Institute of Mathematics and Informatics Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Association for the Development of the Information Society
Citation:
Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, June, 2017, 069p-078p
Series/Report no.:
ADIS;2017
Abstract:
With the development of ICT and the use of Internet, more and more traditional
learning tasks are moved to Web. Although there are some well-distinguished benefits to using
online testing compared to traditional proctored paper and pen exams mixed indication
concerning the effectiveness of online exams exists. In this paper we investigate both types of
exams. The purpose of our study is twofold. First we investigate the students’ preferences to
the way of taking their exams. Second we compare course learning outcomes via students’
grades to further analyze students’ performance. Data were collected over 11 semesters from
students enrolled in an information technology course in bachelor (N=767) and masters
programs (N=471) at New Bulgarian University. In each semester the courses were taught by
the same instructor. All students were asked to complete both types of exams. We found that
students in bachelor programs prefer to do online testing while students in master programs
show no preference to the way of examination. Our results suggest that online assessment in
compared to pen and pencil exams does not damage students learning and may contribute to
positive individual outcomes.
Description:
Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, June, 2017