The Ethics of ICT Assessment in Public Examinations: Reflections on the Zimbabwean Experience

Abstract

Today, the examination system is one of the key contemporary moral issues as technology continues to play a transforming role in societies in all over the world. The prospects for the utilisation of new technologies in the field of education continue to be part of human consciousness from a number of angles. One principal angle, with a strong bearing on the assessment and evaluation of the education system, is that of public examinations. Within the dynamics of modern formal education, it is universally acclaimed that examinations are vital in determining the credibility of the quality of education that any nation offers to its citizens. The utility of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in educational assessment at national, regional and international levels require concerted efforts. Nevertheless, the study observes that the application of ICT in the assessment of examinations is experiencing some impediments in several developing countries in general and in Zimbabwe in particular. At the moment in Zimbabwe, computer-based assessment in public examinations is conspicuously elusive, given that the educational policy since independence in 1980 is miles apart from the reality in schools. The paper posits that ICT, if given adequate funding, can make immense contributions on Quality Assurance (QA) in the educational system in Zimbabwe. The study established that ICT can be utilised as an integral component to improve efficiency, effectiveness and excellence in learning, teaching and assessment. Yet, the authors are convinced that processes of assessment must be anchored in the ethics of human integrity and honesty whose moral essence is religiously informed. Though the use of ICT in educational assessment is still minimal, the study recommends that some synergies should be developed between the government and the corporate world as key stakeholders to reinvigorate the education delivery processes. Methodologically, the study utilised questionnaires administered to Education Officers and School Administrators, teachers drawn from seven sampled Secondary schools in Masvingo District.