Abstract:

COVID19 pandemic has initiated long overdue changes in the Croatian education system, including acceptance and implementation of new technologies on behalf of both teachers and students. Although the shift to online studying has brought about numerous positive aspects, the major concern in terms of changes lay with the evaluation and assessment system which, under these new circumstances, was not conducted in fully controlled environment, thus putting objectivity and validity of the final grade into question.

The aim of this paper is to present students’ experience with online assessment and grading during the pandemic. For the purpose of this paper the authors used qualitative data obtained as answers to two open-ended questions regarding advantages and challenges of this new type of assessment. Research was conducted in April 2021 using the survey method and the online survey technique. It involved 800 undergraduate students of professional studies in the Republic of Croatia. The results obtained demonstrate the complexity of the students’ experience and are susceptible to multiple interpretations. Students recognize numerous advantages of online assessment during the pandemic, such as: introduction of innovative assessment methods and techniques, quick test results and teachers’ feedback, opportunities for better time-management, etc. On the other hand, results also indicate the existence of numerous challenges and limitations students were faced with during assessment periods, including stress, frustration, anxiety, unmanageable workload and dissatisfaction with the final grades in terms of objectivity, to mention only a few.

The findings contribute to the understanding of the impact COVID19 pandemic has had on the higher education system; they also shed light on the students’ perspective regarding the necessary changes of the education paradigm. Gaining insight into students’ experience with online learning in times when Croatian educational institutions were insufficiently prepared for this sudden transition, is a valuable contribution to the process of digitalisation in education, as well as to the creation of new education policies.

Keywords:

COVID19, online assessment and grading, students’ perspective, qualitative approach, digitalization, education policies.