COVID-19 pivot: a reflection on assessments

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe certain choices in assessments, in the digital pivot in response to COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is a discursive reflection about one’s personal experience and response to COVID-19. Findings - Communicating suggestions of the changes in advance for feedback, consistency in maintaining the same assessment formats and styles, and being available in real-time during key assessment tasks are important in providing assurance and certainty to students in a time of great uncertainty and stress. Anticipating resource constraints will help to avoid potential system fails. Developing assessments that are authentic in using real-world company filings, the answers to which cannot be readily searched on the internet can significantly reduce the risk of cheating, especially where examination supervision resources are unavailable. Research limitations/implications - Course assessment choices may be specific to a particular course and may not be applicable to all courses. Practical implications - Course assessment choices and the rationales for them, may be of applicability to other educators. Originality/value - This note describes the authors’ personal experiences in adapting to the learning and teaching in the COVID environment.