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Faculty Educational Experiences with Crafting Online Exams in Engineering and Technology

Abstract

In recent years distance education and learning have emerged as a popular method of instructional delivery in engineering and technology-related fields. Many faculties of engineering and technology may found themselves teaching online classes or thinking about teaching one. In this process, crafting and preparation of online exams without sacrificing the educational quality and exam security is a crucial issue to the faculty. Psychological setbacks and barriers among engineering students also add another concern for the faculty teaching in a distance education environment, i.e., students may have fears of losing partial credit in an online multiple-choice exam. The asynchronous and economical advantages of distance education and learning that make offering and taking them very popular force the profession to re-examine and re-engineer some of these exam-related issues.

In this paper we discuss some background and lessons learned from our experience with crafting online exams for the distance learning students in engineering and technology. We use some accurate but crude empirical data and evaluation methodologies to draw our conclusions. The article’s discussion encompasses six faculty concerns of security, interactivity, equity, hands-on demonstration of concept, team-workability assessment, and ethics, all related to crafting online examinations in engineering and technology. Some of the results presented here are also confirmed intuitively through our informal discussions with the colleagues having similar experiences. We conclude, from our experiences, that in “open and honest” learning environments such as those in most institutions of higher education in the United States, the most important focus should be on the “ethics” education of the students before they can take online examinations in a non-proctored examination environment.

Introduction

Prior to the availability of computer and software technology used routinely today, “distance learning” was referred to as an individualized mode of learning only available through correspondence. Today, “distance learning” and interchangeably used “distance education” are commonly referred to as a field of education that investigates and examines pedagogical technologies and the design of advanced instructional systems used to deliver education remotely to students who are not physically present in the classroom. Present technology and the accessibility of the internet have made distance learning much more viable, and it has evolved from traditional ways to robust, more efficient, and more convenient for students and instructors. Online teaching and learning is progressively regarded as a means of increasing flexibility and robustness of delivery to provide for greater student access to, and control over, their learning whether they are studying on-campus or in distance mode, or offshore1, 2, 3.

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Mehrabian, A., & Ali, T., & Buchanan, W., & Rahrooh, A. (2009, June), Faculty Experiences With Crafting On Line Exams In Engineering And Technology Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5779