Closed-book Exams Research Articles

Assessment of Practical Knowledge Through Open Book Examination in the Undergraduate Course at the University: Students’

In the professional degree, understanding the concepts is important, along with their applications in the real world. Students should have hands-on experience during their study at the university to solve real-world problems effectively in their professional careers. The practical examination to test students’ lab skills is one of the assessment methods. In the engineering programme, instructors conduct the practical examination in different courses in either open-book or closed-book mode at Ahmedabad university. To find out the students’ perspective on the effectiveness of an open-book practical examination, the study was carried out to answer the following hypotheses: Should there be a practical exam? Is it easy to score in the open-book practical exam? Does practical knowledge help to solve real-life problems? And is an open-book practical exam as effective as a closed-book exam? For the study, a questionnaire was circulated through Google Forms to the undergraduate students. Both quantitative and qualitative responses were recorded through questionnaires and interviews. Students enrolled in the different courses of engineering responded to the questionnaire and answered the questions in person. The analysis of the student survey was done using the chi-square method. From the p value, it was concluded that the null hypotheses were rejected, which proved that open-book practical exams are better. As per the students’ perspective, open-book practical exams are as difficult as closed-book exams. It is not easy to score in the open-book practical exam without understanding the concepts, even though the syntaxes and resources are available.

Student Perspectives on the Utility of Crib Sheets for Learning

In response to the noticeable rise in anxiety with the return to in person, closed book exams, our department embraced an alternate testing method that permitted the use of a self-created note resource, also known as a crib sheet, in a third year Human Physiology course. Although anxiety reduction was certainly a reason for this change in evaluation methods, it was predicted that crib sheet exams would encourage a shift to deeper learning studying methods, rather than a reliance on rote memorization. Crib sheets have been shown to decrease test-taking anxiety (Ozer, 2021), and different crib sheet organizational strategies have been correlated with increased exam performance (Dickson & Bauer, 2008; Shaw & Almeida, 2018). However, there is a lack of understanding of the benefits and potential detriments beyond the effect of crib sheets on exam performance (Larwin et. al, 2013). Furthermore, what has not been established is if crib sheets promote more learning prior to the exam or if they are a source of dependency and therefore detract from learning. From the two hypotheses that were first suggested by Dorsel and Cundiff (1979), we expect that most students learn the material while they create their crib sheets, supporting the coding hypothesis rather than a reliance on the crib sheet, which would support the dependency hypothesis. For each of the three exams in this course, students were permitted to bring a 4x6 inch cue card with them containing any information they deemed important. After each exam, students completed an optional post-exam reflection, which was a combination of Likert scale responses to questions about their anxiety levels, questions about study methods, and about the utility of the crib sheet that they created for the exam. At the end of the academic year, data was deidentified for consenting participants for subsequent analyses. In total, of the 434 registrants in this third-year physiology course, 58 consented to have their data analyzed. Additionally, instructors involved in courses that used crib sheets, including this physiology course, were also invited to participate in the study for their perspectives of the use of crib sheets. Of the 14 total instructors who taught in these team-taught courses that used crib sheets, 6 agreed to participate in the interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for instructors’ perspectives towards crib sheets. The transcripts from these interviews were analyzed by thematic analysis using NVivo. One of the compelling findings from the instructors’ interviews within our study cohort, show that although most were accepting of the use of crib sheets, they were also hesitant to embrace crib sheets as a pedagogical tool due to the lack of literature that would support these as a learning tool. However, early investigation of both Likert scale responses and open-ended text responses from the student participants shows that many students report learning while creating the crib sheets. Furthermore, student participants reported a change in study methods while preparing for crib sheet permitted exams, with a shift to incorporating more methods that promote less rote memorization, such as condensing notes and creating flow charts/mind maps. Therefore, early analyses of student data provide support for the coding hypothesis, which supports that learning does occur during crib sheet construction in a human physiology course. From these analyses, which combine student and instructor perspectives, we further recognize the importance of delineating the utility of crib sheets, based off of student reports. With our study, we aim to advise teaching and learning practices surrounding the use of crib sheets in higher education. REFERENCES Dickson KL, Bauer JJ. Do Students Learn Course Material During Crib Sheet Construction? Teach Psychol. 2008;35(2):117-120. doi:10.1080/00986280801978343 Dorsel TN, Cundiff GW. The Cheat-Sheet: Effcient Coding Device or Indispensable Crutch? J Exp Educ. 1979;48(1):39-42. doi:10.1080/00220973.1979.11011712 Larwin KH, Gorman J, Larwin DA. Assessing the Impact of Testing Aids on Post-Secondary Student Performance: A Meta-Analytic Investigation. Educ Psychol Rev. 2013;25(3):429-443. doi:10.1007/s10648-013-9227-1 Özer S. A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Method Research into the Use of the Cheat Sheet in Teacher Education: State Test Anxiety, Exam Scores and Opinions of Prospective Teachers. Turk Online J Educ Technol - TOJET. 2021;20(3):101-113. Shaw JA, Almeida MG. Does the Quality of Student Crib Cards Influence Anatomy and Physiology Exam Performance? HAPS Educ. 2018;22(1):50-54. doi:10.21692/haps.2018.005. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Assessing Medical Student Perceptions of Open-Book Exams for Self-Directed Learning.

