E-assessment; now what does that mean?

I am preparing for a speaking slot at the e-Portfolio conference in Melbourne, Australia and as part of my research discovered a recent report by the Government called, ‘E-assessment and the ATQF (Australian Training and Quality Framework). It took me a while to understand the report until I discovered that the term e-assessment in the Australian context, describes a very limited range of activities, ‘the predominant example of e-assessment is the online quiz.’



There are a few references to e-portfolios other than recognition that there is a ‘slow but persistent growth in the use of e-portfolios in training organisations’ but only a superficial recognition of the benefits that e-portfolios can bring.


What however is ‘common’ with the UK experience is the ‘stifling’ role often played by what in Australia are called ‘auditors’ and in the UK what are called External Verifiers. In fairness to the auditors in Australia they recognise some of their own limitations in terms of their understanding of technology but they raise the same ‘serious questions around the authenticity of evidence gathered by learners and the validity of the assessment tasks given for units of competency.’


It is time that ‘auditors’ recognised, in whatever country they work, that technology provides far more stringent auditing than the most advanced paper system because every action is date stamped in real time and linked to the person undertaking it. Indeed the major opportunity/fear that UK assessment centres recognise is how visible their assessments are now if they use an e-portfolio. It is an opportunity if they are confident in the quality of their assessment procedures or a fear if they are not.