Chapter 12: Digital Assessment of the Acquisition and Utility of Biologically Secondary Knowledge: Perspectives Based on Human Cognitive Architecture

Acknowledging the rapid development and proliferation of digital assessment in schools, universities, and other organizational contexts, we attempt to a) evaluate the congruence between modern technology-based assessment and human cognitive architecture, and b) offer some suggestions that are derived from accumulated research findings of effective learning based on cognitive load approaches. We argue that, since the knowledge to be learned in modern educational and training settings is by and large biologically secondary (which can only be acquired through an effortful process), the associated assessment should reflect corresponding cognitive principles of human information processing that deal with such knowledge. Furthermore, the format and operation of technology-based assessment should be carefully chosen and implemented to ensure that the demands of cognitive load during the assessment are appropriate. Suggestions to avoid some pitfalls in the design of assessment and to maximize the advantages of adopting digital technology are provided.