Lessons from Exam Boards digitalizing exams.
An initiative by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) launched a study on digital assessment in January 2022 as part of its research on high-stakes exams such as GCSE and A-level exams. Their findings confirm the feasibility of introducing digital assessment examinations by 2025. Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) is considering the prospects and challenges of having high-stakes exams such as IGCSE and A-level examinations digitally.
The responses indicate that on-screen assessment is the future. An AQA study published in July 2022 found that 81% of head teachers and 64% of teaching professionals supported the initiative. Transparency, speed, and the elimination of illegible handwriting all were improved by the digitalized system. Online students exposed to digital technology during the Covid-19 pandemic reported that interpreting data was simpler using spreadsheets and graphs than on paper. Therefore, why are digital assessments not implemented immediately?
Students in the AQA research affirm that unfamiliarity with digital assessment tools affected their confidence. Even though most participants would be considered technological natives, the transition from paper-written answers to computer-based responses was daunting for them. Thus, electronic examinations could occur when the entire learning system is digitized with in-class digital assessment. When students are evaluated digitally during the school year, they are better equipped to perform well on on-screen exams.
Digital examinations are no longer a futuristic ideology but may soon be a present reality. Do you have the digital tools ready for the transition?
