E-Assessment Systems: An Evaluation Framework from the Perspective of Higher Education Experts

Assessment represents a central aspect of the learning process. As learning environments become more flexible and unbound by the restrictions of traditional education and as students increase in number and diversity, technology assumes a critical role in the support of a more adequate, scalable and personalised assessment. The employment of e-assessment systems can assist teachers in the development of several e-assessment initiatives, especially at a time when there is an unprecedented migration towards online learning. This paper aims to identify the essential characteristics of effective e-assessment systems by appraising an evaluation framework to assist teachers to select efficient systems. The learning technology and e-assessment experts, who completed an online questionnaire, validated the identification of the key characteristics of effective e-assessment systems: variety of assessment design options, scalability, security, accessibility and usability, feedback features, personalisation, financial cost and interoperability.