Bakry, W.M., Lander, R., Lambrou, N. and Thapar, A. 2015. Paper exams: The end is near. SRHE Annual Research Conference 2015. Celtic Manor, Newport in South Wales, United Kingdom 09 - 11 Dec 2015 Society for Research into Higher Educaton & Open University Press.
| Title | Paper exams: The end is near |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bakry, W.M., Lander, R., Lambrou, N. and Thapar, A. |
| Abstract | Traditional unseen examinations continue to form a significant proportion of students’ assessment within higher education. As student numbers continue to rise, issues related to the security, collection and distributions of the exam scripts are becoming a concern to examiners and administrators. This study analyses students’ perceptions of “Digital Exams” in a pilot study at the University of Westminster Business School. A “Digital Exam” is one where students type their answers to a traditional unseen exam into a locked browser on a computer. Students cannot access the Internet or other material stored on the computer. The exam is invigilated under traditional exam conditions. Students’ answers are uploaded to a remote server where the examiner can login and grade the answers. The post graduate module selected for the pilot had 41 students, of whom eight opted in and thirty-three opted out of the digital exam. The study surveyed all forty-one students to assess their reasons for opting in or out, and further explored the experiences of those who opted in. In addition, the effect of the use of digital exam on students’ performance is tested. Statistical analysis is a conducted to test the significance of the results. The study also highlights the challenges of conducting digital exams, and concludes with a discussion on possible strategies for adopting digital exams in the assessment process. |
| Year | 2015 |
| Conference | SRHE Annual Research Conference 2015 |
| Publisher | Society for Research into Higher Educaton & Open University Press |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 08 Dec 2015 |
| Web address (URL) | https://srhe.ac.uk/arc/conference2015/downloads/SRHE_NR_Abstracts_2015_v2.pdf |