Ofqual head: End paper exams for digital generation

[davieG]

From the BBC - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12566122

Computerised exams should replace pen and paper tests for a generation used to digital learning, the head of England's exams watchdog has said.

Writing in the Times Educational Supplement, Ofqual chief executive Isabel Nisbet said the current reliance on handwritten papers "cannot go on".

Only a few sections of existing exams can be taken on computers.

Two exam boards welcomed her comments, but head teachers said resources would be a problem for a computerised system.

Pupils are becoming increasingly "techno savvy", Ms Nisbet wrote. "They use IT as their natural medium for identifying and exploring new issues and deepening their knowledge.

"Yet we are even now accrediting new GCSEs, due to run for several years, which are still taken largely on paper," she said.

"This cannot go on. Our school exams are running the risk of becoming invalid, as their medium of pen and ink increasingly differs from the way in which youngsters learn," she added.

Currently, the three exam boards offering exams in England - Edexcel, AQA and OCR - offer only a small number of papers that can be done online.

Handwritten scripts are, however, widely scanned onto computers and marked on-screen.

What does the digital generation think about this?

[Fosse Boy]

As someone who only the other week took an exam on a computer, I think it's a bad idea. If your computer crashes during the exam (as befellone of my coursemates), you're really in the shit.

[davieG]

As someone who only the other week took an exam on a computer, I think it's a bad idea. If your computer crashes during the exam (as befellone of my coursemates), you're really in the shit.

Hmm not quite the same as your pencil breaking

I guess it will depend on how innovative they can be with the question structure, multiple choice type questions it's perfect but they will be for low level qualifications. I don't see how writing an answer/essay or some engineering type subjects will benefit.

The biggest benefit would be being able to take the exam at anytime which would require many sets of exam papers making consistency of value from one exam to the next that much harder.

[Jon the Hat]

The computer crashing is not an issue, you could work on a google docs type platform where what you write is saved every few seconds. If you have a hardware problem you can get online on any other computer.

Many people me included find it much easier to put together a good report / essay / paper etc. in a word document than on paper. I can write various sections, edit, re-order and format to get the point across better. More to the point, this is how you do coursework, and how you work in real life. I don't see any reason not to do it.

Edit: Not to mention that fact that many organisations are already going down this route, eg CIMA for some accountancy exams.

[ousefox]

Only problem i see with this is that for me it is a lot quicker to write exams on paper- kills your arm, but definitely quicker! People will all have to learn to be touch typers and type fast before they can introduce something like this otherwise there will be major timing issues.

Can definitely see it being beneficial in the future though.