Insights for future assessment policies and procedures planning and design by open access online higher education providers

We argue that current online education assessment policies and procedures are based on the premise of the traditional student. The traditional student is typically studying full time, accessing campus facilities, and their studies form the main commitment in their lives. However, as student cohorts have evolved in the online teaching space it is no longer appropriate for institutions to base policy and procedure planning and development decisions on redundant learner characteristics. This paper provides the results of a thematic analysis undertaken with 226 online open access students. Top line results suggest strong connections between work commitments and the inability of online students to successfully complete their studies, due largely to outdated and inappropriate assessment policies and procedures. This research offers recommendations for higher education online assessment policy and procedure design, which should improve learner satisfaction and help to reduce online student attrition.