessments to support their students' learning. The
study adopted a qualitative methodological approach where a Professional Development
Program (PDP) was delivered virtually to help 8 faculty members better improve and
increase their competencies in the selection, adaptation, and design of authentic e assessment tasks. The data collection was mainly based on a training program where the
participants provided their opinions and feedback on the program content through a set of
pre-determined reflection questions and semi-structured interviews.
The findings showed that teachers were able to gain various new e-assessment
skills and techniques and apply them within their own assessment practice. The findings
also revealed the existence of several challenges and concerns associated with the design
and implementation of e-assessment most of which are related to the teaching context such
as lack of time, resources, and adequate technology. Furthermore, teachers identified
several aspects through which the authenticity of e- assessment could be increased, such
as embedding assessment techniques in the teaching materials, reflecting on real-life
situations, and introducing more authentic assessment tasks within the overall assessment
process. Finally, teachers identified some aspects in which they would be able to reshape
their future e- assessment practice based on what they learned from the training program.
This included, for example, giving more focused feedback, designing portfolios, and
delivering e-assessment in a more logical and structured manner. The study concludes
with recommendations and implications for better future practice in terms of authentic
design and implementation of e-assessment.
