Reimagining Classroom Assessment and Student Learning in the New Normal

Dear Colleagues,

Classroom assessment plays an important role not only in eliciting and providing evidence of student learning, but also in enhancing the student learning experience through high-cognitive-demand authentic tasks and formative feedback. Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, educators and students from PreK-12 schools to higher education around the globe are coping with and adjusting to the new normal in terms of teaching, learning, and assessment. Although schools and higher education institutions have leveraged the advances in digital technologies (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, video) to provide both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for students during the COVID lockdowns, a plethora of issues have arisen now that students and their teachers/instructors have had to make a sudden shift to an online environment. During this difficult time, educators are constantly needing to create alternative plans for instruction and classroom assessment. Many are grappling with how best to support students, especially those who have become disengaged in learning and in completing their classroom assignments. Additionally, limited face-to-face classes and reduced interactions with peers and teachers/instructors pose challenges for the implementation of authentic performance assessments, which require students to perform and collaborate with their peers in real-world contexts. Authentic performance assessments are designed to truly capture students’ demonstrations of competencies in areas such as critical thinking, complex problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration, and self-directed learning. These competencies are incorporated into the curricula of core academic subjects. Mastery of these competencies will prepare students for success in their studies, careers, and life.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there existed a wide range of emerging technologies (e.g., intelligent tutoring, automatic scoring, learning analytics, data mining, handheld devices, clickers) that enabled the design of and experimentation with innovative e-Assessments (e.g., computer-based authentic performance tasks, games, simulations, formative e-Assessments). Advocates for information and communication technologies (ICT) contend that e-Assessments can be integrated seamlessly into virtual learning environments, which creates opportunities for students to apply knowledge and skills in contexts that mimic real life. More importantly, they enable the provision of formative feedback in real-time, in addition to the integration of self-assessment, peer assessment, and summative assessment. Educators and students are facing enormous challenges and uncertainties amid this coronavirus crisis. It is time for all of us to reimagine classroom assessment and student learning, and to find innovative ways to support both educators and students to navigate the uncharted territory of virtual teaching, learning, and assessment.

This Special Issue calls for both conceptual and empirical research papers that address any one of the following:

• Educators’ design and modification of classroom assessments in response to learners’ needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Educators’ leveraging of e-Assessments to engage learners in virtual learning environments;
• Online assessment tools and resources for facilitating authentic and formative assessments;
• Challenges and opportunities of embedding e-Assessments into face-to-face, online, and blended learning environments;
• The role of initial teacher preparation and/or in-service teacher professional development programs in building teachers’ capacity in the design, selection, modification, and implementation of e-Assessments;
• Faculty development for helping and supporting university instructors in the design, modification, selection, and use of e-Assessments.

Prof. Dr. Kim Koh
Prof. Dr. Olive Chapman
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Classroom assessment
• Student learning and engagement
• Digital technologies and e-Assessments
• Design, selection, modification, and use of e-Assessments
• Authentic performance assessment
• Formative feedback, self-assessment, peer assessment Summative assessment
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Educators in PreK-12 and higher education
• Initial teacher preparation and in-service teacher professional development