Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have changed
teaching and learning (T&L) experiences and opportunities in considerable ways,
yet T&L interactions in the ICT-enabled 21st century environment have not been
ideal. In an era where there is increasing emphasis on contemporary
competencies, there is an urgent need for relevant modes of measurements that can
evaluate and advance the outcomes of T&L appropriately. This paper discusses the
automation of assessments for 21st century skills, where technology is deployed to
help deliver assessments in a more effective and efficient way. The difficulty lies in
digitizing and interpreting what are essentially non-linear tasks not typically
amenable to discrete analysis; and as technology is unlikely to develop to a point
where complex non-verbal interactions can be reliably assessed in the near future,
educators must play a more prominent role in enhancing T&L processes. This will
be dependent on how well automated response analyses can be blended with
human judgement in the assessment process against a backdrop of pedagogical
changes in the curriculum to incorporate ICT in measurements of 21st century
skills.