Since 2019, the coronavirus pandemic has fastened technology adoption in higher education institutions. Numerous activities of higher education institutions, including assessments, had to be reconfigured to suit the new order, and technology became more prominent. This desktop study examines the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to study how to best respond to the rise of intelligent technology in redesigning assessments. Therefore, the chapter explores the impact of the pandemic on traditional assessment methods, such as exams and tests, and the shift towards alternative forms of assessment, including online and adaptive assessments. Further, it explores how intelligent technology, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, can be leveraged to enhance assessment design and administration. The chapter provides recommendations for educators and assessment designers on adapting to these changing circumstances and creating effective, innovative assessments that meet the needs of students and educational institutions in a post-pandemic world.
TopIntroduction
Maphosa and Maphosa (2023b) posit that the coronavirus pandemic has fastened technology adoption in higher education institutions in a way that challenges students, instructors and institutions alike. (Limo et al., 2023) corroborate and further point to the advantages and challenges of adopting new technologies related to the Forth Industrial Revolution (4IR). This study Looks at the impact of covid19 on Assessments Post the Corona Virus Pandemic and the Age of Intelligent Technology on education and assessments. Mottiar (2022) studied the impact of covid19 on assessment and how it has radically altered higher education internationally, impacting: Learning, teaching methods, assessment strategies, and academic experience.
Lack of knowledge is detrimental to the development of people. Change in areas that are not well studied and known tends to be responded to by fear and panic. This study argues that we must understand artificial intelligence and its potential before fully responding to its offerings. The former vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg Marwala (2021) states that AI should be compulsory for all students and note the importance of the 4IR. South Africans must understand the impact of AI, how workplaces are Impacted and how it is Shaping the new normal. This knowledge will form the basis for formulating the best response to technological disruption. The same applies to higher education institutions regarding how they will respond to changes brought by artificial intelligence.
Technology capacity and capabilities are constantly changing and challenging the presence of humans in workplaces. In the midst of this change, education remains relevant, as it remains the best form of teaching humans. Moreover, assessments are challenged to change with the pace of the world in order to be able to capacitate humans of future skills(Simamora, 2020). Well-designed assessments are essential for determining whether students have learned.
Using the above description of the changes the world is experiencing, this chapter details possible response categories to the presence of artificial intelligence in higher education assessment, drawing lessons from the covid19 experiences. The four types of responses to the technological disruption will be grouped as reactors, adaptive responders, opportunists and committed innovators.