Reframing Unseen Exams in Post-Pandemic Pedagogy Based on Student Perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic had unprecedented impacts, both directly and indirectly, on student populations across the UK. As teaching has returned to ‘normal’, in person exams have made a comeback and so has the debate about the value of unseen exams as a method of assessment. This research provides a comprehensive insight into student perception of exams in light of their COVID-19 educational experiences. This research combines student perspectives on unseen exams, considering this is a generation of students who have perhaps never sat a regular written exam before due to pandemic. Student perceptions are combined with academic staff experience on delivering unseen exams to identify their suitability within curriculums that promote authentic assessment and research-led teaching. The thematic analysis of results identifies that students feel strongly about the purpose, fairness, and authenticity of unseen exams, and the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have lasting impacts on student perception of their university experience. The themes identify practical considerations for academic staff when considering the inclusion of unseen exams in their teaching, most notably with respect to accessibility, support needs, and assessment design.