During the time of the pandemic, everything is taking a shift from offline to online. From business to education, everything is now conducted online as it is safe and convenient. Before the outspread of covid–19, no one would have thought of an immediate advent of the online world. But because of social distancing, we have seen a surge in the online world. From online shopping, ordering food, financial transactions, online learning to conducting online interviews and working from home, there has been a total shift to the digital world. To stay safe from this deadly disease, several institutions and organizations have been adopting an online examination system. Online examination is taking an edge over the traditional examination because of its several advantages. Students no longer have to physically go to the examination center with the stationary and give the test on paper. The exam can be given and assessed by just sitting at home. Let’s discuss how online examination can be beneficial in so many ways.
1. Sustainable option
The online examination does not require lots of papers for question or answer sheets as is needed in the traditional examination. The exam is to be given on smart devices, thus, saving paper which in turn saves trees and the environment. No pens are used while writing the exam and even the teachers mark the exam online which saves the usage of plastic. This is an environmental-friendly option.
2. Allows distance learning
With the system of online examination, students can give the exam from any part of the world. They do not have to worry about shifting to a different place to give the exams. Just by sitting at their home, they have the convenience of giving examinations online. Advanced software is available which can allow the student to attempt the tests in the given time frame. In this way, students from different time zones can start the examination at their own time but have to finish it within the given limit after they start the exam. The same goes for the instructors who can assess the exam from anywhere.
3. Safe during the pandemic
The covid–19 pandemic has brought a lot of restrictions on the mobility of people. To keep people safe and to curb the spread of the disease, the government employs restrictions which include the closure of educational institutions. As such, online examination becomes the best option in this situation as it is safe and convenient. Students do not need to step outside and expose themselves to the disease by studying in the same classroom with a large number of students. They can sit at their homes and attempt the tests online while practicing social distancing. Even the teachers can stay safe at home by conducting the exam online.
4. Convenient to conduct examination
With online examination, so many procedures are eliminated. There is no need to prepare hand–written question papers and then take several print–outs for the whole bunch of students. Instructors do not have to allocate classrooms to students or make the sitting plan for the examination. They do not have to distribute the question paper or mark the attendance of students. Everything is done online which saves time as well as effort and the instructors can focus on conducting the examination. With the online system, instructors can compose the tests online and save all the necessary documents under one folder. The software also helps to generate question papers by adding the study content into the system. With one click, one can upload the test and assess the progress of the students along with online marking of the exam. Also, the system jumbles the questions given to students which reduces the chance of cheating.
5. Fast evaluation
One of the main advantages of online testing is that the examination gets evaluated very quickly. The instructors do not have to physically mark the papers. The online software is already equipped with correct answers and can automatically check and mark the objective and multiple–type questions with just one click. This makes it easier for the instructors and saves their time which can be utilized in other important work. Early evaluation can help students to plan their future and take further admissions quickly. Also, the online system helps in ranking the students and provides detailed statistics to provide feedback to students and help them in improving in the particular field.
6. Secure
The online exam software secure as it keeps the questions of tests confidential. There is no chance of question papers getting leaked as in traditional examination. The software keeps all the documents and questions locked which can only be accessed by the authorized instructors with passwords. The students won’t have any idea about where the questions are saved and how to access them. It also prevents cheating with help of webcams. The software keeps a check on every single student attempting the test which cannot be done by instructors in the offline environment. Also, it prevents impersonation with help of advanced techniques like biometric login. This prevents the students from employing another person who can write the exam on their behalf.
7. Interesting
Today’s students love smart gadgets. They like to experiment with them and learn new things. With online testing, they won’t feel bored. Different types of tests like MCQs, quizzes, objective questions, assignments, or surveys make learning interesting. The wide range of testing keeps students engrossed in the studies. Learning to use online software will help students when taking exams abroad or at the country level as they won’t have any difficulty in operating online software.
With the advent of digitalization, most of our tasks have become easier. There is no need to step outside for shopping, working, or learning as everything can be done online. Online examination is getting popular because of the convenience it offers to both students and instructors during the pandemic. Digital education is becoming necessary in this contactless world. Students will learn how to operate the technical system which will benefit them later in the future when working in the digital economy. Time and efforts of students and instructors are saved because of the automation of examination. Because of the above–mentioned advantages, online testing is preferred by educational institutions and organizations.