Assessment remains one of the core aspects of teaching and curriculum development in higher education settings. Choosing an appropriate assessment strategy is one of the core dilemmas facing university tutors. Traditional forms of assessment are primarily focused on corroborating student learning and comprehension of the subject after the learning has taken place. However, the dominant role of these assessment formats is being increasingly questioned. These conventional forms of assessment are intrinsically rooted in a “positivist” methodology which assumes that transmission of knowledge involves “uncovering fundamental truths” about the real world and assessment is an evaluation of whether students have grasped or learned these “fundamental truths.” However, critics of this model argue that such an education pedagogy turns students into “passive learners” and negates the acquisition of knowledge as a process of inquiry. As a result, many undergraduate students acquire only a superficial theoretical knowledge of the subject matter and are unable to adequately develop critical thinking and reasons, and analytical skills.

These deficiencies of traditional assessment methods may be particularly pronounced in case of distance learning students. Existing studies suggest that distance learners often experience feelings of isolation and loneliness due to the absence of a physical learning environment, difficulties in allocating sufficient time for end of semester exams/ assignments due to managing competing priorities related to work, family life and studying; as well as challenges in accessing libraries, academic support and peer networks. This case study research analyses how the assessment methodology was modified from a traditional end of the semester academic essay to a blog-based assignment for a distance learning introductory finance module. Most students on the module comprised of mature learners who did not have any prior background in Finance. Previous module evaluations indicated that there was a high failure rate on the module and many students struggled with academic writing and felt overwhelmed by the process. Therefore, when I took over as the module tutor in 2023 , I replaced the academic essay, with a blog-based assignment wherein students were required to submit four blogs of 750 word each relating to any one core areas of the course content. The case study adopted a “scaffolding” approach where in students were required to write a practice blog and post it on an online blogging site of their choice. During the online workshop, they were broken into breakout groups in blackboard and provided peer feedback on each other’s blog, using the marking rubric specified in the assignment brief.

The case study was evaluated through student feedback on the blogging assessment in the end of the module survey, comparing student performance on the module with two previous cohorts, and qualitative interviews with ten students studying the module. The preliminary results reveal that students expressed high level of satisfaction and engagement with the blogs and found them more interesting to write as compared to a traditional essay. The results also revealed better student performance on the module compared to previous cohorts. However, there were challenges because some students wrote these blogs in a descriptive fashion, relying purely on financial news and failed to engage with core theoretical components on the module.

Keywords: Distance learning, blogging, assessment, undergraduate education.