Student Perception of Fairness in Online Testing Practices

Audience Level: 
All
Institutional Level: 
Higher Ed
Abstract: 

Student satisfaction and positive attitude towards courses taken are important in the success of any educational program. Students' perception of fairness affects satisfaction and attitude. In online classes, it is harder for instructors to gauge this fairness. We present results on the relationship between course practices and perception of fairness.

Extended Abstract: 

Student satisfaction and positive attitude towards courses taken are important in the success of any educational program. One of the key factors affecting satisfaction and attitude is the student’s perception of fairness towards the classes taken. In case of online classes, it is harder for instructors to convey this fairness and for students to provide feedback, compared to on-campus classes. With the online programs growing, attention must be given to how students perceive fairness in evaluation methods in online classrooms. This session will use data collected from survey research to establish the relationship between course practices and student perception of fairness.

Variability in teaching, testing, and grading practices affect students’ perception of fairness. A study identifying the different teaching, testing, and grading methods that affect perception of fairness is needed in online courses. Such a detailed study has not been undertaken before in this perspective and is needed for proactive corrective action.

A survey based study was conducted to collect responses on different teaching, grading, and testing practices. We will present these results as a portfolio of plots, graphs, and visualizations. These visualizations will further discussions and interactions with the audience.

Level of Participation:

The session will introduce the topic and share the results as visualizations. At the end of the presentation, audience will be given an opportunity to share their perspectives, experiences, and/or opinions. The discussions will take an in-depth look at how the results presented may apply at the audience's respective organizations. The discussions will also focus on the relevance of the results to today's online education landscape.

Session Goals:

The sessions goals are two-fold:

  1. Introduce the research area and share results as visualizations
  2. Engage in an in-depth discussion that will encourage participants to look at student perception of fairness as part of course design.

 

Conference Track: 
Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
Session Type: 
Discovery Session
Intended Audience: 
Faculty
Instructional Support
Students
Researchers