Introduction The landscape of medical education is constantly evolving, with innovative assessment methods being integrated to better align with the requirements of modern healthcare education. Among these, open-book exams (OBEs) represent a significant shift from traditional closed-book exams (CBEs), promising to enhance learning outcomes and better evaluate students' understanding of medical concepts. This study aims to explore the multifaceted impact of OBEs on medical students, including their perceptions, study behaviors, stress levels, and the cultivation of critical thinking and self-directed learning skills. Methodology This is a cross-sectional study, which utilized a mixed-methods approach, conducted at Al Baha University's College of Medicine, to explore the impact of OBEs on self-directed learning among 129 medical students over a 15-day period in October 2023. The research combined quantitative data from online questionnaires, assessing students' experiences, stress, understanding, and study strategies, with qualitative insights from in-depth interviews and open-ended survey questions. Participants were final-year medical students with prior experience in OBEs, selected to minimize bias. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 25; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk), focusing on descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis to identify patterns in students' perceptions of self-directed learning opportunities. The study was ethically approved, ensuring participant confidentiality and informed consent. Result Regarding the medical student perspectives on OBEs, the study revealed that the majority of medical students strongly perceive OBEs as less stressful (77, 59.69%) and easier to prepare for (79, 61.24%) compared to traditional exams. A significant proportion also believe OBEs accurately assess their comprehension (106, 82.17%) and prefer them as a mode of assessment (106, 82.17%). Furthermore, most students (87, 67.44%) reported performing better on OBEs compared to CBEs. Regarding the assessment of self-directed learning using the OBE method, students predominantly utilized highlighting important points (70, 54.26%) as a preparation method for OBEs. A large majority (85, 65.89%) considered OBEs as a fair assessment of self-directed learning and believed that they encourage self-directed learning (114, 88.37%). Conclusion OBEs represent a promising direction for medical education, offering a way to better prepare students for the complexities of real-world medical practice. Future strategies should include not only the refinement of OBE methodologies but also the integration of practice opportunities that enable students to hone their skills in applying knowledge effectively.

A literature review of online exams in HE in Physics and Maths

During the COVID pandemic, universities around the globe had to move not only their content delivery online, but also their assessments. Due to COVID causing significant upheaval in Higher Education (HE), this enforced experiment also afforded an opportunity to reflect on traditional, invigilated, closed book exams (ICBE) resulting in research and advice in this area. A systematic review of this academic and grey literature was performed concentrating on maths heavy physics examinations to investigate what guidance is given to examination writers, educators who prepare students for exams and HE examinees themselves. The literature review results were divided into: Advice for examiners who need to provide an invigilated open book exam (UOBE), discussions on cheating, advice for students and case studies. It was found that ICBEs were good at examining lower order cognitive skills, e.g. recall and understanding, but higher order skills, such as analysing and synthesising, are better examined with access to a larger range of resources. Guidance on making academic misconduct more difficult also suggested using higher order thinking skills in exam questions as responses to these type of tasks are more individual and getting outside help may be more difficult in a time constrained UOBE. Furthermore, literature encouraged reflection on the motivation for cheating and suggested that overly demanding assessment may encourage students to seek inappropriate help. The advice for students highlighted the need to prepare as thoroughly for a UOBE as they would for a traditional exam. Probably the thrust should change from pure memorization to students preparing their notes so that they can efficiently access their material to locate relevant parts for synthesis during a UOBE. Some of the case studies used statistical methods to investigate comparability of grades between UOBEs and ICBEs and some of the studies found them comparable, so a large shift of results may be due to other factors rather than the exam type. Other studies describe their approach and include stakeholder reflections. The main recommendation to exclude lower cognitive skills can pose a problem for maths heavy exams as they mainly assess how well an examinee has mastered these skills before building on them. However, it seems advisable to climb higher up Bloom’s taxonomy if possible. Also, it may be conceivable to break up exams into shorter sections that require individual uploading before access to the next part is granted to reduce the possibility of outside help. Furthermore, individualised maths type problems could be achievable by using different data sets for a question. Student advice should highlight the differences between UOBEs and ICBEs so that they can prepare appropriately.

