Discover how the nature of learning is changing and the approach to digital assessments.
In October, International Baccalaureate (IB) Director General Olli-Pekka Heinonen named moving the Diploma Programme (DP) examinations online as one of his top priorities.
This ambition - to future-proof the qualification for the next generation of young people - is an important strategic direction for international education. So far, the IB has not set out a timeline for developing and moving towards these online assessments, and schools are expected to be given a choice of digital or paper-based exams. One unexpected benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic has been greater flexibility in assessment programmes, including greater acceptance of equitable results from multiple assessment pathways.
At ACS International Schools, we find the moves taken by the IB very encouraging. Ultimately, we believe it will present opportunities to assess our students in new ways, better suited to the modern workplace. It’s no secret that current educational assessment lacks aspects of the ‘real world’. For example, working adults rarely submit handwritten documents for high-stakes evaluation. But learning, teaching and assessment can be effective – and even transformational – only if we develop opportunities for learning that challenge our perspectives and assumptions, and design assessment experiences that can measure what matters.
Hundreds of IB Schools, including ACS, can attest that digital examinations already present exciting opportunities to assess what students have learned, in more meaningful ways – leading to greater student engagement and increased technological understanding across all grades. Students in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) at ACS Doha and Egham already participate in innovative eAssessment, (ACS Egham has been and continues to be a leader in MYP eAssessment development).
Working adults rarely submit handwritten documents for high-stakes evaluation.
ACS International Schools pride themselves on being innovative, extended learning communities, rather than rigid institutions that reward rote learning verified by examinations that deal only with content recall. We believe examinations should embed transferrable understanding and applied skills that support critical and creative thinking. Technology now affords traditional exam boards with tools that we haven’t yet used to their best advantage. In a world in which organisations like the OECD are reliably measuring students’ progress with simulations and interactive media, and with OpenAI technologies that are changing the way we think about knowledge work - it is already past time for a change.
There are real assessment issues in terms of access and equity. Some assessments (for example, complex mathematical modelling and symbolisation) are better suited to working out by hand. Certainly, we have to be mindful of academic integrity - technology has vast creative potential to abet cheating. It will always be tempting to rely on easily graded fill-in-the-bubble tests and handwriting technologies that require no equipment or technical support beyond a good pencil sharpener. Each assessment modality brings its own logistical strengths and challenges.
Still, we know more digital approaches can be successful. Throughout the educational disruptions of COVID-19, ACS school leaders, teachers and students relied on all things digital to learn, train, and communicate. Using online educational platforms, rather than pencil and papers Harry Potter style exam conditions, became second nature in such a short amount of time. Teachers successfully used technology to ensure academic integrity in some traditional formats, but they also moved toward more authentic assessments that required greater student engagement and critical thinking - while not compromising rigorous assessment standards. We learned that technology cannot replace classroom-based learning, as well as the impossibility of translating some aspects of face-to-face education into a fully distanced learning environment. However, we’re continuing to explore technologies that support hybrid modes of education.
Students in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) at ACS Doha and Egham already participate in innovative eAssessment, (ACS Egham has been and continues to be a leader in MYP eAssessment development).
In our new post-pandemic world, the nature of learning has changed, and we are embracing with greater urgency the fact that digital technologies are a fundamental and integral part of learning and teaching. We want to help students get and keep themselves ready, empowering them with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a world that is changing fast. Young people deserve access to valid assessments that utilise their full academic and emotional intelligence. The world’s next generation of global thinkers and doers shouldn’t have to be coached in handwriting to pass exams that are assessing something other than penmanship.
DR. ROBERT HARRISON IS THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY AT ACS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
