Video lesson: Ethical Issues and Credibility

Welcome to this video lesson in which we discuss ethics and security in digital assessment. What does credible and ethically responsible assessment in a digital context mean to you? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: For me, it means that the assessment is carried out in a way that truly examines a student’s knowledge and skills, and that there is no doubt about whether a student may have cheated, whether someone else completed the work, or whether the student used artificial intelligence tools. Credibility and ethical conduct, to me, mean ensuring that the assessment genuinely measures what it is intended to measure. What challenges do you most often encounter in practice when it comes to maintaining the credibility of online assessments? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: The most common challenges I see are technical problems, situations in which technology fails and the assessment cannot be conducted properly. For example, an assessment may take place in a classroom where some computers are not functioning, or the Internet connection is unavailable. I have also faced challenges when students are required to complete tasks in the classroom, but attempt to anticipate the assignment and expectations in advance, bringing pre-prepared work with them. In such cases, I can often recognize that they did not complete these assignments themselves. What tools and strategies do you use to prevent academic dishonesty and ensure fair assessment? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: I rely exclusively on classroom-based assessment, where students are supervised by the instructor. In this way, I believe the likelihood of cheating is significantly reduced. Sometimes I assign tasks that are not formal exams but required coursework. In such cases, I introduce specific conditions, for example, if a student misses class and do not complete the assignment, they receive a penalty of minus three points, which counts toward the final exam grade. Naturally, students want to avoid negative points, so they attend class. Does your institution have guidelines or rules that help you ensure an ethical framework for assessment? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: My institution currently does not have guidelines or rules that would help me ensure an ethical assessment framework. I believe it would be a good idea to develop such guidelines, as they would support not only my own work but also that of my colleagues. Do you think automated assessment and analytics tools always align with ethical principles? Where is the line? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: I cannot say that they always align with ethical principles, as I am not familiar with all the tools that exist. The digital assessment tools I use are relatively simple and focus on recognizing a predefined correct answer. I have not used tools that operate differently or that might raise ethical concerns. How important is it for teachers to be aware of ethical and safety issues, and how does your team address them? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: I believe this is extremely important. When we act ethically and adhere to safety standards, we can achieve our primary goal, assessment that genuinely evaluates student’s knowledge and skills. How do we address this in our team? We always discuss these issues. If we notice that something has not worked well, we try to agree on how to approach it differently in the future. Through teamwork, we strive to ensure that our work and assessments, especially in digital environments, are ethical and credible. What advice would you give to colleagues who want to improve the credibility and ethical standards of their digital assessments? Prof. LIVIA PULJAK, Ph. D.: I would advise them to seek education on this topic, so they can learn about issued they may not have been aware of, and become more conscious of the various challenges involved. By doing so, we can work together to ensure ethical and credible assessment. Thank you for your valuable insights. In the remainder of the course, we will explore specific tools and policies that support ethical assessment.