Students's Perceptions and Anxieties towards e-Assessment: Implications for Online Classroom Delivery

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth numerous new challenges for all afflicted as well as exposed the weaknesses of the current educational system. The public education in the Philippines had to overhaul its system to ensure quality and to provide accessible education to all students. Varying strategies have emerged to deliver relevant Online Classroom Delivery (OCD). The utilization of e-Assessment was sought after to generate real-time feedback to facilitate and monitor the students' progress. This research aimed to determine the students' perceptions and anxieties with OCD embedded e-Assessment, and the challenges encountered in an OCD. A cross-sectional survey was employed to determine the students' perceptions and anxieties. The results revealed the perceived threats and the remarkable anxiety levels of the students caused by the pandemic. This supports the information that the students' perception of using e-Assessment is positively correlated with their levels of anxiety. Challenges attributed to the perceived threats and anxiety included the availability of the technology, the presence or absence of internet connection, mobilization of software and related technology, appropriateness of e-Assessment strategy whether to be given as (diagnostic, formative or summative), teachers' adeptness, and familiarity towards the innovation of educational technology. Accordingly, this paper recommends the strengthening of research efforts in relation to the factors that increase students' level of anxiety in OCD, incorporation of accessible and easy-to-use mental health services, and computer training for both teachers and students.