Video-based assessments for personalising learning in construction education

Personalising learning is critical to achieving excellence for universities, which entails maintaining an education system that is reactive to the diverse learning needs, aptitudes and interests of individual students, rather than imposing a ‘one-size fits all’ model, and ensures every learner achieves his/her highest potential. Pedagogical literature suggests that learning-oriented assessments that are engaging, authentic and relevant are an effective mode for personalisation. DigiExplanations is a novel approach that requires students to create short digital media to communicate their ideas to ordinary audiences. It offers an opportunity for research-based authentic learning by harnessing digital media that exist outside of their institution and their digital competencies to create personally relevant and interesting resources. The aim of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of DigiExplanations driven assessments for personalising learning in construction education. A case study strategy was adopted in the research. A first-year subject from the construction management degree was chosen as the case, which had a class of 159 students. A new assignment scheme was introduced for which students were required to develop DigiExplanations in groups of five. After the submission deadline, an online survey was conducted with the students to assess how the assessment approach facilitated personalised learning. The survey findings suggest that while the new approach achieved its intended aim, few students perceived it a cumbersome approach as it requires more efforts than traditional assignments.