More than one billion students worldwide have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The news of cancelled exams has been widely covered by the press and has left many asking what solutions exist to enable students to continue to study and to sit important examinations.
There are a number of companies who provide software on which to create online examinations, which means students can sit examinations on a computer rather than pen-and-paper. This enables students to take their exam away from a test centre and reduces the need for passing around physical items such as exam papers, which is important in an era of social distancing.
In Nigeria, we are aware that the pandemic also made the options for some schools to adopt online mode of teaching, in which our great university, University of Ibadan is a part of too. As we are all aware, we are already in the 11th week of our “virtual semester” for the 2020/2021 session. I am sure that a lot of us are already used to the whole system of the virtual classes, compared to when we just started the semester, a lot of us were very confused and anxious to see how the virtual lectures would go. Some departments had not started giving lectures to students, even till the fifth week. Sigh!. We all must have enjoyed the good (convenience), the bad (network issues resulting in zoom zooming you off, lol!) and even the ugly (sleeping off which leads to forgetting classes, or even about a test that held. Deep right? and also bad network too).
The fact that we are already in the eleventh week tells us that exams are approaching. Online exams, we have never done it before, even about to write my first online test soon. I pray for the very best. I am sure you might have your own share of experiences with online tests too. You can let me know about your experiences in the comments box below. Exams are fast approaching and a lot of us might be anxious about writing online. But before I talk about anxiety and online examinations, let me help you with some facts about online examinations. You might have done some sort of online examinations in the past, probably not academic related though. You might have noticed some of these facts that I am about to make mention of.
Online Exams Offer Greater Security of Data
Once exams are being done online, the information gathered is no longer being moved around on exam papers and on excel spreadsheets. All information – questions, test papers, candidate details, candidates’ answers, marking and results – are stored safely and securely in one location. Depending on your provider, this data will be stored in the cloud with back-up servers providing extra peace of mind.
Cheating Prevention in an Online World
Online examination software that uses remote invigilation to deliver the exams, has a number of build-in protections against attempts to cheat in examinations. The invigilator or proctor will be trained to observe the candidate closely via audio, video and screenshare. They can at all times see and hear the candidate and see their screen. If anything outside of exam rules occurs, the supervisor can raise an infringement and if this is severe, access to the exam can be stopped. I can recall that the University of Lagos mandated their students to get webcam for their laptops to be used in their exams. This was initiated so as to prevent cheating during examinations. Students that didn’t possess a laptop had to use the cyber cafe.
Accessibility to Examinations for All
Online
Online examinations can make it easier to adapt examinations for people who require special adjustments. So for example, depending on the exam software used, candidates with dyslexia or visual impairments can access specialised exam interfaces, that have been adjusted for size, contrast etc. to make it easier to use. An online exam, unlike pen-and-paper, can also facilitate a zoom function – a simple point, but one which can make a huge difference to candidates with visual disabilities. You can read more about
Now that you have read my points, I hope you have digested it too, so let’s jump into the main purpose for writing this article. What is anxiety?. Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. The first day of school, going to a job interview, or giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous. lt is safe to add online examinations to the examples given with the definition right?. We feel anxious when preparing for test, exams, etc which is totally normal. The university having to settle for online examinations might indeed look scary, given to the fact that firstly is that we have not done online examinations before, which is understandable and so it might seem scary. Preparing for the exams might not be a challenge to you, you might must have gotten used to it for two, three, four years now depending on the one applicable to you. You are used to all the TDBs (Till Day Break) and MTNs (Morning Till Night) readings that you do. I know with physical examinations, some of the challenges that we face can be falling sick during exams, inadequate preparation, forgetfulness and sleepiness etc. You can add yours in the comments section. But with online examinations, all these challenges can still be witnessed in addition to major challenges like bad network, lack of good communication with your invigilator, no access to a good phone or you possess a phone with faults especially with the screen etc.
All these problems are enough to make any student to feel anxious about online examinations and you know your anxiety level could be higher than what it is when taking a physical examination. I will explain some of my points below for proper understanding.
Internet Connectivity
Internet connectivity is still a huge problem in rural and remote areas. In the case of a concurrent number of exams, internet connectivity can be a huge challenge for the smooth flow and execution of the online exam.
Communication with exam candidates
An online exam is conducted across multiple locations. It is essential that communication with remote candidates is conducted seamlessly to clarify any doubts or queries regarding any process. This will ensure the smooth execution of the exam.
I hope that with these few points of mine that you agree with me that anxiety that comes with online examinations is on a different level. You can also reduce all these challenges faced by preparing adequately, taking care of your health especially your mental health, make sure you understand every instructions given, you can educate yourself more on online examinations including the platforms to be used in conducting the exams, connect to whatever platform that you will be using in time and most importantly pray to God or Allah for the best network connectivity during your exams. I wish you all the very best in your exams. Ciao.
News Credit
7 facts about online examinations by TestReach blog.
Top 4 Challenges to manage Online Exam Process by Epravesh blog
AASA PRESS UI 