Online Education Challenges – Conducting Reliable Exams In A Convenient Manner

Online education might have become very popular over the years. However, there is one aspect or area of education which continues to remain muddled. Examining students in a reliable and trustworthy manner is still evolving in online education courses. Traditional methods of examining students do not work online. Hence, it remains tough to determine whether the student
- Has assimilated required information
- Can be considered qualified and skilled
- Possess the skills that any person who has completed the course is reasonably expected to possess.

Examinations provide an opportunity for the teacher to test whether the student
- Has acquired the necessary knowledge
- Has understood essential concepts and
- Is in a position to reproduce the same by means of random and time bound tests

Examinations test memory, writing skills, comprehension, expression and other qualities all at once. Conducting examinations on the internet is easy provided question papers are set in objective format. On the other hand, essay type questions and other such examinations cannot be conducted on the internet.

Writing essays on the internet will require fast typing skills. Unlike handwriting, which requires nothing more than a pen or any writing instrument, good typing speed requires access to computers and lots of practice. This means that a student who cannot afford a personal computer will obviously suffer from a disadvantage a compared to those who are better off.

This may seem like a minor issue but it affects equality of opportunity that the current examination system offers. In such a scenario, it is obvious that the online education system will not enjoy wide acceptance until this issue is addressed.

Typing skills apart, online exams pose any difficulties with regard to maintaining the sanctity of examinations. What is the guarantee that the student writing the test is not cheating by relying on online resources simultaneously? Personal vigilance over a hundred students is easy when they are present in a single room. However, vigilance through a hundred computer screens will not be easy.