What is the best approach to conduct final exams for engineering students, electrical and electronic engineering to be specific, during COVID-19? It should be considered that students come from different countries and some of them have traveled back to their countries. Online exams using Moodle, for instance, can be done, but there are several issues with this approach:
What kind of approach did your university follow?
Dear colleague,
I work at a distance learning university in Darmstadt, Germany. As you know from the news, public life in Germany has been largely shut down. We offer our students the opportunity to write a term paper as a substitute for exams that can normally be taken at our university or at 28 external examination locations. The time required for the respective substitute work is approximately 10 hours. Maybe such a substitute performance is a reasonable alternative for the students at your university. The papers must be sent electronically to the respective lecturer via our online campus by the students on a given date. The lecturer corrects the papers within a well-defined period of ten days.
Stay healthy and all the best
Ruediger G. Ballas
Dear colleague,
I work at a distance learning university in Darmstadt, Germany. As you know from the news, public life in Germany has been largely shut down. We offer our students the opportunity to write a term paper as a substitute for exams that can normally be taken at our university or at 28 external examination locations. The time required for the respective substitute work is approximately 10 hours. Maybe such a substitute performance is a reasonable alternative for the students at your university. The papers must be sent electronically to the respective lecturer via our online campus by the students on a given date. The lecturer corrects the papers within a well-defined period of ten days.
Stay healthy and all the best
Ruediger G. Ballas
Dear Prof. Ruediger,
Thank you so much for your suggestion. It can be helpful in many cases.
Take care and stay safe,
Marwan
It depends on the country. For example in Guelma University (Algeria) examinations are not conducted online.
Thanks Prof. Mounya. In our case, it is confirmed that we have to use an online solution.
I think it should be conducted online at the same time with a limited time like a central examination. So there should be a program to perform such a distance examination according to the departments. For example, all departments get the exam questions from the lecturers and compile them in a single exam and apply it.
It is a great puzzle for academitians and lectures at HEIs now. I'm going to provide online format: like a mixture of Moodle (for practical assignments) and online meeting for live conversation. We are still disscusing the effective exam format in Liguistics at my university. Hope, this forum will help with good idea.
Preprint Investigating COVID-19: Quantifying recurring methodological...
Good ideas
There are a variety of proctoring tools online that have been adopted by institutions across the US.
Below is a review from Inside Higher Ed
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/10/10/online-students-experience-wide-range-proctoring-situations-tech
Hi All,
We are also going through the same process of thinking for conducting final exams for our students. I would like to get advise on the following points:
1. If we agree that the exams would be conducted online then certain areas or for certain students may be the internet is an issue.
2. if the exams are considered to be conducted through assignments then the possibility of taking help from others/cheating is high.
3. But what if the question papers or assignments are prepared on the basis of open-book exams, this will affect the students on probation or at risk.
What I think is to change/modify the criterion of the exams; considering normal days or the time of the pandemic. It is more appropriate if the students are observed or evaluated for acquiring soft skills which are also reflected in their graduate attributes
Looking forward to your response
Thank you so much Dr. Heba. It seems that the current preferred approach at my university is open-ended assignments.
What would the students opinion be about this type of a final exam? Would the change of format be informed with sufficient preparation time similar to a study period in final exams?
Dear Dr. Gayani,
We had mixed views about open-ended and open-book exams. Generally, most of the students are fine with these exams. The exams will start next month. Thus, it will be interesting to conduct a survey after these exams to understand the students' experience.
Heba Qureshi Very important questions. Some thoughts while reading this were:
1. The access to internet is an issue but if its only a submission is required it may not require much time online. If typing speed is an issue then maybe they can be allowed to write on a paper and submit as a image. University can do a test run of submissions and allow other possible options.
2. Cheating will be high only if the format of exam will require direct answers. If an answer has to be developed, maybe with an example also, then it will be individualized. Can do a rotation of questions from a question bank also
3. Open book is better as they are allowed to develop the answer using resources but it all depends on the setting of good quality questions that allows their understanding to be tested.
It can be by the following methods: assignment, online MCQ system, online virtual presentation etc.
Gayani P Gamage
No doubt, the answers suggested by you are excellent. But the problem is, conducting open book exams is the best option in case of Social Studies. Developing opinions on the basis of available information of data from various sources is a routine practice normally followed in institutions across the globe. But the problem is, how can this approach be any useful, specifically in Engineering sector? Moreoever conduct of Practical exams, which is the foundation and any technical / engineering education qualification, is not possible due to lockdown. How can the assessor assess the practical skills of students knowing we can not arrange any such set up for students in any respect.
Yes, I agree Abdul Shakoor Shaikh that the suggested are more suitable for humanities, health and social sciences. But there could be innovative thinkers who at a brainstorm session might come up with best solutions to the problem. It may not need to be completely online and small gathering adhering to social distancing is a possibility. We teach Psychology@OUSL and assessment of basic counselling skills is a challenge as a practical and there are practical classes also which we need to conduct online. We are researching and looking into recorded video segments and even gathering of 2-3 max people adhering to social distancing for assessment practical.
The following link from Futurelearn in teaching STEM subjects online might be helpful and a discussion with your colleagues also after some research into online learning and assessments as another suggestion. Adjustments to new ''normal'' is difficult but might not be impossible. If there is a will..there is a way..
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/teaching-for-home-learning-secondary-science
Abdul Shakoor Shaikh There are remote learning labs being developed for a Sustainable Energy Joint Masters programme planned by KTH Sweden and Sri Lankan colleagues of mine in Engineering faculties. The following was a conference paper discussing the issues faced by a similar programme
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8363240
That was brilliant. Specially the research paper concerning remote education with three universities offering the program simultaneously is something one could have never imaged of. I believe, we would definitely come up with some constructive mechanism through which online learning can also become a viable option that can also be relied upon for the sake of ensuring transparency and legitimacy of examinations systems. Kindly share, if there is some example of any university conducting practical exams specially for STEM subjects, as this particular area is the one that required most attention at the moment. Thanks for sharing the useful links.
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