Self-directed assessment framework for practical tasks for Clothing and Textile Technology undergraduate teacher trainees under COVID-19 conditions

Worldwide, COVID-19 struck as a pandemic. It affected social and economic life in several countries, and the educational system was no exception. Due to the prevalence of the pandemic digital technology has largely come as a critical addition to face-to-face interactions for educational purposes. The majority of learning is now self-directed. A paradigm shift from direct assessment to self-directed assessment was required in light of this development. The purpose of this study was to design an assessment framework for Clothing and Textiles Technology (CTT) undergraduates specifically for practical work and projects. The study derived its understanding from the key concepts that constitute assessment as the broader construct associated with sub-constructs such as skills/competencies and rubric. A qualitative approach was used in which forty students and four lecturers from four purposely selected universities in Zimbabwe participated. Curriculum documents were analysed to identify skills/competencies to be assessed. Focus group discussions with lecturers confirmed skills/competencies identified and then ascertained the rubric for assessment. Validation of the framework was done using a Likert scale with students followed by focus group interviews. Data were analysed thematically. Results showed that students found the model very useful for self-directed assessment of the competencies and skills as outlined by the curriculum document for CTT. Future explorations will help determine the usefulness of a similar framework in theoretic concepts of the CTT curriculum.