Research in K12 and higher education contexts suggests that higher education instructors' approaches to assessment are variable and idiosyncratic. There are myriad complex systems which influence instructors' approaches to assessment including instructor identity, institutional and department cultures, regulatory environments, and personal beliefs about the purposes of assessment. One area that seems to have unexpectedly low impact on assessment approaches is the growing adoption of technology in higher education. Technology has become ubiquitous in higher education with impacts seen across most administrative units as well as in teaching and learning. However, research suggests that the impacts of technology on teaching and learning, including assessment, has primarily been to increase the speed and efficiency of outdated practices. Selected response exams can be graded automatically; essays can be collected, graded, and returned electronically; and large classes can be polled through learners' own phones and computers, all saving time-poor instructors time and effort. This [scoping?] review of the literature aims to identify broadly what we know about how technology impacts assessment and instructors' approaches to assessment in higher education.[175 words]
Assessment in higher education, the process of coming to know what learners know or can do and communicating interpretations to interested parties, is a key component of teaching and learning processes. Assessment practices influence whether learners take deep or surface approaches to their learning and consequently influence how well learners perform in relation to course outcomes. Higher education instructors approaches to assessment have been shown to be variable and idiosyncratic due in part to a lack of formal academic preparation for instructors and also the myriad factors that influence their approaches. Approaches to assessment have been shown to be influenced by institutional and departmental cultures, regulatory environments, and instructors' personal beliefs about the purposes of assessment. One factor that has not been explored in depth is the influence of technology on higher education instructors' approaches to assessment. Technology has become ubiquitous in higher education, yet the use of selected-response exams and essays remains high in higher education despite the changing goals of higher education institutions from teaching factual content and individual recall to teaching more complex and creative thinking skills in collaborative contexts. This [scoping?] review of the literature aims to identify broadly what we know about how technology impacts assessment and instructors' approaches to assessment in higher education. [209 words]