The end of handwriting? Using computers in traditional essay examinations

Mogey, Nora; Sarab, G.; Haywood, Jeff; Heyningen, Simon van; Dewhurst, David; Hounsell, Dai; Neilson, Roslyn

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2729.2007.00243.x

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Whereas practical, vocational courses such as plumbing or hairdressing generally involve only short handwritten assessments, more academic subjects involve lengthy coursework assignments and handwritten examinations. A recent attempt to introduce computers to replace handwritten examinations in a university setting revealed numerous problems yet to be solved (Mogey et al 2008). At present, therefore, it would seem that both handwriting and computer skills are required if a young person is to progress satisfactorily through life.…”

Section: Handwriting As a Skill For Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

et al. 2011

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Handwriting difficulties are common in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and frequently continue into adulthood. In spite of increased computer use, handwriting remains an essential everyday life skill. The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) provides an objective measure of handwriting performance for students aged 9-16 years. No equivalent test for adults exists. The aim of this study is to explore developmental trends beyond the age of 16 on the five tasks included in the DASH and to describe the employment of these data in an extension of the test for 17-to 25-year-olds (DASH 17?). A case study is included to illustrate its use in the assessment of young adults with DCD. Three hundred and ninety-three students between the ages of 17 and 25 completed the test. The sample was selected to represent the population of UK students in post-16 education. Statistically significant, but overall modest developmental trends in handwriting performance were found for all tasks. Depending on the task, the year-on-year average increase in performance followed a linear or non-linear trend. Gender effects were generally small. DASH 17? will provide useful information on any individual whose handwriting is causing concern, including those with, or suspected of having DCD.

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Section: Handwriting As a Skill For Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

et al. 2011

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“…It is also posited that, for those students who are able to word process at a fast rate (i.e. faster than normal handwriting speed), permission to use a word processor in addition to extra time in exams confers a further 'time gain' (Mogey et al, 2007). Given these views, some academic staff in University settings are concerned that, rather than achieving parity with their peers, students with SpLD who are granted additional time in exams, as well as those using a word processor, are gaining an advantage over their TD peers, which undermines the robustness and 'fairness' of the exam process (Lovett, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equity or Advantage? The effect of receiving access arrangements in university exams on Humanities students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

Duncan¹,

Purcell²

2017

wide particip lifelong learn

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This research aimed to identify whether the granting of exam access arrangements to students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) creates exam equity with their typically developing (TD) peers or confers an advantage. Empirical data was collected from the exam scripts of 67 Humanities students with SpLD who were permitted the use of a word processor and/or 25% extra time and 70 TD peers who took the same exam under standard conditions. The length of answers on the exam scripts, marks and degree classification achieved by students with SpLD were compared with those of their TD peers. The statistical conclusion of this study is that the students with SpLD who were granted exam access arrangements did not perform differently compared to their TD peers who took the same exam under standard conditions. This demonstrates that exam access arrangement do not confer an advantage for SpLD students in Humanities.

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“…Technically, allowing students to word process essay examinations is relatively easy to facilitate and has been described in detail elsewhere (Dermo, ; Fluck, Pullen & Harper, ; Mogey et al , ). The University of Edinburgh and The University of Tasmania both have experience of allowing students to use their own computers for text‐based examinations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing student preference when comparing handwriting and typing for essay style examinations

Mogey¹,

Fluck²

2014

Brit J Educational Tech

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Trained initially as a maths teacher, Nora has worked extensively in technology enhanced learning, and specialises in technology-assisted assessment. Andrew Fluck is a teacher educator at the University of Tasmania. He has an interest in curriculum transformation through the use of computers, developed an eExam system for students to use their own computers in high stake assessment and serves on the executive of Working Group 3.3 (research into educational applications of information technologies) for IFIP/UNESCO. AbstractIt seems anachronistic that we expect students to handwrite essay examinations when almost all their other work is mediated by computer. Two universities, one in the UK and one in Australia, are exploring the use of computers in free text response examinations. This paper compares both the attitudes and the behaviours of their students concerning the use of computers in essay examinations, and contrasts the responses from the two cohorts. Most of the students have confidence in their typing skills and report typing as least as fast as they can handwrite. The analysis demonstrates that although students recognise that examination essays should have good structure and argument, when in the pressure of an examination, it is all too easy for them to be more concerned with the sheer amount of text they can write. BackgroundDespite the affordances of technology supported assessment, traditional hand written, human marked essay examinations remain widely used. Students should write in a scholarly manner, suitable to the language of their discipline, and the marker should value argument and critical thinking over volume of facts (Hounsell, 2005). Although automated marking continues to develop (ETS Research, 2013), marking university level scripts remains a human mediated task, and seems likely to remain so for some time. This does not mean, however, that there is no place for technology in university level long text examinations.For students with special circumstances of various types, technology can of course facilitate access to assessment (Nisbet, 2012). Thanks to increased computer power, Thurstone's (1927) comparative judgement technique can be used to support marking of essays and promises vast improvement in marking reliability (McAlpine, 2012). But just the simple act of empowering students to use a word processor in examinations, to edit and rearrange text, should help them to develop and refine their argument. The examiner of word-processed text also spared the task of deciphering spidery squiggles of handwriting.Given the ubiquity of technology, in education and also in the workplace, surely there is a need to allow students to routinely word process examination essays?

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The end of handwriting? Using computers in traditional essay examinations

Cited by 20 publications

References 14 publications

Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

Equity or Advantage? The effect of receiving access arrangements in university exams on Humanities students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

Factors influencing student preference when comparing handwriting and typing for essay style examinations

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