Abstract

Many educational institutions have embraced various technological tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning process (Al-Emran et al., 2016; Beard et al., 2019; Simonson et al., 2019). Traditional paper textbooks have been replaced by digital equivalents, physical classrooms have shifted to virtual settings, and paper-based assessments have moved to online platforms. The rise of online technologies has led to the widespread adoption of web-based assessment platforms in recent years. The utilization of these platforms saw even greater acceleration during the COVID-19 pandemic as many traditional in-person classes shifted to online formats. However, the literature has largely overlooked online assessment platforms, especially those developed by major textbook publishers. There are few research studies, particularly within the United States, on the impact of web-based assessment platforms, especially those created by publishers such as McGraw-Hill Connect, Cengage Brain, and Pearson’s My’topic’Lab, regarding their effects on students (Merhi and Meisami, 2022; 2024). In this research, we investigate the factors influencing students’ engagement and perceived learning when utilizing online assessment technologies. Our focus is on examining the interplay between motivational factors and technological features, particularly exploring the role of motivation in mediating the relationship between technological elements and student engagement and learning. We suggest that the technological features of web-based assessment platforms can stimulate students’ psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, which in turn, influence engagement and perceived learning. We posit that the Self-Determination Theory factors, namely autonomy, competence, and relatedness, act as mediators between technological features and engagement and perceived learning levels. We identified three common technical aspects commonly emphasized by publishers in their promotional efforts to ensure the applicability of our findings. Publishers assert that their online platforms provide students with valuable features such as constructive feedback, extensive functionality, and rapid responsiveness. They contend that both students and instructors recognize the significance of these technical attributes. Consequently, we selected these three elements as the focal technological factors for our investigation. We collected data from 335 students familiar with web-based assessment using a survey from one of the public universities in the Midwest. We used PLS-SEM to evaluate the hypotheses presented in the research model and found that the data supported our hypotheses. We will discuss the results and their implications for practice and research at the conference.

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