Digital upskilling pathways for sustainable assessment in Higher Education

During the Covid-19 pandemic, 95% of Higher Education Institutions were affected, having to shift towards an emergency remote teaching to respond to the restrictions and challenges posed by the pandemic. This situation had its toll on the way assessment took place in higher education, which was already affected by the proliferation of technologies in the past couple of decades. Furthermore, according to the DigCompEdu framework, any attempt to integrate digital technologies into teaching and learning should take into consideration how digital technologies can enhance existing assessment strategies. At the same time, according to the DigCompEdu authors, it is important to consider how digital technologies can be used to create or to facilitate innovative assessment approaches. According to the European Framework for the Digital Competences of Educators (2017), the digital teaching competence of academic staff is at a low level. The research completed for the OpenEdu Project and its related investigations (OpenCases, OpenCred, OpenSurvey and MOOC knowledge) shows that albeit digital training is a priority in Europe, numerous higher education institutions in Member States do not have a strategic plan for opening up their practices

It is essential for faculty members to re-conceptualise their professional profiles, functions and roles -- but also, to enhance their training and professional competences and skills to keep up with emerging technologies and digital transformation. Therefore, the DigitalHEIghts project set out to promote a sustainable pathway for transforming assessment in higher education through development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity, and support digital capabilities of the higher education sector; this was done by making use of the DigComp Edu framework for higher education, the Digital Action Plan, the HEInnovate self-assessment tool and the European Education Area policy making and strategies. The Digital HEIghts project aimed to support the digital upskilling of faculty members within the field of digital assessment, develop integrated learning material in the field of digital assessment to support faculty members/academics and researchers, and provide academics with opportunities to expand their network and practice mentoring through the use of an interactive map on the E-Learning platform.

At the very start of the Digital HEIghts project, an internal communication protocol and project management protocol were developed to help establish the rules of communication and methodology for executing project activities among partners. Project management reports (i.e., actionable items and minutes for each meeting) alongside 2 quality assurance reports (i.e., interim & final) have helped to control for quality of project activities and supported in the evaluation of project results. A dissemination plan was developed to outline external communication protocols amongst partners; it also set out a branding concept to ensure uniformity in how the project is disseminated by partners. A Digital HEIghts e-Brochure and 4 e-newsletters, which were disseminated in unison with the development of various project milestones/developments throughout the project (e.g., the finalisation of PR2), supported in the dissemination of project results to selected target groups/stakeholders; these dissemination materials were translated in Greek, Italian, German, Portuguese, English. Such materials are all available on the Digital HEIghts project website (note: the first project was developed within 3 months of the project, but due to issues with the hosting server, another version has since been developed: https://digitalheights.site/). In addition to the development of the 3 core project results themselves (i.e., e-Learning Platform with Peer Mentoring Interactive Map Functionality, Online Learning Toolkit for Sustainable Assessment, and Microlearning Professional Development Online Course/MOOC), pilot testing and follow-up activities were conducted; specifically, within the realm of project result 3 (MOOC), 10 faculty members in each partner country were involved in the pilot testing of the microlearning course, which fed into the pilot reflective report. Reflective evaluation summary reports of the project results (i.e., long-term training activity, or LTTA, and project results 1-3) are summarised in the final quality assurance report conducted by the University of Turin. A long-term training activity (LTTA) training, hosted in March 2023 at the University of Turin, helped facilitate the development of the project activities, specifically in regards to the fine-tuning of the Digital HEIghts Sustainable Assessment Strategies Toolkit. This transnational and intercultural experience will allow faculty members to exchange knowledge and best practices from various academic disciplines. The LTTA coincided with 1 of 3 in-person Transnational Partner Meetings (TPMs) and regular Virtual Partner Meetings (10+) held throughout the project lifetime to reinforce timelines for the completion of various project activities and results. In terms of ensuring the longevity of the Digital HEIghts project, a sustainability plan – i.e., a detailed strategy for how to ensure the project remains beneficial and active beyond its funding period – as well as an impact plan, which sets guidelines and indicators for project activities, were developed and approved by the project consortium; at the core of the project remains the concept of sustainability, in that digital assessment strategies and methodologies should be improved in the short term to ensure long-term sustainability and success. Finally, multiplier events were held in each of the partner countries to engage a broader cycle of interested parties (i.e., faculty members, researchers and students in higher education) by presenting the platform, learning toolkit, microlearning course intended to improve assessment strategies, the analysis of evidence, feedback and planning for educators. A successful final conference was held in Cyprus to inform over 80 faculty members, academics, researchers and Higher Education Institutions representatives about the results, impact and future activities resulting from the Digital HEIghts project.

The Digital HEIghts set out to implement 3 main project results: an e-Learning Platform with Peer Mentoring Interactive Map Functionality (PR1), an Online Learning Toolkit for Sustainable Assessment (PR2), and a Microlearning Professional Development Online Course (PR3). The E-Learning Platform serves as database for all project results and operates as both as a learning and training platform as well as a communication platform. The Platform is used as digital upskilling portal between members and the broader audience. The platform also hosts an interactive map feature for peer to peer mentoring to support the Digital HEIghts community during and after the project lifecycle. The Online Learning Toolkit for Sustainable Assessment through Digital Technologies consists of digital assessment strategies. The principles of the DigCompEdu framework are be incorporated into realistic learning scenarios. The Toolkit make use of digital evaluation tools for tracking the learning process and gathering data on students’ progress. Also, it makes use of digital technology to enhance formative and summative evaluation strategies. The Toolkit offers a common frame of reference in the form of a manual with guidelines on how to apply digital assessment strategies to deliver a better learning experience to students. A long-term training activity (LTTA) training, hosted on 28-29 March 2023 at the University of Turin, helped facilitate the development of the project activities, specifically in regards to the fine-tuning of the Digital HEIghts Sustainable Assessment Strategies Toolkit. The dedicated 21-hour LTTA training was provided to over 24 faculty members, who then used their newfound knowledge promote the project results to their respective networks. This transnational and intercultural experience will allow faculty members to exchange knowledge and best practices from various academic disciplines.