Guidelines for Online Assessment in Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated a shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT) for educational institutions worldwide, including medical schools. To help faculty design online assessments, guidelines available in the internet were compiled and nine common themes were identified. These nine guidelines for online assessment were discussed in the light of ERT as well as relevance to health professions education. The guidelines include: Evaluate prerequisites for implementing online assessment; ensure alignment of assessment activities with stated learning objectives; address the diversity of students’ situations; maintain a good balance of formative and summative assessments; stimulate student learning with online assessment; consider format; scheduling and timing of tests; establish clear communication to students regarding assessment matters; ensure high-quality feedback; and address assessment validity threats.