Diploma students' perceptions of online assessment: the anchor that holds them in the ESL classroom

The significance of assessment in Malaysian institutions of higher education has long been an area of concern among learners and educators. The abrupt changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have seen massive transitions from the traditional form of assessments to online methods where the approach is still largely practiced even in the present endemic period. Nevertheless, research that investigated learners’ experience of online assessment during the pressing time of uncertainty is still not fully understood so, there is a need to further explore its importance. A study was carried out to investigate Diploma students’ perceptions of online assessment and the challenges faced in completing the said assessment particularly among English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. The study employed a quantitative research design and involved a group of second year full-time Diploma students (n=62) from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Sarawak Kampus Samarahan, Malaysia. Findings revealed that students had a positive attitude towards online assessment as an integral aspect in learning. Online assessment is also thought to enhance students’ self-learning, is unbiased and fair as well as helps to provide immediate feedback about students’ performance. In addition, economic setback and time constraints were some of the challenges reported by the students. The findings have implications on curriculum development across different programs in designing accurate and effective online assessment in higher education.