The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on on-line examination: challenges and opportunities (original) (raw)

Online Written Exams During COVID-19 Crisis: An Update After One Year

Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on e-Learning (EL 2021)

The paper discusses what happened since May 2020 up the end of April 2021 regarding online written exams at the University of Milan, where the solutions identified during first pandemic lockdown (and described in a paper presented last year at e-Learning 2020) have been applied. In particular, the paper shows how the different envisaged scenarios have been perceived and applied by the teachers. Presented data clearly show the large adoption of the scenarios self-handled by the teachers with respect to costly and complex proctoring platforms, used only when numbers of students in a single exam are too large to be self-handled.

Pre-University Online Examination During Pandemic COVID-19: Experiences and Challenges

Journal of Information System and Technology Management, 2021

Over the last decade, online examinations have been widely practiced in both the private and government sector. Working professionals preferred the online examination because it provides them with the flexibility of time and location. However, it is not a common practice in educational institutions. Examinations are always conducted in the traditional method through physical attendance, paper, and pen. The outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic and a long duration of lockdown is a game-changer towards assessment and educational approaches that differs from traditional face-to-face methods. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the first online examination experiences and challenges faced by the foundation of science students in the Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology (PPST), Universiti Malaysia Sabah. A pre-survey questionnaire was independently developed to study these purposes. A sample of 252 students from intake session 2019/2020 is affected by this COVID-1...

Student Perceptions of Online Examinations as an Emergency Measure during Covid-19

Journal of Learning for Development

This article explores student perceptions of writing online examinations for the first time during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, examinations at an open and distance learning institution in South Africa were conducted as venue-based examinations. From March 2020, all examinations were moved online. Online examinations were introduced as an emergency measure to adhere to safety and health protocols. Although students in developed countries have indicated benefits to online examinations, less is known about students living in the Global South when it comes to writing examinations online. Not enough is known about the benefits and challenges of online examinations since they were implemented as an emergency measure. We aimed at exploring student perceptions of writing online examinations for the first time, improve examination processes by including student views. Through an analysis of 336 written responses to an open-ended question posed at the end of an online surve...

Online Written Exams During COVID-19 Crisis

Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on e-Learning (EL 2020)

The paper deals with the problem of carrying on online written exams in the University of Milan, suddenly closed due to the Covid-19 emergency. Main goal of the paper is to present and compare the different scenarios envisioned, depending on the number of students to be monitored in parallel to avoid cheating. For limited numbers, direct monitoring by the teacher has been suggested, with different supports depending on the type of exam proposed by the teacher (open vs. closed answer questions, presence of handwritten parts). For larger numbers, a proctoring system has been adopted, after some comparisons between two commercial solutions. Results show a very large adoption of a solution allowing teachers to monitor in real time students answering open questions on their home computers.

University Written Exams Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTED proceedings, 2022

During the lockdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Universities had to face the problem of online examining students at the end of the various courses planned in their bachelor and master degrees. In particular, different solutions for student proctoring during written exams have been identified, depending on the number of students to be examined. This paper concentrates on the results of application of these solutions for one complete academic year (from May 2020 to April 2021) compared with a normal, nonpandemic year (2018-19). Particular attention is given to number of exams and average grade (i.e., measure of student level of competence, ranging from 18/30 to 30/30 cum laude in the Italian system) attributed to students by the teachers belonging to the different faculties/schools

Online examination: a feasible alternative during COVID-19 lockdown

Emerald , 2021

Purpose-The purpose of this case study is to share the authors' involvement and observation in adopting online exam as an evaluation tool, in the hope that others may too be able to adapt and circumvent this lockdown period while bringing a more reliable methodological approach in an online exam. Design/methodology/approach-This is a case study that reports the application of an online examination for a year 3 MBBS Professional Exam during the period of lockdown (movement control). This case highlights the conduct of online theory in the form of single best answer multiple choice questions and online practical via objective structured clinical examination, without jeopardizing the integrity of the system, and the measures adapted to mitigate potential academic dishonesty. Findings-The authors' observation shows that online exam can be conducted in scenario where conventional exam is not possible. Research limitations/implications-This is an observation in a real-life scenario that discusses the purpose and the process. A single study may not be sufficient to relate the reliability and generalizability of the analysis. Practical implications-The practice of social distancing is a hindrance towards traditional classroom teaching. Online exam has promising potential to be the solution to this problem. The authors have demonstrated that an MBBS theory and practical exam can be conducted remotely without any physical contact, without any compromise in achieving the learning objectives within the curriculum. Medical education can proceed with a new drive while ensuring the learning process continues a stable momentum. Originality/value-Online examination is almost unheard of, especially for undergraduates in the medical programme. This study highlights a plausible approach in the design of the online examination and identifies the barriers and favourable edges of this platform.

