Vol 6 No 1 (2026)

This article examines Nepali higher education (HE) teachers' and students' experiences and perceptions of online exams and students' cheating on online assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, when HE course cycles--including assessments--were conducted online.The study data were collected using semi-structured interviews with HE teachers and students.The study findings illustrate that while both teachers and students expressed positive perceptions of online exams, the increasing prevalence of cheating on online assessments imposed an added layer of challenges to academic integrity and assessment validity for Nepali HEIs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.The findings offer new insights into the existing body of knowledge on academic dishonesty in Nepal and reveal significant differences between teachers' and students' attitudes towards proctored online exams, as well as the underlying reasons behind students' academic misconduct.We argue that the validity of assessments during the pandemic was more questionable than cheating on online exams itself.

Certification-based vocational education often emphasizes practical training, yet repetitive subject-based learning tasks place a heavy burden on teachers and reduce student motivation. To address this challenge, this study examined the integration of a gamified chatbot into cognitive content instruction for the Level B Computer Hardware Fabrication certification. A quasi-experimental design was implemented across three academic years, involving a control group (conventional instruction), an experimental group using a non-gamified chatbot, and another using a gamified chatbot. Over an eight-week intervention, participants completed pre- and post-tests to measure learning effectiveness, while learner satisfaction was assessed through a validated questionnaire. Results from ANCOVA revealed that the gamified chatbot group achieved learning outcomes equivalent to teacher-led instruction and significantly outperformed the non-gamified chatbot group. Post hoc tests confirmed large effect sizes favoring gamification. Learners also reported greater satisfaction, particularly in reduced boredom and improved alignment with learning preferences. These findings demonstrate that a gamified chatbot can effectively function as a mobile cognitive content instructor, sustaining motivation, enhancing learning outcomes, and alleviating teacher workload in certification-oriented education. The proposed model is scalable and holds global relevance, offering adaptability to other vocational certifications, STEM training, and content-intensive learning contexts.