Abstract
Many institutions are making the move from pen and paper to online examinations, but the literature offers relatively few critical reflections on the ramifications of such a shift. This research presents evidence of the ways in which the social and human practices of online exams are deeply entangled with the material and technological, and cautions against the reinscribing of essentialist or instrumentalist assumptions about technology in assessment practices. Through semi-structured interviews with eight practitioners in Norway, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland, it analyses the impact, dimensions and limitations of two main discourses: migration, whereby exam technologies are assumed to be neutral instruments used independently by humans to realise their preordained intentions; and transformation, whereby the essential and inalienable qualities of technologies can be released to ‘transform’ or ‘enhance’ assessment. Its findings indicate that: (1) exam technologies are neither inherently neutral nor essentially transformational; (2) implementation projects underpinned by the migration discourse can be much more complex and resource-intensive than anticipated; and (3) ‘transformative’ change may be value-laden and driven by assumptions. Given the complex and entangled nature of online exams, practitioners are encouraged to think creatively about how assessment strategies align with educational goals, to consider the limitations of current discourses and to analyse critically the relational and performative roles of digital technologies.
Highlights
The emergence and adoption of digital technologies presents educators with new opportunities to think creatively about assessment and to increase its alignment with long-term educational goals (Boud and Soler 2016; Hepplestone et al 2011; JISC 2018; O’Shea and Fawns 2014)
Julia added that the transition to online exams in her context was motivated both by potential efficiency gains and by a more essentialist belief that technologies could enhance learning: If you take an exam for 500 students in a digital way it's much cheaper than when you do it with a paper exam – but on the other hand there is a growing awareness about ... the possibilities of making use of digital forms of assessment to enhance learning. (Julia)
Social dimensions are enacted with and through technologies, resulting in what Hannon (2013) terms ‘significant unintended consequences’ (p. 168). These findings provide evidence that the material realities of online exam technologies are intertwined with the human and the social; as such, they problematise the instrumentalist and essentialist assumptions that underpin the migration and transformation discourses
Summary
The emergence and adoption of digital technologies presents educators with new opportunities to think creatively about assessment and to increase its alignment with long-term educational goals (Boud and Soler 2016; Hepplestone et al 2011; JISC 2018; O’Shea and Fawns 2014). 1 ‘Online exams’ are understood here as high-stakes summative assessment events, mediated by digital technologies, often taking place in a defined place or time and under secure conditions (e.g. invigilation, restrictions on access to course materials, notes or communication).
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