Not Digital or Manual: What Schools Need Is Quality Assessment

Introduction

Recently, there has been an interesting discussion among education practitioners regarding the effectiveness of digital examinations compared to manual essay-based examinations.

Some argue that digital examinations, which are often dominated by multiple-choice questions, may make students less encouraged to study in depth. Critical thinking, writing skills, and literacy are also considered less developed when assessments focus too heavily on objective answers.

On the other hand, many teachers and schools also face challenges when they have to return fully to essay-based examinations. The correction process takes longer, administrative workload increases, and the processing of learning outcomes becomes more complex.

This debate raises important questions:

• Is the main problem in education today really caused by digital examinations?

• Or is there a more fundamental issue that needs shared attention?

Quality Assessment Is Not Determined by the Medium

A quality school assessment is not determined by whether the examination is conducted digitally or manually.

What matters more is how the assessment is designed to measure students’ competencies comprehensively through a combination of multiple-choice questions, essays, projects, portfolios, presentations, and various other assessment methods relevant to the needs of 21st-century education.

In other words:

• The main problem in education is not necessarily digitalization.

• The real problem may lie in the quality of the assessment design used by schools.

Understanding the Real Problem

When the quality of students’ learning outcomes is questioned, attention is often immediately directed to the medium used to conduct the examination.

If the examination is conducted digitally, digitalization is considered the cause.

If the examination uses multiple-choice questions, the question format is considered the source of the problem.

However, in the field of educational assessment, the medium is only a tool.

What determines the quality of assessment is how the assessment is designed to measure the expected competencies.

The far more important questions are:

• Have the questions been designed to measure higher-order thinking skills?

• Are students given opportunities to demonstrate analytical and argumentative skills?

• Is the assessment able to represent students’ competencies comprehensively?

• Is the assessment method used aligned with the demands of 21st-century education?

Are Digital Examinations the Main Cause?

Digitalization is basically a tool.

Technology does not automatically improve or reduce the quality of learning.

If the questions only measure the ability to recall facts, the results will not be significantly different even if they are completed manually.

Conversely, if the assessment is designed to measure analysis, evaluation, argumentation, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, technology can actually become a highly effective tool to support the process.

Therefore, the main focus should not be on the examination medium, but on the quality of the assessment design used by schools.

Root Problems That Need Attention

The Dominance of Low-Level Cognitive Assessment

Many assessments still focus on:

• remembering;

• understanding;

• recognizing information.

Meanwhile, today’s world requires the ability to:

• analyze;

• evaluate;

• solve problems;

• innovate;

• make decisions.

Changes in the Learning Culture of the Digital Generation

Today’s generation lives in an information-rich environment and has very fast access to knowledge.

The challenge of modern education is no longer simply how to memorize information, but how to process information into meaningful understanding.

Dependence on a Single Assessment Model

No single form of assessment can perfectly measure all student competencies.

Therefore, schools need to combine various forms of assessment in order to obtain a more complete picture of students’ competencies.

Why Essay Examinations Remain Important

Essays help measure:

• critical thinking skills;

• argumentative skills;

• literacy skills;

• written communication skills;

• the ability to connect various concepts.

Essays also help students learn to organize ideas systematically and deeply.

Therefore, essay assessment still has an important place in modern education.

Why Digital Assessment Is Still Needed

Digital assessment has various benefits:

Efficiency

Reduces teachers’ administrative workload.

Objectivity

Reduces the potential for assessment errors.

Data Analysis

Helps schools understand students’ competency achievements.

Transparency

Supports documentation and reporting of learning outcomes.

Therefore, digitalization is not the opposite of quality assessment, but one of the tools to support it.

Global Trends in Educational Assessment

Countries with advanced education systems are not fully returning to manual examinations.

What is developing instead includes:

Hybrid Assessment

A combination of multiple-choice questions and essays.

Authentic Assessment

Assessment based on real-life situations.

Project-Based Assessment

Assessment based on projects.

Portfolio Assessment

Assessment of competency development on an ongoing basis.

Performance Assessment

Assessment through practice and demonstration of skills.

Global education trends show that the future of assessment lies in the diversity of assessment methods.

Hybrid Assessment as a Balanced Solution

A more rational approach is not to choose between digital or manual examinations, but to utilize the strengths of both.

Example:

• 60% Multiple-Choice Questions

• 30% Essays

• 10% Case Study or Project

This approach allows schools to obtain a more comprehensive picture of students’ competencies.

Recommendations for Schools

Increase the Proportion of HOTS Questions

Focus on analysis, evaluation, creativity, and problem-solving.

Combine Various Forms of Assessment

Use multiple-choice questions, essays, projects, presentations, and portfolios.

Use Assessment Rubrics

Ensure that assessment is more objective and consistent.

Use Technology Strategically

Use technology to reduce teachers’ administrative work.

Focus on Competencies

Assessment should help students grow, not merely produce scores.

Towards a More Modern School Assessment Ecosystem

In the future, schools need a flexible and integrated assessment system.

Schools need to be able to manage:

• multiple-choice questions;

• essays;

• hybrid assessment;

• project assessment;

• portfolio assessment;

• performance assessment;

• learning outcome analysis.

This philosophy is one of the directions in the development of KBS SMS, which is to support various school assessment approaches flexibly and integratively within one platform.

Conclusion

The debate between digital examinations and manual examinations provides an opportunity for the education sector to reflect more deeply.

The question that needs to be answered is not:

• "Are digital examinations better than manual examinations?"

But rather:

• "Are the assessments we use already capable of measuring students’ competencies comprehensively?"

Digitalization is only a tool.

What matters most is how schools build assessments that are high-quality, meaningful, and relevant to the needs of 21st-century education.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Are digital examinations better than manual examinations?

Not always. What matters most is the quality of the assessment design and the competencies being measured.

Do multiple-choice questions make students think less critically?

Not always. HOTS questions can still measure analytical and problem-solving skills.

Why are essay examinations still important?

Because they help measure critical thinking, argumentation, literacy, and written communication skills.

What is Hybrid Assessment?

A combination of various assessment methods to obtain a more complete picture of students’ competencies.

How does technology help school assessment?

Through administrative automation, learning outcome analysis, documentation, and reporting.

What is KBS SMS?

KBS SMS is a school management platform that supports various assessment models in an integrated way.

Want to Develop a More Modern School Assessment System?

KBS SMS helps schools manage various assessment models in an integrated way, from multiple-choice examinations, essays, hybrid assessment, digital question banks, learning outcome analysis, to academic school management within one platform.

Learn more about educational studies, school assessment, and digital transformation through the KBS SMS Education Insight Center.

References

1. UNESCO. (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023.

2. UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining Our Futures Together.

3. OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 Results.

4. OECD. (2021). 21st Century Readers.

5. Black & Wiliam. (1998). Assessment and Classroom Learning.

6. Wiggins. (1998). Educative Assessment.

7. Brookhart. (2010). How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills.

8. Anderson & Krathwohl. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing.

9. Redecker & Johannessen. (2013). Changing Assessment.

10. Kemendikbudristek RI. (2022). Panduan Pembelajaran dan Asesmen Kurikulum Merdeka.

Content Copyright

This article is official content owned by PT. Kreasi Bali Sasmita Nusantara as the developer of KBS SMS (Key to Better Schooling – School Management System).

All contents of this article are protected by copyright. It is prohibited to copy, distribute, or republish part or all of this article without written permission from PT. Kreasi Bali Sasmita Nusantara (KBS SMS) as the copyright owner.