Should open-book, open-web exams replace traditional closed-book exams in STEM? An evaluation of their effectiveness in different disciplines

The mass shift to Open-Book, Open-Web (OBOW) assessments during the pandemic highlighted new opportunities in Higher Education for developing accessible, authentic assessments that can reduce administrative load. Despite a plethora of research emerging on the effectiveness of OBOW assessments within disciplines, few currently evaluate their effectiveness across disciplines where the assessment instrument can vary significantly. This paper aims to evaluate the experience students across STEM subjects had of OBOW exams to contribute to an evidence-base for emerging post-pandemic assessment policies and strategies. In April 2021, following two cycles of OBOW exams, we surveyed STEM students across a range of subjects to determine their preparation strategy, experiences during the exam, perception of development of higher order cognitive skills, test anxiety, and how they thought these assessments might enhance employability. Overall, students from subjects that use assessment instruments requiring analytical, quantitative-based answers (Maths, Physics, Computer Science and Chemistry) adapted their existing study skills less effectively, felt less prepared and experienced higher levels of stress compared to students of subjects using more qualitative discursive based answers (Biosciences and Geography). We conclude with recommendations on how to enhance the use of OBOW exams: these include supporting and developing more effective study skills, ensuring assessments align with intended learning outcomes, addressing the issue of academic integrity, promoting inclusivity, and encouraging authentic assessment. Based on the outcomes of this study, we strongly advise that assessment policies that foster the whole-scale roll-out of OBOW assessment consider the inter-disciplinary impacts on learner development, staff training and workload resources.

Information overdose: Student performance and perceptions of pharmacology resources on exams.

Physicians of the future will be expected to synthesize new knowledge and appropriately apply it in patient care. Here, we report on the effects of and student attitudes towards resource-enhanced exams by comparing student performance on closed-book exams with or without access to pharmacology flashcards. Setting: the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine (SOM), class of 2021 (N = 149), followed over 4 years. We provided pharmacology flashcards for studying purposes in all blocks; flashcards were only accessible during closed-book exams in 2 of 5 blocks. We collected pharmacology open-ended question (OEQ) scores and analyzed results using repeated measures ANOVA (SPSS). We collected MS4 survey data using Qualtrics and conducted a thematic content analysis. Performance on pharmacology questions on exams was not higher with access to pharmacology flashcards during exams. The number of students who passed pharmacology questions without flashcards on exams was as follows: 137 ± 3.7, 132 ± 5.0, and 134 ± 7.9 (average ± SEM). The number of students who passed pharmacology questions with flashcards on exams was as follows: 132 ± 6.6 and 120 ± 7.5. Survey comments revealed several themes. Access to pharmacology flashcards during exams allowed learners to focus on understanding the bigger picture and reduced stress. A subset of students reported having access to flashcards on pre-clerkship exams hurt their preparation for clerkships. Flashcards as exam resources were received well by approximately half the class, who reported benefits including more time to focus on understanding bigger picture concepts and reduced stress.

Students' Perspective of Open Book versus Closed Book Examinations in Higher Education Institutions during COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

