Online assessments in Maldivian higher education institutions: Challenges faced by students

Aishath Waheeda
Islamic University of Maldives, Maldives
Fathimath Shaheeda
Villa College, Maldives
Fathimath Muna and Aishath Shina
Islamic University of Maldives, Maldives

The spread of Covid-19 forced many higher education institutions to switch to e-learning using a diverse range of educational platforms. The purpose of this qualitative research is to explore the challenges encountered by Maldivian higher education institutions conducting online assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic, from both lecturer and student perspectives. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from a purposively selected sample of full-time lecturers (n=30) and students (n=30) at 10 different higher education institutions in Maldives. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Findings revealed that issues related to technical difficulties, Internet connections, and students' lack of basic technological skills as major difficulties faced by students. Inadequate exam space during online assessment was a root cause of other obstacles. In addition issues related to feedback mechanisms, exam stress and anxiety were also revealed. The study concludes with key implications for effective online assessment.
[ PDF full text for this article ]

Authors: Dr Aishath Waheeda (corresponding author) is an academic and a practitioner in higher education with over 15 years of experience. She is currently working as the Assistant Professor / Controller of Examinations and Evaluations at Islamic University of Maldives. Her research interests include higher education teaching and learning, leadership and empowerment of women. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4072-3727 Email: aishath.waheeda@ium.edu.mv Ms Fathimath Shaheeda is a Senior Lecturer at Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Villa College, Maldives. She received her MEd from Open University Malaysia and BEd from University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Her research interest areas include teaching and learning in higher education, technology in education, inclusive education and educational leadership. Email: fathimath.shaheeda@villacollege.edu.mv Dr Fathimath Muna is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, Islamic University Maldives, Maldives. She has over 25 years of experience in education. Her research areas include teaching and learning, leadership and management in higher education and student behaviour management at school level. Email: fathimath.muna@ium.edu.mv Dr Aishath Shina in currently the Acting Director of Local and International Relations, Islamic University of Maldives. She has over 25 years of experience in Education. Her research interests include educational leadership, women empowerment and areas related to teaching and learning. Email: aishath.shina@ium.edu.mv Please cite as: Waheeda, A., Shaheeda, F., Muna, F. & Shina, A. (2023). Online assessments in Maldivian higher education institutions: Challenges faced by students. Issues in Educational Research, 33(3), 1233-1249. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/waheeda.pdf