Thirteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

The assessment of students in higher education plays a major role in teaching and learning. For decades, assessment relied on traditional assessment such as examinations promoting knowledge testing, rote learning and memorisation of facts. We live in an era, wherein growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has influenced how we teach and assess our students. Thus, online teaching and learning using emerging technologies brought in online assessment as alternative means of assessment. Alternative assessment illustrate the importance of assessment practices that promote constructivist perception, allowing students to create their own learning as active participants through authentic and innovative assessment. The purpose of this paper was to explore lecturer’s views on the use of e-Portfolios as alternative assessment strategy in an Open distance e-Learning university, drawing on the case of a South African Open Distance Learning (ODL) university. Interviews with six lecturers were conducted to collect data for this qualitative study, audio recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes. The findings revealed that e-portfolio use, its purpose and functionality is not implemented to its full potential due to challenges experienced by lecturers and students. Based on the findings, this study recommends an e-portfolio assessment framework to be facilitated for the successful implementation of e-portfolio assessment strategy. However, these findings cannot be generalised to all ODL institution and higher and other institutions of higher learning.