The COVID-19 Pandemic has proven to be one of the enormous disruptions in educational institutions globally, including Indonesia. Keeping aside the fiscal working of these institutions, no institution wanted to compromise on the quality of education given to the students, especially in online learning practices. Holding traditional examinations procedures under such circumstances was impossible; thus, it shifted assessment practices from the closed-book exam (CBE) into the open-book exam (OBE) in these Higher Learning Institutions. This study used a quantitative approach to investigate the impact of OBE on students online learning performance and satisfaction. Utilising a descriptive research design, a total of 152 undergraduates from two public universities in the West Nusa Tenggara Province were randomly selected using a stratified sampling technique. The findings showed that students perceived their academic performance has increased since the OBE implementation and had high satisfaction with OBE as an assessment tool. The inferential analysis showed a positive and significant relationship between perceived academic performance and satisfaction towards OBE. The t-test also indicated a significant difference between students' satisfaction obtained by male and female students. However, no significant difference was found in students" preference between OBE and CBE. The implication of the findings suggests that the landscape of assessment in HEI has changed drastically over the last two years. The implementation of OBE has an increased potential to measure students' higher-level thinking skills as it relates more closely to real-world work environments. Secondly, it is likely to throw up new challenges for both instructors and students in their teaching and learning practices.

The Novelty Effect on Assessment Interventions: a Qualitative Replication Study of Oral Performance Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics

This paper reports on a qualitative replication study investigating the impact of the novelty effect on findings from interventions about the assessment of mathematics at university. The replication study used the same data collection tools of a previous study on oral assessment of mathematics, but data were collected in a context where oral assessment is the norm. We aimed to find whether the results of the two studies were comparable and whether there was plausible evidence of an impact of novelty effect on the findings of the original study. The findings of the current study appear to be comparable to those of the original study. Students associate oral assessment with the assessment of conceptual understanding and written assessment with the assessment of procedures; they report being more anxious about the oral assessment, but they perceive oral assessment as a better learning experience than closed book exams. However, in a culture where oral assessment is the norm, we found students engaging with learning also following considerations of the difficulties of other modules taken in the same period of their degree. Finally, in this culture, oral communication of mathematics is also much valued.

ВИРІШЕННЯ УПРАВЛІНСЬКОЇ ЗАДАЧІ ЯК ЕФЕКТИВНА ФОРМА «OPEN PAPER EXAM»

The article raises the question of the effectiveness of final control in the conditions of distance learning. A description of the traditional form of the exam (oral answer to questions on the exam ticket) is given, its purpose is revealed. The approaches of modern didactics to the use of methods of oral, written, practical (laboratory) control and self-control of education seekers are disclosed; the types of control are distinguished, which are classified according to the scale of learning goals, learning stages, time orientation, frequency, volume, organizational forms of learning, forms of social mediation, types of educational activities, and methods of control. The need to review the forms of final control in the conditions of distance learning based on the competency approach is substantiated. The necessity of rethinking the purpose of the final control is revealed, which consists in checking not so much the amount of theoretical knowledge, but the level of the formation of competences, provided as a result of studying an educational discipline. A comparison of the competencies laid down in the Standard of Higher Education for the specialty 012 Preschool Education and the competencies from the Professional Standard of the Head of a Preschool Education Institution was carried out. The necessity of training future managers of preschool education to make managerial decisions at the stage of obtaining higher education, taking into account the personal qualities that influence it, has been proven. Special attention is paid to views on the functions that the manager of preschool education should perform. The characteristics of non-traditional forms of examination are given: «closed book exam», «Multiple-choice еxam або Shot-question exam», «open-book exam або open paper exam», «“thinking” exam», «“take-home” exam», «practical exam». The process of organizing and conducting final control in the educational discipline «Management in the system of preschool education» in the form of «open paper exam» is described. Examples of management tasks presented for the exam are presented, the procedure of the exam itself is described. The advantages and disadvantages of using this form of final control are determined. Key words: distance learning, final control, exam, non-traditional exam, «open paper exam».

Evaluating the efficacy of different types of in-class exams

In this research project, students were asked to compare their experiences of two types of exams in an undergraduate economics course with closed-book exams. The first type of exam had a timed group discussion session followed by individual work while the second type had a conventional open-book format. We find that a vast majority of students prefer our new assessment methods, but the group discussion session received mixed reviews. Post-exam feedback on exam preparation methods vindicates our hypothesis that closed-book exams may not encourage deeper learning and are not always an effective means of assessing students’ knowledge and skills. Group discussions are valued by students to brainstorm ideas, clarify questions, and formulate arguments. However, allowing discussion just before a written exam is disruptive to students who want a serene atmosphere to gather and organise their thoughts.

