Validating a four-factor model of teachers’ online assessment practices in the UAE tertiary education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22166223 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sahbi Hidri (0000-0003-4057-2591, Higher Colleges of Technology, corresponding author), Huda Alblooshi (Higher Colleges of Technology), Slim Khemakhem (Higher Colleges of Technology), Tasleem Kala (Higher Colleges of Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-24 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/feduc.2026.1830811 |
| OpenAlex | W7165768771 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 26 |
Online assessment has largely become a structural component of tertiary education in different contexts, yet limited empirical evidence exists on how university teachers design, implement, interpret, and use online assessment as a coherent multidimensional construct. This study examined teachers’ online assessment practices (TOAP) in Emirati tertiary education context and evaluated the factorial structure, reliability, and model fit of a 31-item TOAP inventory. Using a cross-sectional survey, we collected data from 314 faculty members across multiple academic departments. Our findings showed that the full TOAP inventory demonstrated strong internal consistency, α = .931, and the revised factors also showed strong reliability and adequate convergent validity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a more complex empirical structure than the original four-domain framework, with evidence of overlap among some indicators. Based on the inconsistent results we obtained from EFA, we decided to use confirmatory factor analysis to test a revised four-factor model comprising Assessment Improvement, Assessment Design, Assessment Practice, and Assessment Literacy. The revised model retained all 31 indicators and demonstrated strong model fit: χ 2 (428) = 420.092, p = .598; χ 2 /df = .982; RMR = .041; GFI = .921; AGFI = .909; CFI = 1.000; TLI = 1.002; RMSEA = .000; and PCLOSE = 1.000. The findings supported TOAP as a coherent multidimensional framework in which teachers’ use of assessment evidence, online assessment design, enacted assessment practices, and assessment literacy are related but distinguishable domains. The study siuggested a validated diagnostic framework for strengthening professional development in online assessment, particularly in validity-oriented design, feedback quality, rubric use, moderation, fairness, and AI-resilient assessment practices
Alternative assessment · Confirmatory factor analysis · Empirical research · Exploratory factor analysis · Higher education · Rubric · Structural equation modeling · Online and Blended Learning · Student Assessment and Feedback · Technology-Enhanced Education Studies
Assessment in the age of artificial intelligence
Empowering educators to be AI-ready
Viability of exploratory factor analysis as a precursor to confirmatory factor analysis
Emergency remote teaching in higher education
A scoping review on how generative artificial intelligence transforms assessment in higher education
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Fit indices in covariance structure modeling
An exploratory study of EFL teachers' assessment conceptions and their reading and writing assessment practices
Teacher assessment literacy
Big EdTech
Preparing assessment literate teachers
Designing assessment in a digital world
Designing the digital in authentic assessment
Faculty assessment development in higher education
Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment
| Highly cited | No |
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