The Impact of Flexible Assessment on Students’ Engagement and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The work presented in this paper is related to the use of the flexible assessment to promote collaborative learning that impact students’ engagement and learning, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents the analysis and results obtained by applying the flexible assessment in a large second-year undergraduate computer science module. Flexibility in assessment is usually achieved by giving students choice over the assessment components, contents, type, weight, timing, or the overall assessment grade. This study, however, demonstrates the development of a flexible assessment where students were given the choice to invest in a flexible assignment task designed to encourage collaborative learning and the development of higher-order thinking skills. The flexible assessment used in this study has proven that effective learning can occur when students work collaboratively. The data used for the analysis are those collected from a questionnaire distributed to students by the end of the academic term in addition to gathering students’ written feedback comments about their experience of the new flexible assessment. The questionnaire results and students’ feedback related to their learning experience are recorded and examined. Students’ performance of the targeted module has been recorded, interpreted, and contrasted with similar assessment of another module that has no flexibility in its requirements. In accordance with the students’ performance, questionnaire and feedback analysis results, flexible assessment is considered a unique assessment, beneficial and useful for students’ learning and engagement.