Exploring the Experiences of Undergraduate Medical Students with Online Open-Book Exams: An Exploratory Qualitative Study

Background: During COVID-19 medical education system in our ever-burgeoning societies thus saw a paradigm shift from in-person interactions to a virtual ones. In Pakistan, HEC also preferred online open-book exams (OBE) to closed-book exams (CBE) as an assessment strategy; issued guidelines accordingly. The absorption of this new assessment strategy proved daunting for undergraduate (UG) medical students. Careful understanding of their experiences proffers a seamless integration of online OBE in online assessment as a whole. Methods: The Qualitative exploratory design has been utilized. The sampling technique includes purposeful sampling with maximum variation in sampling type. The sample size was eighteen students for three FGDs (six students in each group). Online FGDs were conducted and thematic analysis was done with verbatim transcription of data. Result: Eight themes have been extracted from the data. The themes include understanding of students with online OBE, practice and training for online OBE, preparation for students for OBE, attempting online OBE, the spectrum of emotions, educational impact and benefits of online OBE, difficulties encountered during online OBE, and anticipated future of OBE in medical education. Conclusion: Experiences of UG medical students in online OBE indicate its potential in future applications, such as formative assessment, teaching strategy, complementing conventional exams, and assessing real-life workplace situations. Relevant findings have enabled the furnishing of one model for the effective utilization of online OBE for institutions and students. Keywords: Online Open-book exams, synchronous, undergraduate medical education, application of knowledge, problem-solving skill.

Rethinking Assessment: The Future of Examinations in Higher Education

The global higher education landscape is significantly impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the majority of the universities now follow an online or hybrid mode of delivery. This presents substantial challenges for universities, particularly to conduct examinations, as traditionally most exams were conducted physically on campus. During the first wave of the pandemic, many universities had no option and were forced to move online in a very short period of time, causing universities also to conduct exams online without transforming pedagogy and the structure/s of closed-book exams. Inevitably, in non-proctored and unregulated examinations, this allowed room for students to collaborate and share material during online exams without being noticed by an invigilator as in the case of physical exams. Online exams, also leave room for students to find information online which made preventing plagiarism a significant challenge. This paper investigates the practices used in both closed-book and open-book exams and identifies the challenges associated with the transition to online exams. It also identifies potential ways forward for future online exams, while minimizing opportunities for students to collaborate, plagiarise and use online material. The findings of this study reveal that online examinations affect teachers and students differently: while teachers have mixed feelings about online exams, students are anxious about their grades and the technical hassle they experience in online exams. While viva has emerged as a popular form of alternative assessment, students still feel the need of returning to physical exams. None of the teachers who participated in this study discussed a psychosocial approach to education and exams in this pandemic. We conclude this study on the note that there is a need for the collaboration of social scientists, psychologists, psychosocial specialists, educationists, and humanities scholars/humanists for better educational policy and pedagogical practices during the pandemic.

Assessment of factual recall and higher-order cognitive domains in an open-book medical school examination

Open-book examinations (OBEs) will likely become increasingly important assessment tools. We investigated how access to open-book resources affected questions testing factual recall, which might be easy to look-up, versus questions testing higher-order cognitive domains. Few studies have investigated OBEs using modern Internet resources or as summative assessments. We compared performance on an examination conducted as a traditional closed-book exam (CBE) in 2019 (N = 320) and a remote OBE with free access to Internet resources in 2020 (N = 337) due to COVID-19. This summative, end-of-year assessment focused on basic science for second-year medical students. We categorized questions by Bloom’s taxonomy (‘Remember’, versus ‘Understand/Apply’). We predicted higher performance on the OBE, driven by higher performance on ‘Remember’ questions. We used an item-centric analysis by using performance per item over all examinees as the outcome variable in logistic regression, with terms ‘Open-Book, ‘Bloom Category’ and their interaction. Performance was higher on OBE questions than CBE questions (OR 2.2, 95% CI: 2.14–2.39), and higher on ‘Remember’ than ‘Understand/Apply’ questions (OR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.09–1.19). The difference in performance between ‘Remember’ and ‘Understand/Apply’ questions was greater in the OBE than the CBE (‘Open-Book’ * ‘Bloom Category’ interaction: OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.19–1.37). Access to open-book resources had a greater effect on performance on factual recall questions than higher-order questions, though performance was higher in the OBE overall. OBE design must consider how searching for information affects performance, particularly on questions measuring different domains of knowledge.

