Re-thinking invigilation implementation: a mixed method approach to student perceptions and system usability for digital assessment adoption

Abstract Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) and the sudden shift to online learning, higher education institutions adopted various approaches to reduce cheating in online assessments, mainly involving online live proctoring (OLP). The international assessment integrity regulation trend also applied to a university in South Africa, where accounting lecturers implemented using a mobile invigilation application (app) during online off-campus assessments. This study explored student perceptions and the system usability of an invigilation app during digital assessments to develop a framework for enhanced technology adoption. This study used a mixed-method, convergence parallel approach from the functionalist paradigm. This included the qualitative exploration of students’ open-ended online feedback and responses on the System Usability Scale (SUS) after using an invigilator app on their mobile phones during an assessment. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, MIS Quarterly 13:319-340, 1989) was used as a theoretical foundation for the study. Universal elements of students’ perceived invigilation experiences identified by Marano et al. (Higher Education Quarterly e12506, 2023) were added to the TAM constructs to create a conceptual framework for the exploration. Students’ online written responses were analysed through the constant comparative method (Boeije, Quantity and Quality 36:391-409, 2002) using ATLAS.ti™ software. Findings were presented as data networks based on the codes created and discussed according to the conceptual framework. The SUS results converged with the qualitative findings to create a novel conceptual model for enhanced invigilation technology implementation. The converged conceptual framework serves as a blueprint for addressing the successful implementation of an invigilation system with average usability by intentionally preparing students and leveraging learnability to address individual and technological concerns, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude for increased technology adoption.