Online Exams in COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey-based Study at a State University in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Due to the increasingly spreading nature of COVID-19, the entire world has entered a new era where most human requirements are fulfilled in the online mode. As such, the primary mode of higher education has dramatically shifted to online learning and student evaluations are done through online exams. Although online exams deliver strong contributions during this pandemic period, the sudden adoption of online exams inevitably caused additional impacts that have become a timely necessity that should be researched and studied. This study explores students’ priorities in online exams, preferred evaluation methods to attend online, and possible dishonest behavior in online exams from the students’ perspective. Some key findings are related to the most common behaviors of students that appear in online learning. Furthermore, challenges which the students face in online exams and online learning are investigated. Findings are based on 512 responses collected through an online survey from the students at a state university in Sri Lanka. The study discloses that the students have come up with a positive perception of attending online exams to fulfill the evaluation requirements during this global pandemic. Homework assignments, take-home / open-book examinations, and multiple-choice questions are preferred online evaluation methods among the students. However, academic dishonesty has become a leading issue that must be eliminated to ensure academic integrity in online exams.