Constructing a Grounded Theory of E-Learning Assessment

Abstract

This study traces the development of a grounded theory of assessment in e-learning environments, a field in need of research to establish the parameters of an assessment that is both reliable and worthy of higher learning accreditation. Using grounded theory as a research method, we studied an e-assessment model that does not require physical presence and that combines asynchronous and synchronous (i.e., with videoconferencing) resources. Through a triangulation of questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, we gathered data from e-learning experts and the instructors and students of a pedagogically innovative online course, ensuring the credibility, transference, consistence, and confirmability of the data. A grounded theory was then developed from the model studied, among whose most striking features was the need to previously design the general aspects of an assessment that is innovative, didactic, reliable, motivating, and criteria generating. Finally, we observed that videoconferencing is an effective resource for guaranteeing the credibility of educational e-assessment.