Online examsbenefits and damages (pros and cons)

Resumen

Throughout the second quarter of 2020, since March 14, a strict home confinement was imposed by the competent authority for most of the population due to the COVID-19 health emergency. Professionals from the entire educational system and from universities in particular were forced to make an express adaptation of teaching to an online model, as well as to assess contents in a non-face-to-face way, which motivated the impromptu of tools and methods that would allow such assessment. As we will show in this communication, the exceptional situation made inevitable, at least in part, the use of the Internet and the implementation of online teaching and assessment. Although it was expected to come more gradually, it definitely came abruptly and in a generalized way. In this paper, we analyze, from our practical experience, the lessons learned from that event, the benefits and damages of it: The problems of verification of authorship, the logistics and the necessary computer tools, the handicap of using a means of communication, the Internet, which was not available to all students at home in the same way, as well as the advantages of these forms of assessment.Virtual and online assessment requires a complete rethinking of the classic and face-to-face one, it faces technological and educational challenges. Not only must we assume the fact that the student may have and use means of communication that allow him to share and consult any information, but also they could have external assistance. In addition to the computer security measures that it must be counted on, we need to implement innovative forms of assessment that ensure the objective evaluation of each student. In order to avoid plagiarism, we will need to propose personalized exercises to each student and with a different approach to the classic one. Therefore, a broad bank of questions, based on random and computerized parameters, will be necessary. Such bank of questions allows us to propose personalised, online and in the moment, a different exercise to each student. We will analyse the importance of the number of students who are evaluated, as well as whether rote contents can be evaluated or only reasoning and comprehension ones. In this work, it will be shown the computer tool that was programmed to carry out this task. An online computer tool is also needed to reliably manage, send exercises and receive results. Such tools were created and used for the first time during confinement. The combination of both tools ensured that all students simultaneously received a different exam, adapted to the circumstances, and that, after a limited time, they also delivered their answers online. We will also show the computer security measures that were taken. Finally, we will analyse the results obtained: objectivity of the evaluation, plagiarism, negative effects, …; and also the future consequences and benefits, with real data obtained from the practical experience of the numerous assessments that were made.