Traditional vs. Technology-Assisted Assessments: A Comparative Study of Students with Disabilities in Pakistani Higher Education.

Abstract

This study compares perceptions of Traditional vs. Technology-Assisted Assessment Methods among 200 students with disabilities (visual, hearing, learning, physical, cognitive) in Pakistani higher education. Descriptive statistics of a validated 26-item Likert-scale questionnaire showed strong preferences to technology-assisted assessments based on the characteristics of screen readers, speech-to-text, flexible timing and immediate results, despite the moderate perceptions of reliability and significant technical difficulties associated with infrastructure gaps. The results of inferential analysis (t-tests, ANOVA) showed that there were significant differences by gender (females more positive), disability type, age, institution (public higher), and learning mode, which indicated contextual moderators. Results are consistent with the world literature on the potential of digital tools in inclusive assessment and highlight the challenges facing developing countries to adopt digital assessment such as connectivity and support. Findings suggest infrastructure investments, universal design policy, and blended models as a means of improving equity, performance, and autonomy of disabled students.