E-proctored exams during the COVID-19 pandemic: A close understanding

Education and Information Technologies

Researchers have focused on evaluating and exploring the online examination experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, understanding the perceptions of using an e-proctoring tool within the online examination experience is still limited. This study explores the first unique experience for students' attitudes and concerns using an e-proctoring tool in their final exams during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the e-tools' impact on students' performances to guide educational institutions towards appropriate practices going forward, especially as the pandemic is expected to have far-reaching consequences. A mixed-methods analysis was used to examine heterogeneous sources of data including self-reported data and officially documented data. The data was analyzed by a qualitative analysis of the focus group and quantitative analyses of the survey questions and exam attempts. In June 2020, students participated in a focus group to elaborate on their attitudes and concerns pertaining to their e-proctoring experience. Based on the preliminary outcomes, a survey was developed and distributed to a purposive sample (n = 106) of students from information technology majors who had taken at least one e-proctored exam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, 21 online exams with 815 total attempts were analyzed to assess how well students performed under an e-proctored test. The study's findings shed light on students' perceptions of their e-proctoring experience, including their predominant concerns over privacy and various environmental and psychological factors. The research also highlights challenges in implementing the e-proctoring tool as well as its impact on students' performance.

Challenges of running online exams and preventing academic dishonesty during the Covid-19 pandemic

Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

The challenge The unprecedented and unexpected changes caused by Covid-19 called for innovative solutions to address online assessment challenges to ensure academic integrity. This reflection looks at two universities from Asia and Australia, comparing how they addressed the challenges of conducting online assessments and related issues brought about by Covid-19. Both universities have converted their on-campus assessment to online assessments during the pandemic and will continue with this in the post Covid-19 period. The challenges that University A experienced included: • Occurrence of several whistle-blowing cases, where students informed the school that their classmates were colluding on WhatsApp groups or video communications such as Zoom. • Students outsourcing their assignments to 'ghost-writers' or plagiarising heavily from websites such as Coursehero or Chegg, which provided model answers for their assignments. • Student concerns regarding stability in online exam delivery and privacy trepidations. Peh, Cerimagic and Conejos Challenges of running online exams and preventing academic dishonesty during the Covid-19 pandemic

Online Delivery and Assessment during COVID-19: Safeguarding Academic Integrity

Education Sciences

Globally, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise daily despite strict measures being adopted by many countries. Consequently, universities closed down to minimise the face-to-face contacts, and the majority of the universities are now conducting degree programmes through online delivery. Remote online delivery and assessment are novel experiences for many universities, which presents many challenges, particularly when safeguarding academic integrity. For example, invigilated assessments, often considered as more secure, are not an option given the current situation and detecting any cheating would be significantly challenging. This paper reviews assessment security in the digital domain and critically evaluates the practices from different universities in safeguarding academic integrity, including associated challenges.

Online assessments during COVID-19 pandemic - A paradigm shift in educational strategy

Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College

Introduction: Covid-19 pandemic has instigated changes in the teaching and assessment practices of institutions in many parts of the world, resulting not only in online teaching but also in online assessments. The present study analyzes the perceptions of students regarding the first online assessments conducted at a medical college in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: This Mixed method cross-sectional study was conducted in Wah Medical College, National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Rawalpindi, Pakistan from July to November 2020. The questionnaire was developed after the collaboration of the authors and a review of the pertinent literature on online examinations. Universal sampling was done and all students of WMC were invited to participate in the study. Data collection was done by google forms and analysis was performed on SPSS. Results: Students from all five years of the MBBS program participated almost equally in the study. Students of 1st, 3rd and 4th year were not c...