FAIRNESS AND AUTHENTICITY OF ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES USED AT THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO AMID COVID-19: A CASE OF B.ED PRIMARY PROGRAMME

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, different institutions globally introduced alternative methods such as Online Teaching and Learning (OTL) or home-based learning and testing. Despite the upsurge of Covid-19 and a shift in modality, students’ progress needed to be assessed as it determines how much students have learned. Drawing from critical pedagogy, this paper, therefore, explored the fairness and the authenticity of assessment strategies that were employed by one university in Lesotho during the Covid era. The qualitative case study research design was deployed in order to understand the views of students regarding the topic under investigation. The data were collected through a semi–structured interviews telephonically. Our sample was composed of 8 students (n=8) that were selected based on purpose. Overall, it appears that opinions are divided regarding the fairness and authenticity of assessment strategies used by NUL during the Covid-19 pandemic. While some participants did not express concern about being taught online and assessed offline, others maintained that if they were taught online, they expected to be assessed online in order to maintain fairness and authenticity. Considering these findings and the evidence currently attested by the participants of this study, one of the recommendations is that assessment expectations should be clearly communicated to the students in advance.

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