The challenge to teach music online is complex and multi-faceted; learning the creative art of music requires a supportive teacher and appropriate assessments, or learning tasks. The shift to online learning due to COVID-19 found many tertiary music instructors quickly adopting online music assessments. Transitioning to teach and assess music students online requires an understanding of assessment alignment to learning objectives as well as appropriate technology adoption. While it is not expected for an entire conservatorium to move all subjects online, there is need to demonstrate both agility and technology adoption for the purposes of inclusive education (e.g., Universal Design for Learning opportunities of video, text and audio), curriculum differentiation (i.e., addressing student-based learning needs), and musically-supportive assessment and feedback mechanisms when teaching music online. Given this context, understanding the degree to which specific online music assessments meet associated student learning outcomes become necessary to support program quality.

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Promoting research-informed practice in online music assessments

Online learning provides opportunities for music students to have access to flexible and accessible learning. As such, the project's resource hub outcome (i.e., website) provides an up-to-date resource for music conservatorium staff, as well as national and international staff, to enhance and address challenges in online music performance, and non-performance online assessments.

 

Results: This project involved a formal systematic review to identify research-informed online music assessments. The results from this systematic review can support a research-informed decision-making process when choosing online music assessments to use in classes. The project itself is communicated internationally through its online resource hub website as well as through more formal knowledge dissemination of presentation and publications. (https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/research/research-projects/learning,-teaching-and-assessment-in-higher-education/online-assessments-in-tertiary-music-classes)