Open, enter the TAN and start the check. Easy and secure. With the purchase of 200 Chromebooks, Fachhochschule Dortmund has taken an important step in the digitalization of teaching.
During the exam phase at the end of the winter semester, more than 70 exams are already being conducted digitally. This makes corrections faster and at the same time ensures more fairness in assessment.
As a rule, digital examinations use multiple-choice questions for which one or more given solutions are correct. "These questions are evaluated and corrected by the software in a matter of seconds," explains Prof. Dr. Lutz Niehüser, lecturer at the Faculty of Business Studies and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the university. At the same time, the software gives examiners feedback on the quality of their questions, for example if students answer them incorrectly more often than average.
Grading becomes fairer
So-called open questions, in which students write their own detailed answers, are also possible in digital examinations. Their evaluation is now easier and fairer, says Prof. Dr. Ralf Beck, also from the Faculty of Business Studies and part of the project group for digital examinations. This is because he doesn't look through one paper first and then the next, but one question at a time. "I can see all the answers to each question directly - anonymously." This allows for a more uniform assessment that remains unaffected by any previous experiences with individual students. And if there has been copying, "this is also noticed more quickly," adds Prof. Dr. Marcel Hoffmann, lecturer at the Faculty of Computer Science and also a member of the project team.
The software also allows students to play out the exam questions in a different order. Copying is therefore hardly possible. And the computers only start the examination program. There are no distractions such as internet browsers or mail and chat programs.
The costs for the previous hardware were co-financed by the state of NRW to the tune of 60,000 euros. In a next step, the laptops are to be supplemented with digital pads including a pen so that more complex examination tasks with graphics and drawings can also be processed digitally.