Automated Assessment in Higher Education

Context

Given the increasing use of digital tools in teaching, the question of transparent and reliable assessment is becoming crucial. In the paper E-assessment in mathematics in higher education: a student perspective, researchers Divjak, Žugec, and Pažur Aničić (2022) examine students’ attitudes toward an automated e-assessment system in university-level mathematics courses.

The study was conducted with 631 students during three different stages of the semester. Surveys and online assessments were used within higher education mathematics courses. The focus was placed on four key aspects:

• transparency and fairness in assessment
• transparency in two-phase assessment – formative + summative with feedback
• educational value of the technology, i.e., whether the tool has a meaningful pedagogical purpose
• alignment with the complexity of learning outcomes

Students generally supported e-assessment, provided that the criteria were clear, communication structured, and the technology meaningfully integrated into the learning process.

Key Findings

• Perception of fairness and transparency: Students perceived e-assessment as fair and reliable, especially when they understood the criteria and could see how the system worked.
• Formative support: The systems enabled continuous feedback, reducing exam-related stress.
• Pedagogical relevance: The tools improved understanding of course content, but only when the assessment results had educational value – not when they were perceived as “just another grade”.
• Handling complex outcomes: The systems handled routine tasks well, but students reported insufficient support when solving multi-step problems and more complex tasks.

Reflection Questions:

How would you ensure that digital tools are transparent and understandable for students?

How can formative feedback be incorporated into automated assessment systems?

How would you monitor and assess more complex tasks in mathematics or similar disciplines?