Universities need to use evidence-based solutions to improve exam practices: Editorial

Universities must use evidence-based solutions to improve their exam practices, writes Christopher Charles Deneen. Deneen explains that cheating, which is prevalent in online exams, disrupts the assessment of student achievement. Remote proctoring, however, is seen by students as a form of inappropriate surveillance and often creates more work to avoid uncritical accusations of cheating based on “flagged” cases. Returning exclusively to in-person exams, writes Deneen, brings its own set of well-documented problems. Instead, the author argues educators need to draw on the scholarship of teaching and learning to develop evidence- and research-supported assessment practices. This can involve adopting case-based approaches using novel material to deter the use of search engines or running exams that are divided into sections and intentionally include collaboration to deter unwanted collusion. The Conversation Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.