EExam explained

Electronic exams are exams that are conducted on a computer. They can offer benefits such as ease of marking, reduced need to read illegible handwriting, and time savings.

Models

• eExam System: the first use of any eExam^[1] for the award of a degree was in November 2009 at University of Tasmania.^[2] It was later adopted for entrance examinations by Tasmanian Qualifications Authority in 2011.^[3] In 2016 the eExam became the subject of a national project in Australian universities.^[4] Security methods limit access to the eExam flash drive, prevent use of all communication channels, and require a unique desktop security image photograph for every sitting. The source code is available under open source GPL licences.
• CQUniversity Australia: Exam Pro was used in a supervised eExam consisting of short answer and essay-type questions.^[5]
• Abitti: its mission was to transform university entrance assessments in Finland to by 2020.^[6] The source code^[7] is available under a GPLv3 license.
• RU exam system: this uses a Linux-based system for student laptops at Reykjavik University^[8]
• Secure-Exam-Environment: from Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt uses Moodle on a Knoppix-flavoured Linux distribution.^[9]

Challenges

Objections emphasize the unreliability of computer equipment or the potential for cheating. Some hacks cool the computer to 0 Celsius, allowing eExam information in the computer's RAM to be preserved for about 45 seconds.^[10] This is irrelevant if the exam is published after the assessment and open source software is used (since the material is in the public domain).^[11] These criticisms have been answered by a risk tree comparison with paper-based examinations, finding that typing and handwriting in examinations are similarly secure.^[12]

The challenges of e-exams are usability, increased stress due to unfamiliarity with e-exam systems, and inadequate functionality.

See also

• Electronic assessment

References

Bibliography

• Hillier, Mathew (2014). "The very idea of e-Exams: student (pre)conceptions" (PDF). Rhetoric and Reality: proceedings of ascilite 2014, 23–26 November, Dunedin, New Zealand. ASCILITE. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
• Mogey, Nora and Fluck, Andrew, “Factors influencing student preference when comparing handwriting and typing for essay style examinations”, British Journal of Educational Technology, 46 (4) pp. 793–802.
• Fluck, A and Pullen, DL and Harper, C, “Case study of a computer based examination system”, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 25 (4) pp. 509–523. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1126

Notes and References

1. Web site: Welcome to Electronic Examinations. EExams.org. 2016-08-10.
2. News: Laptops pass the big exam. Lane. Bernard. 18 November 2009. The Australian. 10 August 2016.
3. Web site: ITS315108 exam arrangements in 2011. Geeves. Phil. 19 April 2011. Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards & Certification. Tasmanian Government. 10 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170111044420/https://www.tasc.tas.gov.au/4DCGI/_WWW_notices_read/2953. 11 January 2017. dead.
4. Web site: Transforming Exams - A scalable examination platform for BYOD invigilated assessment. www.transformingexams.com. 2016-08-10.
5. Wibowo. Santoso. Grandhi. Srimannarayana. Chugh. Ritesh. Sawir. Erlenawati. September 2016. A Pilot Study of an Electronic Exam System at an Australian University. Journal of Educational Technology Systems. 45. 1. 5–33. 10.1177/0047239516646746. 64430855 . 0047-2395.
6. Web site: Digabi – timetable. fi-FI. 2016-08-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20170312000801/https://digabi.fi/digabi-en/. 2017-03-12. dead.
7. Web site: digabi/digabi-os. GitHub. 2016-08-10.
8. Alfredsson. Frey. 2014. Bring-Your-Own-Device Exam system for campuses. Nordunet 2014. 10 August 2016.
9. Frankl. Gabriele. Schartner. Peter. Zebedin. Gerald. 2011-10-19. The "Secure Exam Environment" for Online Testing at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt / Austria Why Online-Testing?.
10. Book: Gruhn. M.. Müller. T.. 2013 International Conference on Availability, Reliability and Security . On the Practicability of Cold Boot Attacks . 2013-09-01. 390–397. 10.1109/ARES.2013.52. 978-0-7695-5008-4. 206508798 .
11. Dawson. Phillip. 2016-07-01. Five Ways to Hack and Cheat with Bring-Your-Own-Device Electronic Examinations. British Journal of Educational Technology. 47. 4. 592–600. 10.1111/bjet.12246. 1467-8535.
12. Sindre. Guttorm. Vegendla. Aparna. 2015-12-15. E-exams versus paper exams: A comparative analysis of cheating-related security threats and countermeasures. Norsk Informasjonssikkerhetskonferanse. 8. 1. 34–45. 1894-7735.