Acceptance and use of computerbased assessment in university students

Abstract

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has opened new possibilities for teaching and assessment practices in higher education, including computerbased assessment (CBA). Since the effective development of this depends on student acceptance, the present study analyzed the constructs that affect the intention to use CBA through the computer-based assessment acceptance model (CBAAM) at a private university in Mexico. The methodology was quantitative and divided into two phases: 1) application of an assessment with multiple-choice questions with automatic grading, and 2) testing of the measurement and structural model of the CBAAM instrument with 84 first-semester engineering students. The results indicate that playful perception has a direct effect on the use of CBA, while facilitating conditions, computer self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, goal expectation, social influence, and content only have indirect effects. The acceptance model studied explains approximately 47% of the variation in the intention to use. It is recommended to investigate other variables that affect the purpose of use and to apply the model in other contexts for further confirmation.

Keywords

• technology acceptance
• higher education
• computer-based assessment
• electronic assessment