The ‘Test of Tests’
for Higher Ed Tech: Integrated Assessments

For edtech companies catering to higher ed, there are three forces shaping their big-picture strategies. The first, and the most obvious one, is the need to show and prove ROI. And while this need exists in every industry, it is particularly true for higher ed tech vendors, as institutions continue to face growing financial pressure.

Second, the pressure to meet accreditation standards is intensifying. For instance, in 2020, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which accredits over 600 business schools in the United States, made a significant change by updating its accreditation standards to include engagement.

More recently, in January 2024, the U.S. Department of Education suggested modifying guidelines for distance education programs to gather more consistent data on remote learner performance.

Lastly, the challenge of course completion looms large. Institutions are expected to enroll students and ensure they complete their programs successfully.

These three forces—ROI, accreditation, and learner retention—place a big demand on both higher ed institutions and the edtech companies that support them.

While no single solution can fix this, one approach is the implementation of an integrated assessment system. But achieving such a system is often much easier said than done, for many reasons.

 

Top Challenges with Higher Ed Assessments

While there are countless challenges that can come in the way of having an integrated assessment system, there are four key ones that they all boil down to:

1. A Disjointed Digital Ecosystem

Higher education institutions are not digital natives. They’ve built their digital capabilities bit by bit based on specific needs at different points in time. Consider the case of a university forced to use an online test-taking solution during the pandemic. Later, to prevent malpractice, they deployed proctoring solutions from a different vendor. Finally, data from their proctoring tool was shared with a different analytics tool for student performance insights.

As a result, instead of a single cohesive digital ecosystem, they are stuck using a patchwork of tools that may be effective at what they do individually but do not work well together.

2. The Increasing Need to Prove ROI

By switching to new systems, institutions run the risk of not generating enough ROI. They spend more money and effort trying to work with a badly integrated solution.

To avoid this, most institutions are extremely cautious when investing in new edtech, especially those with high upfront costs. This leads to inefficient outcomes that beckon more caution in the next investment rounds.

To break institutions out of this cycle, edtech vendors must guarantee efficiency and ease of adoption.

3. Balancing Scale and Integrity

Scale and integrity are often at odds with each other. The more you scale an assessment, the harder it is to maintain its integrity. Now, you may think that with modern online assessment and proctoring solutions, this is a thing of the past. But that is not the case.

At Massey University, in-person exams were no longer a standard practice. Online supervised exams allowed students to sit for assessments anywhere, monitored by webcams and microphones. But in June 2024, they had to cancel online examinations when about 400 students encountered problems with the online technology: students were either unable to log in or were shown other students’ names and student IDs. This incident not only caused the students to panic but also led to the breach of confidential student data including first and last names, emails, and student ID numbers.

A lot can go wrong while conducting online exams at scale with integrity. Being able to address this is crucial for edtech vendors.

4. The Personalization Problem

Personalization at scale is a challenge so old that feels like it should have been solved by now.

Personalization in higher education has far-reaching effects on the lives of learners. It can be the difference between students completing their upskilling journey and dropping out in frustration. By extension, personalization can be the difference between a higher-ed institution achieving its raison d’etre and not being able to do so.

However, legacy systems are unable to provide granular, real-time insights that can drive personalized learning.

EdTech product leaders usually come to us to solve why their products aren’t taking flight. And more often than not, our answer is the same. While a strong edtech foundation can include the latest hardware, software, and platforms, end-to-end integration will help make the most of it.

Implementing an end-to-end assessment solution means you can do everything “right” with the knowledge that nothing will go wrong. These solutions are also scalable, adaptive, and secure which means that you can demonstrate ROI quickly.

 

How to Deliver Meaningful Integrated Assessment Systems for Higher Ed

Resistance to change is natural with unfamiliar or new tech systems. It can lead to skepticism and fear of adoption or even outright opposition.

University administrators — just as they meet students where they are, have to meet faculty where they are. An integrated end-to-end assessment solution requires careful coordination between people, processes, and established technologies.

The key to solving the resistance puzzle is to take a holistic view of the environment. With the right business case, you can walk the tightrope of implementing integrated assessments with legacy systems at scale. Take a look at 3 ways you can develop a right-sized approach that meets every stakeholder in the middle.

1. Phased Integration of Higher EdTech Ecosystems

A phased implementation plan that lowers disruption. Demonstrate how the new integrated assessment system can scale with the institution’s existing infrastructure.

Fragmented systems, even just for assessments, can create disjointed experiences. The last thing learners need is to switch between multiple platforms during a test. Fragmented experiences can feel confusing or even lead to system failures, as was the case with Massey University’s proctoring system.

2. Ease the Burden of Manual Assessments

Secondly, higher education administrators need solutions that save money in the long run. When Georgia Southern University used automation to transfer articulation test scores into the student information system, it enabled them to significantly reduce the high staff turnover. The report was a manual process that required the enrollment division at the school to view  5,500 test scores a year. The technology took the burden off an overwhelmed and reduced staff and helped them figure out what the baseline is.

3. Offer Tangible Benefits Through Your Assessment Platforms

Lastly, edtech must provide answers that allow institutions to make informed decisions. Following the test score automation, Georgia Southern University also implemented an AI-powered automation within their academic advisement office that helped them streamline their recruitment efforts. What did the technology do? It provided student insights before their meeting with the advisor and checked in on their mental health. This way the university could enhance many aspects of the students’ lives while showcasing clear benefits for academics and mental well-being.

By integrating adaptive, user-friendly assessment platforms with AI-based proctoring and comprehensive analytics, you can ensure that every aspect of your operation adds value.

Now it’s time to walk the talk with someone who can help deliver exactly what a university is looking to buy. In the nascency of integrating assessment platforms, a responsible partner like Magic EdTech can help you bring out the full potential of your edtech product’s performance.

At Magic EdTech, we help:

1. Integrate ready-made assessment components into your current platform for faster results.

2. Upgrade existing systems with advanced features like AI-based proctoring and comprehensive analytics.

We prioritize product integration which helps in realizing the full value of edtech. Visit our website to learn more!