Abstract
This study investigated the extent to which educators incorporate mass amateurization culture (MAC) into digital assessment methodologies in higher education and analyzed whether students' perspectives differ based on gender, course, and academic year. A mixed-methods study methodology was employed, yielding quantitative data from 764 students across five Chinese institutions using a structured survey, and qualitative data from 25 professors via semi-structured interviews. Quantitative results indicated that students evaluated the integration of MAC highly across all dimensions, encompassing access to digital creation tools, the democratization of output quality, the utilization of open-source and free resources, the enhancement of digital literacy, scalability and real-world applications, as well as ownership and personal branding. Inferential analyses revealed no significant disparities in students' evaluations when categorized by sex, course, or year level. Qualitative analysis pinpointed significant challenges encountered by educators, including the necessity for equitable and standardized evaluation of varied digital outputs, the need to tackle disparities in digital literacy and access, the challenge of upholding academic rigor while fostering creativity, the management of heightened instructional demands, and the navigation of infrastructural and institutional limitations.
Keywords: mass amateurization culture, digital assessment, digital literacy
https://doi.org/10.65494/pinagpalapublishing.89
