Adapting to Disruptions: Strategies of Mathematics and Science Teacher-educators Towards Maintaining Assessment Credibility in Transitioning from Face-to-face to Online Modalities

This paper explores the challenges faced by Mathematics and Science teacher-educators at a South African university in maintaining assessment credibility during the transition from face-to-face to online modalities. It utilises a Professional Learning Community (PLC) framework and authentic conversations amongst nine PLC members as a means of documenting scholarship of teaching and learning. The study delves into the challenges relating to disruptions to traditional assessment practices and the strategies employed to navigate them. The research is guided by the substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition model, which provides a theoretical lens for understanding the evolution of technology in teaching and assessment. The findings reveal four key challenges: assessment integrity issues, load shedding disruptions, technical glitches and limited lecturer expertise in designing and administering higher-order online tasks. While the transition initially involved substitution and augmentation, with online assessments often deemed ‘too simplistic’ and prone to issues of academic integrity, efforts to move towards the modification phase showed promise. Modifications, in the context of assessment, included adapting the assessment task to ensure Mathematics and Science concepts are effectively assessed in an online, non-invigilated settings, as illustrated in the paper. Despite these advancements, progress towards the redefinition phase where assessments are fully integrated and technologically sophisticated to mitigate unethical usage of artificial intelligence remains limited. The paper argues that achieving this phase requires sustained and deliberate training for teacher-educators in advanced technological integration, emphasising the need for continued professional development in the post-COVID era.