Emerging technologies in educational assessment: The need for teachers’ competence

Abstract

The practice of students’ assessment in our educational system has been described as pervasive and takes on so many different forms. There has been a long history and a growing concern about the quality of our students’ assessment and the use of the assessment results. The results from both formal and informal assessments typically have been weighted heavily in decisions about the students, programmes and policies. There are malpractices in students’ assessment which can have detrimental and irreversible consequences which may affect human lives as well as the school programmes. Educational assessment affects not only the teaching and learning; it also affects the society as a whole. Because the impact of educational assessment can be complex and unpredictable, the teachers who are at the centre of its implementation must be adequately trained in all aspects of educational assessment and in the use of emerging technologies and tools in order to cope with the future of the educational system. This paper looks at the purpose and importance of educational assessment, emerging technologies in educational assessment, educational assessment, redefined issues to be considered for teachers’ competence in assessment, towards a new assessment agenda for the future, and the teachers’ competences in the future we want in our educational assessment.

Keywords: Teachers’ competences, educational assessment, future education system, information and communication system.