For each assessment type, we have summarised: What it’s good at; What it’s not so good at; Technical and ‘staff effort’ implications; ‘Cheatability’ and how to defend against it in the assessment itself, or by overall assessment design strategy. Assessment options: The scores applied (in table, below) to each are a very approximate rating where 5 is high and 1 is low. In reality these scores are strongly influenced by context.Assessment typeComplexityResource requirementMisconduct resistanceCommentAt home open-book written work (long form)131Marking = essayAt-home short duration open-book MCQ or SAQ333 At-home closed book assessments454 Live online oral assessments (viva)225Effort = essayPresentations with live questions225 Submitted videos/ audio/ other224Marking = essayIn-tray exercise 424 Portfolios113Marking = essayReflective journals113Marking = essayBlogs113Marking = essay At-home open-book written work (long form) An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. At-home short duration open-book MCQ or short answer questions Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and Short Answer Questions (SAQs). An example, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. At-home closed-book assessments An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Live online oral assessment (viva) An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Presentations & performances An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Submitted video, audio or other media An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Portfolios An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Blogs An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. Reflective journals An example of this approach, plus: pros and cons; requirements; resistance to academic misconduct and suggestions for making this approach more robust. This article was published on Friday 24 July 2026
