Shifting From Onsite to Online Summative Assessment at the University of South Africa

ABSTRACT

The discourse around online summative assessment has become one of the major issues in open distance learning (ODL) worldwide. There is a lack of major research in online summative assessment in environmental education (EE) module for the bachelor of education (B.Ed.) students in ODL. The purpose of this study was to explore online summative assessment of EE module for the B.Ed. students at the University of South Africa (UNISA) during COVID-19. This study employed a qualitative approach, purposive sampling, and an interpretive paradigm. Data were ethically collected using participant observation and documentation. It was thematically analysed. Online summative assessment policies were in place before the outbreak of COVID-19, but policies were not implemented. The university quickly transitioned from face-to-face to online summative assessment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and lecturers were trained. Challenges included non-training of students for online summative assessment, corrupt answer books, lack of prompt response from ICT specialist, and connectivity problems.