Australian university students are generally positive about online exams and gripes often relate to assessment design rather than the online assessment platform, according to a new study.
A new paper on the impact of online exams in HE, authored by academics from Monash, Deakin, Charles Sturt, RMIT, Torrens and UQ, analysed the views of more than 13,700 students surveyed about the impact of online exams, which are becoming increasingly common.
While the authors noted that online assessment and security measures could have a negative impact on student wellbeing and performance, the majority reported they were happy with digital tests.
Online exams became common during the pandemic, and are still employed by many institutions.
“Examinations are often a stressful experience for many students. The introduction of new platforms, processes, technology requirements and security measures could be an opportunity to explore how we might alleviate stress and positively impact student experience. However, it is perhaps more plausible that the additional layers of complexity, especially those related to security, are more likely to exacerbate negative experiences,” the authors wrote.
While students generally were in favour of online exams, the authors reported a ‘startling’ number of negative comments about technology, with more than 2,300 students taking the time to complain about technological issues such as software not working or an inability to upload formulas or handwritten notes.
Key insights from the paper included:
- Design matters – the quality and relevance of assessment designs had a critical bearing on the experience of students undertaking online exams.
- Talk it up – “Institutions can reduce the wide range of negative impacts through improved communication and in-exam support.”
- Students have the answers in more ways than one – co-design of exam platforms with students enabled system developers to create exam environments with fewer bugbears for users.
The authors said the number of complaints relating to assessment design, “highlights that higher education educators may be specialists in their fields but may not have depth of knowledge around assessment design. Institutions implementing online examinations need to maintain a strong focus on staff development.”
