Development of a Socioeconomic Inclusive Assessment Framework for Online Learning in Higher Education

Introduction

The mobility restrictions imposed by governments to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak have forced academic institutions to adapt to the new normal by transferring physical classrooms to various digital platforms (Garcia & Revano, 2022; Khan, Kambris, & Alfalahi, 2022; Lemay et al., 2021; Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many unprecedented challenges leaving drastic and profound effects on the education landscape (Lungu & Lungu, 2021; Zdravkova & Krasniqi, 2021). Following school closures due to nationwide lockdowns, many students were exposed to the shortcomings of emergency remote education, such as the lack of infrastructure, low teaching and learning quality, non-conducive learning environment at home, poor internet service, and mental health issues, and limited exposure to online instruction. Teachers face similar challenges but with additional difficulties including intensified workloads particularly in moving all face-to-face learning materials into the online space (Allen et al., 2020; Lin & Yeh, 2022; Treceñe, 2022). The paradigm shift in instruction delivery likewise compelled academic institutions to come up with policies to ensure a continuous high-quality education (Khusanov et al., 2022; Xu & Ma, 2021).

Despite these tremendous efforts, transitioning from traditional face-to-face to online learning has intensified the gaps and inequalities in accessing equal learning opportunities among diverse social groups (Iyer et al., 2022; Pittman et al., 2021; Zdravkova & Krasniqi, 2021). Undeniably, a significant number of students are still denied comparable opportunities in this new learning environment. For instance, in the case of South Africa, Dube (2020) reported that both students and teachers in rural areas face problems of limited network coverage and a shortage of devices. To mitigate these problems, he proposed an inclusive approach to online teaching and learning as the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gap between the rich and poor and those in rural and urban areas. This challenge has demanded practitioners, governments, and stakeholders to work on urgent interventions so that no learners are left behind. Additionally, Hevia et al. (2022) asserted that school closure has resulted in learning loss and an increase in learning poverty, especially in the poorest countries with economically disadvantaged students. One of the potential approaches to mitigating the present problem is by taking an inclusive approach where students are afforded opportunities to continue their education. The inclusive approach goes beyond the original intention to meet the needs of physical disabilities as it now has been extended to include a multi-faceted education (Zdravkova & Krasniqi, 2021). In this renewed version of inclusive education, not only academic support, acceptance, and leadership are the criteria of inclusivity but also the availability of resources and tools in providing equal and fair educational opportunities to learners of diverse backgrounds (Mitchell, 2015). More importantly, socioeconomic factors play an essential role in this new model of inclusive education because they are determinants of student achievement and educational outcomes in general. Given the drastic changes and challenges mentioned above, adopting a socioeconomic inclusive approach to online education is necessary. Socioeconomic inclusion in the context of online education emphasizes the necessity of addressing various needs that could arise due to differences (e.g., income, religion, ethnicity, wealth, social support, and community safety). Hence, a socioeconomic inclusive approach entails the promotion of an equal opportunity policy for students regardless of needs, resources, or backgrounds.