Abstract:

Covid-19 required universities to rapidly adapt to online teaching delivery, as well as reconsider how learning outcomes are assessed (Brammer and Clark, 2020). Prior to this universities were also grappling with increased student numbers and the need to consider higher levels of automation/standardization sometimes to the detriment of a personalized approach. These remarkable changes in learning, delivery, and assessment have substantially increased workloads across the sector and staff have been dealing with high levels of stress and pressure, particularly in courses with large intakes (Beech and Anseel, 2020).

Following the pandemic, universities tend to assume that attitudes towards technology have changed and even improved. While in many cases that might be true, such assumptions can be misleading and potentially risky in a highly competitive university sector characterized by professional pressures and limited digital skills development (Brammer and Clark, 2020). For some staff, pedagogic innovation to meet the challenges associated with changing delivery patterns was straightforward; but for others, this change has not motivated willingness to adopt emerging technologies and educational tools (Beech and Anseel, 2020; Brammer and Clark, 2020; Hu et al, 2020; Queen, 2021).

Assessment and feedback improvement is a common need across the Higher Education (HE) sector, reflected in the yearly National Student Survey results (Office for Students, 2022). One way to address this challenge is to develop and improve the use of technology-enhanced feedback and marking tools (such as online rubrics) which may facilitate marking processes and satisfy students’ requests for consistent approaches. However, even though these are commonly available HE tools, there is still resistance to adopting them (Hu et al, 2020; Queen, 2021).

Underpinned by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003), this research aims to explore attitudes to online assessment and feedback practices. The goal is to identify gaps in knowledge, training, and perspectives associated with implementing and using online marking and feedback tools. We have used a mixed-methods approach incorporating survey and interview data. The project is currently in its second stage of data collection, and we will be able to present the preliminary findings at the conference. These findings suggest the need to adapt UTAUT’s dimensions specifically to fit HE.

References:
[1] Beech, N. and Anseel, F. (2020), COVID-19 and Its Impact on Management Research and Education: Threats, Opportunities and a Manifesto. Brit J Manage, 31: 447-449. 
[2] Brammer, S. and Clark, T. (2020), COVID-19 and Management Education: Reflections on Challenges, Opportunities, and Potential Futures. Brit J Manage, 31: 453-456. 
[3] Hu, S., Laxman, K. & Lee, K. (2020). Exploring factors affecting academics’ adoption of emerging mobile technologies-an extended UTAUT perspective. Educ Inf Technol, 25: 4615–4635.
[4] Office for Students (2022), National Student Survey – NSS, [online] https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/nss-data-provider-level/, (Accessed: 11.03.2022)
[5] Queen, D. (2021), Technological impact of COVID-19. Int Wound J, 18: 129-130. 
[6] Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User Acceptance of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478.

Keywords:

Online marking, Online feedback, Technology acceptance/resistance, Higher Education (HE).