Teaching-learning Assessment during the COVID-19 Era: An Indonesian Higher Education Experience

Abstract

The unprecedented global phenomenon, COVID-19 pandemic has affected all life aspects, including education. The pandemic has shocked the teaching and learning processes at all educational levels, including higher education institutions (HEIs). Physical distancing policy to curb the spread of the COVID-19 has forced all learning processes to be conducted virtually. Although online learning is not a new phenomenon in HEIs, how it has given an abrupt shift to total online learning still surprises both students and lecturers. This phenomenon is also experienced by lecturers and students at Indonesian HEIs like Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. In the beginning of March 2020, when the Indonesian government officially announced the first COVID-19 case in the country, we were forcefully required to switch to online teaching, without proper preparation. Despite this abrupt change to online learning, this mode of learning is actually not really new to most of us. Technological advancement may provide today's learners of digital natives an increased learning enjoyment. At HEIs, for instance, learning technology increases coverage of learning materials
and learners' engagement, making the learning process more effective and efficient. However, educators need to remain vigilant lest students miss the essential purpose of learning. Learning technology should be considered more as a means to increase learning motivation, and not for personal entertainment. We need to make the best use of technology to support learning. What matters most is how the use of digital technologies can improve students' learning outcomes as the ultimate teaching goal. Teachers are to maximize these digital technology alternatives to achieve their predetermined teaching objectives. Determining relevant evaluation is as important as that of learning strategy and technology. Proper evaluation of the usefulness and educational value of the developed solutions remains an indispensable condition for the successful use of educational tools, including online evaluation tools (Granic, Nakic & Marangunic, 2019). This paper will look at the empirical perspective related to the evaluation of learning outcomes based on our experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion will cover the evaluation principles adopted, the forms of evaluation used, the various constraints and advantages of the online evaluation, and some conclusions from our evaluation practices.