Today is the age of technology and innovation; you can find technology in every step you take. Whether you’re greeted in the morning by notifications on your phone or the school you go to. Technology is in every area of our lives, from the e-Books in the library to the online examination system used.
As time passes, new machines can continue to transition into different sectors and industries. Among these is the educational system that has begun to increase in popularity.
The global pandemic has forced many universities to transition the existing system online. Anything from enrolling, school lectures, and graduation ceremonies, many institutes have to use online systems.
Online learning may not be ideal and is the topic of many heated debates. However, one thing is for sure, the option is there, and it might be the only option available.
If universities were to go strictly virtual, then many things need to be fixed. As of now, one of the biggest concerns when it comes to online learning is online examination systems.
Examinations
One of the most feared parts of the school is pieces of paper that put everything you studied to the test. These examinations serve many purposes. Some are meant to improve a student’s critical thinking, monitor their progress, and improve memory.
Examinations have been a priority in education. It is mainly how teachers, schools, and governments monitor learning. Maintaining this method of monitoring will allow different institutes to know if they are effectively educating their students.
Tests have been a crucial part of universities. You can find many businesses dedicated to reviewing students for “big exams.” Examinations are so vital that they can determine who has the right to operate on a patient and who can plan outhouses.
Online Examination Systems
Different companies have started to emerge concerning virtual learning. Some businesses, such as GoSchooler, help schools on their virtual journey by providing the essential tools needed for a successful university. One of the vital tools needed by a university is online examination systems.
As seen below, this management platform has several features that will help you create, manage, and track online exams. The entire process is made easier with GoSchooler.
Online examinations are like the original tests only, in this case, there is no paper or a pen because everything is online. As mentioned, the transition to online learning has begun. Together with online examinations, these are considered the top priorities.
Preparing Online Examination Systems
Online exams may be a new topic but preparing for exams has always been a critical practice. Therefore, you can look at online exams as a modern step up from the regular pen and paper tests.
Preparing a modern version of tests is done by mirroring what a proper physical exam looks like. A well-formulated exam discusses content relevant to the topic and provides the same level of difficulty for every student.
With that in mind, exams need to consider the following.
- Security
- Content/Relevance
- Accessibility
- Fairness
1. Security
One of the main concerns for examinations, in general, is combating cheating. Different examination systems have their methods to counter cheating attempts.
Some licensure examinations prevent test-takers from bringing any personal belongings to the examination room. Other exams have proctors to watch over students and stop any wandering eyes.
Ensuring security and academic integrity in an online examination is quite challenging. Virtual examination systems let people access these tests from home. It is unlikely that you can take personal belongings from their own home.
Another aspect of online examinations that makes security a problem is the manner of students taking an exam. Most exams have students drop their phones off or keep any device in the bag and out of their reach. However, if you take a student’s device, you take away their access to an exam.
All of these may seem like severe problems that make security for an online examination system impossible. However, different institutes and companies have taken additional steps to ensure integrity.
Some schools require students to turn on their cameras during examinations. The camera provides the same effect as having a proctor in the room standing beside them. Another answer is to use examination platforms for these tests.
Some online examination systems prevent students from accessing other websites or parts of their devices during an exam. Other platforms record the screen that a student is accessing to show what they see.
Exam.net is an online examination portal used today. It provides a secure platform for students to take their exams and also have their plagiarism checkers.
2. Content and Relevance
As mentioned, exams are important as they test what a student should know based on difficulty. However, creating a proper online examination isn’t all about how online exams are conducted. A huge chunk of it is making sure that the questions themselves are relevant.
You may have the best security system, but it fails to measure the students’ understanding if the exam isn’t relevant to the topic. The criteria would say that it isn’t a reliable online exam. Just like preparing for a physical exam, the questions need to be analyzed and checked if they belong to the scope of the syllabus.
An online examination system that is focused on the wrong topics is ineffective and frustrating for the student.
3. Accessibility
Having a relevant and secure exam is an outstanding achievement, but these strengths become insignificant if students cannot access them. Accessibility discusses who gains access to the exam.
How are these exams being distributed, and will the right people get them?
As you can guess, this is more complicated when it comes to virtual examinations. Physical exams simply involve passing the paper to the right student, which isn’t possible in online exams.
Online examination systems ship the questions through a network of wires and servers before they can arrive at the target student. School management platforms play a crucial role here.
Some systems require large bandwidth and cannot be accessed by those who have subpar internet. Therefore, choosing the right platform may be the deciding factor whether a student gets to access their education or not.
Accessibility isn’t simply making sure that the exams get to the right people. Accessibility is also about ensuring that these people can get to the exam.
4. Fairness
Talking about fairness is an overlooked topic when it comes to exams, but it is just as important. Some people may have thought, “Well, we can just shuffle the questions to prevent cheating,” and to some extent, it works. Students can no longer message their classmates the question numbers and their answers.
Shuffling changes the order in which questions appear to a test taker is a factor in the difficulty they experience. However, scrambled questions haves their weaknesses.
If one student were to get all the easy questions right away, then it might affect the energy left for the rest of the exam. In contrast, a different student may have all the difficult questions right away and have no power for the rest of the exam. The latter pertains to test-takers fatigue, which happens more often during periodic examinations.
All of these minuscule factors show why online examinations shouldn’t be taken lightly. Seemingly obvious answers might help in security but sacrifice fairness. Preparing an excellent online examination system involves ticking all the right boxes with a good balance.
FAQs
What is the main objective of online examinations?
What are the advantages of online exam systems?
On top of that, it is a paperless process that reduces the legwork for the teachers and the school administration.
In Conclusion
Today, we are at the age of modernization, and we should prepare for the changes that will occur in the next few years. A change in how exams are conducted may seem shocking and gruelling, but it can be possible with the right approach.
Having the right approach to online examinations is very important, especially since a test score may dictate a considerable part of a person’s life. Therefore, making sure that an online examination system is secure, relevant, accessible, and fair is of the utmost importance.
This new form of testing may seem intimidating, but change is always confusing and sometimes scary. It’s all in how we carry ourselves despite the confusion.
