Enhancing online assessment quality through collaboration

COVID-19 disrupted many of the historical ways of operating in higher education. As teaching rapidly transitioned online, it triggered the need for alternative assessments to replace invigilated on-campus exams. With the quality assurance process for invigilated exams unavailable, the burden fell to individual academics. To sustain a focus on quality and good practice, and to support staff within a challenging environment, the Medical Science team at CQUniversity Australia took a collaborative approach based on a staff buddy system. An evaluation of the quality assurance approach revealed three key elements central to its functioning and to its outcomes. The elements included (i) a structural framework, (ii) a joint mission driving efforts and (iii) the learning of lessons. These three elements form the basis of this case study.