The big picture
If students feel at ease while completing assessments , they are less likely to cheat .
Privacy pitfalls to avoid when choosing edtech for online exams .
By Herk Kailis
Every other week , two types of articles about online exams seem to come out : either students are being caught cheating remotely , or students ( and some teachers ) fear that the online vigilance of remote exams has the potential to be taken too far .
What these two sides of the same debate both have in common is that , clearly , online monitoring of student exams has struck a nerve . While some may see it as society taking a step too far into wide-scale surveillance , others view the inclusion of more sophisticated technology into the K-12 sector ( eg NAPLAN online ) as a necessary step in helping students – many of whom are forced to stay home due to ad-hoc , global lockdowns – complete their studies in time .
Both arguments are valid , and there is no easy answer . Privacy in an increasingly technological world is constantly debated , and COVID ’ s spread and disruption has turned its focus onto the education sector . As with all complex debates , there are various approaches to look at online exam monitoring . As Phillip Dawson , the author of Defending Assessment Security in a Digital World , writes , “ we tend to trust certain forms of assessment over others , often for reasons of tradition . Examinations are still seen as the default mode of assessment in some contexts , and to suggest any alternative is seen to pose a significant assessment security risk .”
Institutions steeped in tradition have tended to try and replicate a real-world exam setting in the online environment using different technologies – proctoring ,
device lockdown and other surveillance technologies – while other institutions have instead used this sudden shift to re-evaluate assessment practices and implement alternative assessment .
FOCUSING ON ASSESSMENT SECURITY ALONE ISN ’ T ENOUGH While it ’ s understandable that schools believe greater surveillance will stop , or at least deter , cheating , the reality is that we don ’ t yet have concrete evidence that shows us that is the case .
Without understanding and solving the root causes of cheating ( having a non-English speaking background , being dissatisfied with the learning environment or assuming it is easy to cheat , according to TEQSA ), students continue to miss out on valuable learning opportunities . Meanwhile , a culture of distrust between students and institutions continues to grow as stricter security solutions are implemented .
Instead of focusing on detection alone , like many proctoring and testing platforms , we ’ ve seen the benefits in targeting assessment holistically . Ultimately , if students feel at ease while completing assessments , they are less likely to cheat – and online monitoring isn ’ t doing anything to ease the tension .
DON ’ T EXCLUDE STUDENTS FROM THE CONVERSATION With stories highlighting privacy concerns coming out weekly in the media , it is easy for students to assume that any new assessment tool implemented is cause for concern – and when there is a lack of transparency from schools , these concerns can quickly escalate .
All students are inherently aware that their data ( IP addresses , names , access times etc ) is being captured through their digital interactions – both on campus and at home , accessing subject materials via a Learning Management System ( LMS ), or browsing their favourite websites .
What students are missing here is a voice in the conversation . Student concerns can be managed — and even avoided — if providers and institutions take the time to explain , in advance , why the technology is needed and how it works .
Alternatively , when edtech tools only capture the same level of data as other services that are part of students ’ everyday lives , it ’ s easy for students to relate and understand .
RETHINK THE NEED FOR EXAMS ALTOGETHER While there will always be a place and time for exams ( sometimes we need to test memorisation and lower-order thinking skills ), most school subjects have the scope to switch exams out for more interesting , open-book style assessment and reduce reliance on proctoring software .
At a time where creativity and innovation are increasingly prized , changing the nature of how we test could not only change the way we learn , but also enhance opportunities for deeper learning and higher-order thinking .
As Macquarie University researchers Penny Van Bergen and Rod Lane argue for The Conversation , “ we need to look at what the evidence tells us about when exams are effective – and when other types of assessment are more suitable ”.
While they do not advise doing away with exams altogether , spending more time on assessment redesign ( instead of simply testing for meaningless fact recall ) is a far more effective way of gauging understanding .
It makes the assessment more interesting for students , and makes it easier for teachers and markers to identify unoriginal and plagiarised work . ■
Herk Kailis is the CEO and founder of assessment for learning platform Cadmus .
28 | educationreview . com . au