Remote assessment in higher education was one of the greatest challenges faced by instructors during the COVID-19 pandemic. With little to no warning, they were forced to shift their evaluation strategies to virtual environments, often without proper training or clear models on how to implement them effectively.
The need to certify knowledge collided with the urgency of ensuring meaningful learning in an uncertain context:
- How can assessments be conducted remotely without reducing education to mere questionnaires?
- How can fairness be guaranteed in a landscape where access to technology is not uniform?
These questions shaped the adaptation of assessment practices in higher education, particularly in disciplines with a strong practical component, such as health sciences.
In their article Remote Learning Assessments in Higher Education: Teaching Decision Making when Facing a New Challenge, Gisela Schwartzman and her team analyze how university professors in the field of health sciences designed their assessment strategies during the early stages of the lockdown.
Based on a study of 51 instructional plans, the article examines the decisions made regarding assessment modalities, the use of digital tools, and the instructor’s role in providing feedback throughout the learning process. It highlights the tendency to prioritize asynchronous evaluations, focusing on written tasks and active knowledge application, as well as the effort to maintain a strong pedagogical connection with students.
Beyond the emergency context, the article encourages reflection on the future of assessment in higher education. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of technologies and methodologies that, when properly implemented, can enrich teaching and learning processes in hybrid settings.
Rather than being a temporary solution, remote assessment strategies can serve as an opportunity to rethink traditional academic practices and develop more flexible, equitable, and future-ready evaluation models aligned with 21st-century educational needs.
---
How to cite: Schwartzman, G., Roni, C., Berk, M., Delorenzi, E., Sánchez, M., & Eder, M. L. (2021). Remote Learning Assessments in Higher Education: Teaching Decision Making when Facing a New Challenge. RIED. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 24(2), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.24.2.29078
