Digital Trust and Equity in Transnational Education: Rethinking Online Assessment and Credentialing Practices in the Ghanaian Higher Educational New Landscape

Abstract

As online assessments become increasingly prevalent, understanding barriers to equitable access and trust is crucial to ensure fair educational outcomes. Against this backdrop, employing a quantitative research design, the study utilized a cross-sectional survey to collect data from 800 undergraduate students enrolled in online or hybrid transnational education programmes across five leading public universities in Ghana. Results revealed moderate to high levels across key variables such as digital literacy (M=3.95), infrastructure access (M=3.78), and socio-economic status (M=3.45). Significant positive correlations were found among all variables (p < .001), with digital literacy and infrastructure access strongly linked to equitable participation and student confidence. Multiple regression analyses showed that household income (?=0.30), urban location (?=0.26), digital infrastructure access (?=0.28), and digital literacy (?=0.22) were the strongest predictors of equitable participation in online assessments, explaining 54% of the variance (R²=0.54). Confidence in the legitimacy of online assessments was significantly predicted by digital literacy (?=0.52), trust in online systems (?=0.33), and internet stability (?=0.21), accounting for 47% of the variance (R²=0.47). Mediation analyses indicated that perceived trust partially mediated the relationship between digital literacy and equitable participation. Moderation effects showed that internet stability enhanced the positive effects of digital literacy and infrastructure access on trust in online assessment. Overall, the findings highlight the critical roles of socio-economic factors, digital skills, infrastructure, and institutional support in promoting fair access and confidence in online assessments. It is recommended that educational institutions invest in improving digital infrastructure and provide targeted digital literacy training to reduce inequities in online assessment participation.