Learners’ Perspective towards E-Exams during COVID-19 Outbreak: Evidence from Higher Educational Institutions of India and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Online examinations, commonly referred to as e-exams (electronic examinations), underwent a considerable progression, getting adapted ubiquitously among higher education institutions worldwide. Their preferment was rapid due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The process of conducting exams online is being opted as the appropriate way of assessment, ensuring the students’ safety and well-being. According to Warts et al., this form of examination has been pretty effective in the past when blended with the conventional assessment. However, at present, implemented as the singular way of assessment, e-exams have shown a more significant promise in being beneficial to the learners. As a matter of fact, a comprehensive analysis on understanding the learners’ perception towards the e-exams was not done earlier, particularly in the developing nations. Thus, it was pertinent to examine the pre-requisites of e-exams to promote it as a useful tool for the smooth conduct of exams in the aforesaid nations. Against such a backdrop, this study was conducted during January to March 2021 on 207 students enrolled in four universities, three situated in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India: Delhi University (DU), Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and one situated in Saudi Arabia, namely Saudi Electronic University (SEU). A quantitative approach was employed for the study, with the responses recorded via web questionnaires. Confirmatory -factor analysis (CFA) was applied in the study to examine whether the process of conducting online examinations is being chosen as the appropriate form of assessment, ensuring the safety and well-being of students through AMOS (version 24) software. For determining the reliability of the two latent constructs, namely “Perceptions of students towards E-exams (PSE)” and “Pre-requisites of E-exams (POE),” Cronbach’s alpha was used through SPSS (version 25) software in the study, and the results reveal that the strong internal consistency exists between all the measured variables. In addition, the mean and standard deviation were used by the researchers to find out the pre-requisites of the online examination system. The participants expressed their insights on the relative benefits of online examination. Their perception was based on pedagogy, validity and reliability, affective factors, practicality, and security. From their insights, it was concluded that online examination is more advantageous than conventional paper-based exams. The outcome also applies to the authenticity of grading and the overall efficiency concerning the time, effort, and expenditure on conducting the examination. Contrarily, the participating students also recognized numerous hurdles in implementing e-exams concerning security, validity, and impartiality. The conclusion further revealed that online examination is especially relevant for formative assessment of learning instead of summative assessment, provided authenticity, security, and flexibility are used as fundamental tenants in the proper implementation of e-exams. The outcome of the present study will facilitate higher education institutions and policymakers in taking the electronic examination system to the next level.

Autonomy, Motivation, and Digital Pedagogy Are Key Factors in the Perceptions of Spanish Higher-Education Students toward Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Their preference was rapid due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The online examination process is being adopted as the appropriate way of evaluating, while ensuring the safety and well-being of students [ 40 ].…”

Students’ Perception towards New Face of Education during This Unprecedented Phase of COVID-19 Outbreak: An Empirical Study of Higher Educational Institutions in Saudi Arabia

“…Because of the development of e-technology and better internet networks, the whole platform has changed from an onsite to online learning mode [ 16 ]. On top of the different electronic media such as television, satellite, and CD-ROM, e-learning is classified in the following way: “education delivered via internet”, and virtual learning is referred to as “education delivered only via the internet or web-based media” by some experts [ 17 ]. E-learning is stated as “bridging the space between teachers and students through the use of web-based technology” [ 18 ].…”

Remote proctoring: Lessons learned from the COVID‐19 pandemic effect on the large scale on‐line assessment at Tel Aviv University

“…Nevertheless, the increase use of massive online open courses and online degrees for reaching out to learners throughout the globe (Palvia et al, 2018) has raised the obvious need for reliable remote assessment methods in order to maintain the students' flexibility to be tested from anywhere without having to commute to campus. This adds to other notable advantages of online assessments including reduction of paper usage, decreased concerns over the security of transporting test papers, flexible venue, random selection and reproducibility of exam questions, and the overall efficiency concerning the time, effort, and expenditure on conducting the examination (Andreou et al, 2021; Betlej, 2013; Khan et al, 2021; Rogers, 2006; Spivey & McMillan, 2014).…”

“…Another concern is related to the need of adequate testing environment (e.g., consistent Wi‐Fi, quiet surroundings) and the incompetency of the student's technological skills, which requires adding a back‐up method in case of unexpected problems (Ahmed et al, 2021; Gonzales et al, 2020). Moreover, research has shown that these hurdles in technological settings and skills, in addition to the reduced personalized engagement with faculty, have contributed to increased psychological stress to both instructors and students (Spivey & McMillan, 2014), resulting in negative influence on students' performance and grades (Khan et al, 2021). Bisht et al (2020), who surveyed students at a university in India, found that the online assessment is quite acceptable among students with some concerns, pertaining to technical issues—such as Internet connectivity—and financial constraints, that is, with respect to purchasing laptops or other devices.…”

“…When comparing Kuwait University's students' perceptions of different modes of remote proctoring—artificial intelligence (AI), live‐human proctoring, and blended proctoring using both modes combined—Almutawa (2021) discovered higher self‐reported levels of stress caused by the AI proctoring method. Moreover, investigating the perspectives of students from India and Saudi Arabia, Khan et al, 2021, report that while the students found the remote examinations to be advantageous due to the overall efficiency concerning the time, effort, and expenditure, they name various concerns, such as security, validity, and impartiality.…”