Technological support for assignment assessment: A New Zealand higher education survey

Abstract

This article presents selected aspects of a large study on the use of e-learning tools in support of assignment assessment, which was comprised of a substantial literature review, an investigation into electronic tools, and interviews with 90 academics at New Zealand tertiary institutions. The article makes two main contributions. Based on the educational literature it provides an outline of good practice in assignment management and marking, demonstrating what needs to be done to best support student learning and showing how e-learning tools can assist. The second main contribution stems from the interviews that have provided insight into current practices of using e-learning tools for assignment assessment. The analysis of these interviews shows how such tools are used and what experiences the academics have had. Summarising the overall study it can be said that there are strong advantages for student learning and staff workloads in using e-learning tools in support of assignment assessment. These advantages are so far only exploited by a minority of academics and a huge potential exists for further application of e-learning tools and approaches.