Electronic Final Exams

This year in my 3^rd year media studies class I allowed students to write the exam either by hand or by computer. I was motivated to do this for a number of reasons. For the past few years I have proctored exams in Western’s Faculty of Law, in which the vast majority of students used their own laptops and the Exam4 program. I was helpful to become familiar with the protocol that Law faculty uses regarding instructions for the exam and troubleshooting if there are problems. Dr. Mary Bunch had given me the idea; she told me that she regularly books computer labs for her exams because students prefer them and they are easier to grade. I am always inspired to improve my courses by making them more accessible. It was my hope that offering a computer exam would reduce students’ test anxiety, improve their test performance, and increase their learning.

I had used the WebCT assessment tool for the midterm; only one student reported a concern that she hadn’t saved her exam correctly (which she had). However, surprised that about half of the students chose to write the final by hand. I think some were hesitant to use the computer because they didn’t want to take the risk of a poor performance by introducing an unknown factor. Some students had complained after the midterm that keyboard typing was a bit distracting, so in the final exam I had the hand-writers and the front, and I encouraged everyone to bring ear plugs.

I have found that students wrote longer answers by computer, but, overall, their answers lacked greater cohesion than the hand-written paragraph and essay answers. There seemed to be a few more spelling and mechanical errors, but it is difficult to tell if they were just typos. Obviously, the exams are easier to save and read, but I’m also now reading and grading much more (I have 62 single-spaced pages worth of text from about 14 students).  We also had the benefit of sitting in comfier chairs for three hours (though the custodial staff may have assumed because it was in the lab I wouldn’t need booklets, so they never showed up with them).

Without quantitative measures it is difficult to tell which group of exam writers performed better overall. Because it is important to me that students select their preferred mode of writing, I wouldn’t be interested in doing a study that forced them to use one or another. Now that I have a better sense of how to conduct electronic exams, I may use this strategy in the future. I plan give students pre- and post-exam surveys to self-report on to what extent they believe the computer writing improves their attitude towards the exam, performance on the exam, interest in the course. 


Some suggestions and caveats for those implementing electronic exams.

• Always prepare a back up supply of printed exams, and bring enough exam booklets for the whole class
• Be clear that write by computer “at their own risk” and that it is their responsibility to “save often"
• Be clear that no other computer programs may be used during the exam, and enforce this rule
• Suggest that students bring earplugs to the exam (whether they are writing by computer or by hand
• Test the exam in advance -  Don’t forget to keep it exam hidden until exam day!
• Ensure that all settings are set to desired configurations (I changed the settings to allow students to enter into the test twice, just in case there were problems the first time)
• Allow students to get settled in the exam room before the exam (so they can sign in, etc.
• Remind students that they can go from computer to hand writing at any time
• Provide instructions for signing in before the exam; practice in class beforehand if necessary
• Make a copy of the electronic exam answers (in a Word document, etc.) so there is a back-up copy

Introduction to the Media Blog Assignment

Today I introduced the media blog assignment to our class. I discussed the guidelines for the assignment, the due dates for the five required postings and responses, and the in-class participation that will run alongside the out-of-class blogging. I told students about the delicate balance that must be struck between being accountable for the ideas in one’s writing and the importance of withholding personal information in the interests of maintaining privacy and safety. In many instances, the key to the success of blogging is cultivating an “ethos” to one’s online persona, that is, communicating through form, image, links, content, tone, and diction that one is informed and accurate, but also capable of being compassionate and forgiving, particularly when discussing controversial or sensitive issues. I gave students some strategies for ensuring their safety online by suggesting that they take some precautions regarding self-disclosure. I also emphasized the degree to which non-verbal elements of the blog – such as background, colours, and typeface – also contribute to the meaning of blog writing, and so it is important to choose them carefully as well. The point of this part of the class was to remind students that blogs are not just “words on a (digital) page”; every decision that they make in how they are going to present their writing will have meaning and consequences.

However, due to time constraints (and the fact that I desperately needed another caffeinated beverage by 11:30am), I had neglected to discuss with students *why* we were going to undertake this particular assignment, rather than, say, another traditional academic assignment, such as an annotated bibliography, book report, or persuasive essay. Certainly, it would be easier for *everyone* just to do some library research, type up a paper, proofread it a couple of times, print it, and then hand it in. "Essay dun.” Everyone recognizes the logistics of essays – no extra stylistic hassles or technical difficulties (aside from running out of printer ink at the last minute, which I ALWAYS manage to do). Why go to the work of creating a blog, finding one’s way around it, deciding what to post, deciding what not to post, and considering carefully how to post? Why do all this extra work reading each other’s writing and responding to it *outside* of class, when clearly there are more important things to be doing (like catching up on lost sleep)!

Off the top of my head, I can think of three main reasons why I chose to assign blog writing in this course.

1)      Blogging is, to some extent, a “democratic” form of writing. Online, anyone can publish - as long as they have the knowledge of and access to the resources necessary to get a blog and have time to add to it. Thus, we can use blogging as a tool to hear the voices of others, particularly those whom we would not normally hear by traditional publishing channels, and hearing these individuals is an important aspect of coming to understand the effects of globalization on disempowered subjects. (Obviously, however, these technological resources are NOT equally available to everyone, and this must be taken into account when we celebrate the internet for being the great “leveller.” Clearly, it’s not.)

2)      The academic field of study related to gender and global cultures is formed by a complex network of ideas, theories, perspectives, and disciplines. There is no “one voice” or “one authority” on the matter (least of all is that voice mine.) Thus, the form of this assignment follows the content of our course. In order to encourage understanding gender relations as a “dialogue” among people within and between cultures, I am encouraging students to create dialogues amongst themselves, enabling them to share their knowledge and expertise.

3)      Globalization (to make an over-simplistic assertion) is about technology – its production, its commodification, and its development and use for various ends (be they militaristic, corporate, media, or some combination of the three). To promote an feminist ethics of global sensitivity, while critiquing the politics of globalization (to make an equally over-simplistic distinction), does not necessarily mean to shun that which has been used as the means and the matter of industrialization, colonization, and exploitation. Global feminism does not propose a return to a natural, essential, pre-technological state of the world. Rather, following “cyborg” feminist scholar Donna Haraway, I am interested in the ways in which communications technologies can be use to disrupt orderly power structures, dominant interests, and essential identities. High-tech can break down old dualisms, particularly through radical and resistant experimentation with it.

Are there other reasons why students and I will benefit from this exercise, even if it causes us more hassle and work? I’m sure there are. At least, I hope there is. To find out, I will need to address with students in our next class not only how we are going to build this assignment together but also *why* we are doing it, what is our criteria for doing a productive job of it, and what we, as a class, hope to get out of it.