Usability Evaluation of Digital Learning Tools for Online Assessment: A Study of Malaysian Technical Education Institutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital learning tools for online assessment in higher education institutions. This study evaluates the usability of digital learning tools used for online assessment submission in Malaysian technical education institutions. Using the USE (Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease of use) questionnaire, data were collected from 80 students and 21 lecturers from community colleges (kolej community) and polytechnics in Johor, Malaysia. The findings reveal that Google Classroom is the most frequently used digital learning tool (79% usage rate), followed by Microsoft Teams (9.9%). While lecturers expressed high satisfaction with digital learning tools (mean score 4.43-4.71), students showed lower satisfaction levels (mean score 2.63-2.69), particularly regarding ease of use and immediate feedback mechanisms. The study identifies a significant gap between educator and student perceptions of digital learning tools, highlighting the need for improved user interface design and enhanced feedback systems for formative assessment. These findings contribute to the understanding of usability factors in educational technology and provide insights for improving online assessment tools in technical education contexts.