Students’ perceptions of the Moodle Quiz E-assessment tool in an isiZulu language course

Abstract

MOODLE, a free open source software, is the official Learning Management System (LMS) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The institution’s mandate to all academics to integrate Moodle into their respective disciplines for teaching and learning, created a space for the researchers to experiment with the Quiz tool as an alternate assessment method, as part of routine formative and summative assessments. Whilst there are many research studies that endorse e-assessments at tertiary institutions, this is an uncharted area of research within the field of teaching and learning of isiZulu in South Africa. As a result, there is a lack of empirical evidence to assist with curriculum integration and implementation thereof. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions and experiences on such integration and implementation of e-assessments. A questionnaire was administered to sixty first year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) students enrolled for isiZulu. Permission to conduct the research was sought from all relevant gatekeepers. This study is set against the behaviourist, cognitive and constructivist learning frameworks. Findings from this study affirmed the numerous benefits of including e-assessments as part of the assessment method. However, further improvements to the design of the isiZulu quiz e-test were suggested.

Keywords: e-assessment; second language isiZulu; student perceptions;
Moodle; Learning Management Systems