Technology-Mediated Self-Assessment in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

• In Event: Tech-Driven Feedback: Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Learning and Assessment

Abstract

Self-assessment is gaining increasing attention in higher education but its implementation is diversified across contexts. With the widespread implementation of digital technology, the way that self-assessment is conducted has undergone significant changes compared with conventional self-assessment. Considering the increasing digitization of self-assessment (Ifenthaler et al., 2023) and the significance of effective design and implementation in its success (Yan et al., 2022), there is a need to synthesize the accumulated knowledge regarding the design and implementation of TMSA to shed light on future research and practice in this field. This review aims to provide an overview of research on Technology-Mediated Self-assessment (TMSA) conducted in higher education in the past two decades. Specifically, this review addressed the following research questions:
1) What are the commonly used tools for TMSA in higher education?
2) What are the benefits and challenges that the adoption of digital technologies brings to self-assessment?
3) What improvement can be suggested for the implementation of TMSA?
The literature search was conducted in the databases (i.e., ERIC and PsycINFO) in Sept 2022. We limited our search to the context of higher education and the last two decades in which the usage and advancement of educational digital technologies have grown rapidly. The initial hits were filtered based on six eligibility criteria, including (1) study type, (2) research theme, (3) participants, (4) publication type, (5) language, and (6) full text. A total of 24 studies were retained for data extraction and analysis.
The results show that the digital tools used for TMSA could be existing tools, tools modified or developed for a specific learning purpose. The adoption of digital technologies in self-assessment has benefits for both students and teachers. The benefits for students include improving students’ academic performance, developing students’ long-term learning capacities, and enhancing desirable affective and motivational outcomes. For teachers, TMSA can facilitate their instruction plans by providing additional information regarding student achievement and reducing the workload in different aspects such as classroom and resource management, and repetitive work labor. However, there are also challenges associated with TMSA, such as technical difficulties, academic dishonesty, and lack of personal interaction. Suggestions are proposed to improve the implementation of TMSA, such as providing sufficient technical training and support to teachers and students, offering a variety of self-assessment forms, nurturing a supportive teaching/learning climate, and enhancing teacher-student interaction.
The synthesis of the findings offers a critical perspective on what has been investigated in this field, including the methods used for TMSA and the benefits and challenges associated with its use. The findings can inform the design and implementation of TMSA and optimize its effectiveness for future research and practice.

Authors

• Xinyuan Cao, Education University of Hong Kong

• Zi Yan, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Ernesto Panadero, Dublin City University