Education Technology Keeps Crucial Tests and Exams Going

Fujitsu study demonstrates the benefits to students and institutions of online assessments

TRUMBULL, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Online tests and assessments dramatically cut down on marking time and can successfully guard against cheating, according to a new study by digital leader Fujitsu and one of the leading universities in Japan.

The results demonstrate how learning institutions can keep crucial tests and exams going when physical assessments are not possible or preferable. The lessons will impact how institutions can manage assessments during Covid-19 and beyond by moving tests online with Questionmark, the online assessment provider.

The study found that:

• Marking time was reduced by 90% - the Questionmark automated marking feature made the grading process more efficient.
• Cheating was prevented - the Questionmark Record and Review feature adequately detects suspicious activities.
• Students need a clear explanation of the detection system in advance - it is important to explain the detection system and how it will be used. Students need examples of the suspicious behavior it will detect.
• The assessment operated smoothly - every participant was able to complete the exam from home without major difficulties.

This study was set up by digital leader Fujitsu and one of the leading universities in Japan. They wanted to explore how learning institutions could keep crucial assessments going during Covid-19. Together they arranged for students to take a test from home through the Questionmark platform.

To guard against cheating and ensure that the results could be trusted, Questionmark Record and Review was used to supervise the assessment. Record and Review records the assessment taking place. It flags any signs of suspicious behavior for future review. This behavior could include unusual head movement or signs that a candidate is talking to someone else.

After the assessment, the candidates completed a survey to express how they felt about being recorded during the assessment.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Questionmark, said: “Social distancing has forced learning providers to rethink how they assess student progress. As this study shows, exams and tests can be moved online while still guarding against cheating.

“The study also shows how online assessments can create efficiencies for the future. Now that institutions are confident in delivering online exams, there is no need to return to laborious, time-consuming and inefficient physical assessments.”

www.questionmark.com

About Questionmark

Questionmark unlocks performance through reliable and secure online assessments.

Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequalled expertise. Its full-service online assessment tool and professional services help customers to improve their performance and meet their compliance requirements. Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and defensible.

Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark's cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure, audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers.