Using digital pens to expedite the marking procedure

Abstract

Digital pens have been introduced over the last six years and have demonstrated that they can be used effectively for collecting, processing and storing data. These properties make them ideal for use in education, particularly in the marking procedure of multiple-choice questions (MCQ). In this report, we present a system that was designed to expedite the marking procedure of MCQ, for use at any educational level. The main element of the system is a digital pen, i.e. given to the students prior to the examination. On return of the pen, the system immediately recognises the students' answers and produces their results. In this specific research, four groups of students were studied and a variety of data were collected, concerning issues, such as accuracy, time gained by the use of the system and the impressions of the students. The pedagogic value of the use of the system is also presented.

Student Interaction with a Computer Tablet Exam Application Replicating the Traditional Paper Exam

“…Other beneficial aspects include the ability to install and operate software applications, or 'Apps' (Preez et al, 2012), and the incorporation of wireless internet capability which allows students to access and submit learning tasks online from a greater variety of locations (Smith & Cline, 2011;Anderson et al, 2013;Goh et al, 2013). Online submission of assessment tasks can also significantly expedite exam marking (Banitsas et al, 2010;Bloomfield, 2010). Together, this suggests mobile devices could potentially replace pen and paper for assessment, with improved accessibility for students and markers.…”