Academic staff in the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been urged to develop guidelines that will ensure that assessment practices are not only rigorous and valid but also relevant to students' future.
The Vice- Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Femi Peters, stated this at a 2-day capacity building workshop, with the theme: "Developing a Regional Authentic Assessment Framework for Open and Distance learning."
The workshop was organised by the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL) in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) for senior staff of West African Higher Education Institutions.
It was held at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Isaac Butswat, who declared the workshop open, the VC implored the participants to engage in deliberations on developing a framework that will guide the implementation of authentic assessment across the ODL-HEIs ecosystem.
"It is my hope that the framework will be enriched by your collective contributions and sharing experiences towards a common goal of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of assessment in Distance Education and shaping the assessment landscape of our region into one that adequately prepares our students for the future of work," he added.
Peters also emphasised that NOUN with over two decades of experience in ODL and in deployment of technology for teaching and learning, is open to collaborating with institutions across the West African sub-region.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Director, RETRIDOL, Prof. Christine Ofulue, stated that the workshop aimed "to equip participants with a framework to develop authentic assessment tools that measure high- order competencies, uphold academic integrity, address diverse learner needs, and reinforce skills vital in our technology driven world."
According to ofulue, the primary objective of the workshop was to equip participants with expertise necessary to develop and implement graduate employability frameworks tailored to their dual-mode HEIs.
She said stablishing foundational knowledge of authentic assessment principles in ODeL, providing practical tools for designing, implementing and evaluating authentic assessment tasks and developing frameworks for authentic assessment focused on institutional integration, amongst others.
The director also stipulated that at the end of the workshop participants would have gained conceptual knowledge of authentic assessment principles tailored to ODeL, collaboratively developed an outline for a framework adaptable for various West African ODeL, among others.
The workshop focused on receiving valuable contributions towards the development of a preliminary outline for a Regional Authentic Assessment Framework, which can be adapted to various national contexts.
It would be recalled that RETRIDOL was established in 2003 through a collaboration between NOUN and Canada-based COL committed to building the capacity of higher education institutions and fostering regional networking and collaboration to advance ODL across the West African sub- region and beyond.
Presentations by resources persons included: Strategies for Implementing Authentic Assessments in ODEL by Prof. David Kolawale Omole; Assessing Psychometric Qualities by Dr. Amos Iliya; Developing an Authentic Assessment Framework by Prof. Olunbgenga Ojo; Evaluating and Assessments by the trio of Prof. Olugbenga Ojo, Prof. Omole and Dr. IIiya.
It was a convergence of directors of distance learning centres, academics from HEIs, representatives from regulatory bodies and ministries of education within the West African sub-region.
Meanwhile, certificates of participation were presented to participants.
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