Online Assessment: A Case Study of Ecole Normale Superieure, Moulay Ismail University

Abstract

In the digital age, the use of technology is gradually being imposed in all institutions of higher education in Morocco. Without pretending to replace face-to-face teaching, distance learning is less expensive, flexible and accessible if discussed from a temporal and spatial point of view. It allows for the achievement of objectives that could not be achieved without technology. The numerous pedagogical and technical challenges that our training system should face are becoming more and more important and complex; and so are the speculations. In the era of massiveness and lifelong learning, distance learning favors a greater level of autonomy and productivity in the learning process, which is becoming increasingly distant from the teaching process. However, it should be noted that distance learning is still in the experimental stage and has not yet been adopted as a training modality that would meet the new needs of learners and a new audience that is not to benefit from face-to-face training. If this is the case of distance learning, what could be said about online assessment then? In this article, the focus is going to be put on this latter through the experience of the Ecole Normale Superieure of Meknes with the online assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. A study was conducted at the level of the institution using both a qualitative survey addressed to the professors and a qualitative exploration addressed to the students with the aim of reflecting on the process of the online evaluation. The research findings refer to a deficiency in this area and call for the implementation of training systems to be used, not just in the case of Emergency Remote Teaching.