Abstract:

Student’s assessment is an important part of actual learning process. Recently it is possible to notice that the role of digital technology in assessment rose to the extent that we can speak about e-assessment. Many e-learning experts and educational technologists have emphasized that e-assessment can play a significant role in improving the quality of student learning experiences, particularly in higher education. Acceptability is a required quality for a sound e-assessment. However, there still seems to be a need for investigating what students think and feel about this type of assessment.

This research had two principal aims. The first objective of the research was to find whether there is a correlation between the studied variables ( a type of the study program, gender, type of secondary school completed) and attitudes of students towards the Mathematics I course. The attitudes of students towards the mathematics were identified through students’ engagement in the course, and the students´ opinions on applicability and the difficulty of the mathematics.

Another aim of the research was to determine whether the studied variables (a type of the study program, gender, type of secondary school completed, and the ability to produce ideas (fluency)) do have an influence on students' perceptions of e-assessment.
The research was conducted via questionnaire built according to the semantic differential. The attitudes were measured using several five-degree Likert scales. The research sample consisted of 463 students who have attended the Mathematics I course. The response rate was 59%. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to students at the end of the semester when students have already had personal experience with the e-assessment. ANOVA and linear models were used for the testing of hypotheses.

The obtained results indicate that the type of the completed secondary school and the kind of the study program both have a significant correlation with the perception of the difficulty of the Mathematics I course. Furthermore, research results showed that the kind of the completed secondary school has an influence on the students´ opinions about the applicability of maths. The type of the study program and gender also have a significant impact on the engagement of students in the Mathematics I course. However, the combination of these factors was not found to have an influence on the attitudes of students towards the Mathematics I course. Additionally, the results have shown that the attitudes towards e-assessment are not influenced by either of the studied factors or by the combination of the factors. It was presumed that creative students (who have tested high in one of the factors indicating creativity) would be less willing to use the e-assessment because they could view this type of assessment as a constraint. Nevertheless, results revealed that the students that are more creative did not have any problems with using the e-assessment.

The obtained results, as discussed in this paper, have been utilized for an adaptation of a teaching model that is extensively employing digital technology. Teaching model contains several educational and assessment blocks and database of tasks that require the application of acquired knowledge. The model stresses continual learning, activity, independence and creativity.

Keywords:

E-assessment, attitude, mathematics, digital technology.