Virtual Classroom Learning and its Effects on Students’ Assessment at the Higher Level

Abstract

This study sought to determine how higher education students are being assessed in relation to learning in a virtual classroom setting. A virtual classroom can be described as an online learning approach which uses the internet to connect in a similar way to a physical class meeting. The goals were to evaluate students' perceptions regarding online and distance learning and to determine instructors’ perceptions of online assessment. This study was primarily descriptive, employing a quantitative approach to describe the data. It was confined to Government Viqar-un-Nisa Graduate College for Women Rawalpindi. The sample frame comprised 444 students along with 30 teaching faculty from the BS Education, BS English, and BS Psychology programs. A simple random sampling technique was utilized to collect data from 75 students and 28 teachers. For the study, two closed-end questionnaires were designed and their validity and reliability for interdisciplinary assessments were corroborated by expert judgment and through Cronbach’s alpha (0.751 and 0.856 for teachers and students, respectively). The researcher personally gathered the data, which was analyzed and summarized descriptively through frequencies and percentages. The study concluded that learning through a virtual classroom considerably impacts a student’s assessment and overall academic performance. The study recommended that both students and teachers enhance their learning and relationship by improving their communication, behavior, feedback and attitudes.