On-line content (such as handouts) have been widely adopted in today's classrooms. On-line examinations have yet to be accepted due to several reasons. For example, computers and networks may be unavailable during an examination; email and instant messaging may compromise academic honesty. This paper reports our experience in using on-line examinations for a course on object oriented programming. It has been observed that traditional paper examinations do not necessarily reflect students' programming skills. We study whether on-line examinations are more appropriate for a programming course. The examinations can be taken on-line or on paper in a classroom. Both formats are open-book and open-note and have the same amount of time. This study considers the following questions: (1) Do students perform better in on-line examinations because they can type, instead of writing, code and have access to compilers? (2) Do students prefer on-line examinations to traditional paper-based examinations? What are the reasons? (3) How can appropriate technology be used to maintain honesty? We measured the appropriateness of on-line examinations through comparing the performance of students taking the exam on-line to those taking the paper version of the exam. We also measured the appropriateness through surveys and focus groups with the students and the instructors.

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Her research interests include assessment of instructional methods, laboratory design, collaborative learning, mentoring, professional development skills, and retention and recruitment issues in engineering education.