TRADITIONAL VERSUS OPEN-BOOK EXAMS IN REMOTE COURSE DELIVERY: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Assessment is an essential step in the teaching and learning process. Traditional examination methods (closed-book, time-constrained, invigilated, multiplechoice) prevail in higher education despite support foralternative approaches wherein students construct knowledge through active, authentic activities. A review ofthe scholarly literature focused on merits and limitations of traditional closed-book exams in-person and in anonline, remote course delivery context, as well as benefits, concerns, and considerations of transitioning to open-book exams at a time of upsurge in online learning. Within the dichotomy of traditional versus alterative exam strategies, the literature is inconclusive on shared matters, including student academic integrity, study habits, anxiety, performance, and long-term retention of information.

Liming Wang Comment on How China Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic

Liming Wang Comment on How China Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mathematics Assessment at the Postsecondary Level: Three Alternative Forms of Assessment

Postsecondary mathematics classrooms continue to become more diverse, which implores educators to continue to incorporate more diverse modes of assessment to support all learners. However, researchers have found that mathematics assessment at the postsecondary level has remained mostly stagnant, with traditional, closed-book exams dominating the field. In thispaper, we present three alternative forms of mathematics assessments for teachers at the postsecondary level. We incorporate researched-based tools for implementation and grading online, oral, and project-based assessments in mathematics. Potential limitations of each type of assessment are also addressed

Study of Students’ Perception Regarding Open Book Assessment and Closed Book Exams

Background - An “open book examination” is one in which students are allowed to refer to their notes,textbooks, and other approved material while answering questions. This practice is mostly unheard of. It isideally suited to professional courses like MBBS which especially aim at developing the skills of criticaland creative thinking.Materials and Methods – After a lecture on chapter Medical Law and ethics 100 students selected throughsimple random sampling after obtaining informed consent were given Pre test. Then they were divided into2 groups. The topic Medical Law and Ethics was divided into 2 Parts. The students of Group 1 undertookopen book exams for Part A and Self study exams for Part B and for students of Group 2 it was reversed.Post test was done with the validated pretest questions. To check the retention another open book examwas performed after a month. The students also answered a questionnaire on their perception of open bookexams and the reason for their preferences and it was analyzed.Conclusion – A total of 100 students participated in the study. In that 60 were medium achievers and 40were high achievers. Both medium achievers and high achievers obtained high scores in open book exams.Most of the students felt that Open book exam is less time-consuming for preparation, less stressful andincreased their Self-directed learning. Open book exams is better to the closed book exams and inculcatesthe habit of life-long learners.

Assessing open-book examination in medical education: The time is now

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the feasibility of holding secure closed-book examinations in medical education is compromised. In this Personal View, we compare the underlying reasoning for using open-book and closed-book exams. We rethink the role of open-book assessment and offer ways in which we believe they can complement closed-book exams. We highlight the gap in research, highlight future directions, and call on medical educators to seize our current golden opportunity to explore the impact of open-book exams – on their own or combined to closed-book tests, as a blended approach – on learners, educators, and licensing bodies.

Mobile eye tracking and academic integrity: A proof-of-concept study in the United Arab Emirates

ABSTRACT Academic dishonesty has been identified as a significant problem for tertiary educational institutions in the Arab World and beyond. This study aimed to test the efficacy of mobile eye-tracking technology as a means of detecting instances of academic dishonesty during a closed-book exam. Participants were thirty (N = 30) college students attending a university in the United Arab Emirates. Two faculty members were recruited as proctors, and three student participants acted as cheats in the mock examination situation, while wearing mobile eye-tracking devices (eye-tracking glasses). Eye-tracking observations were recorded, replayed and analyzed, with the data and visualizations from each eye movement being captured at 30 millisecond intervals. The findings were independently coded for each instance of suspected academic dishonesty. Inter-rater reliability was established, and the detections were shared with the pseudo-cheats (participating students). The cheating instance detection rate was 100% using two independent observers. Every attempt at cheating, for example, looking at another student’s exam, was successfully detected the observers independently watching the exam footage captured from the eye-tracking glasses. This unique study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to explore the exploitation of mobile eye-tracking technology in the context of academic integrity promotion.

A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Open Book Tests Over Close Book Tests and Perception of Medical Students in Physiology


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Introduction
 At present, the Medical knowledge is expanding and changing rapidly and there is increasing need to concentrate on education based on competencies. Closed book exam is an established approach to assessment in medical education which is widely accepted method of superficial learning. Adding open book test to the formative assessment can assist in handling this growth of knowledge.
 Objectives
 To evaluate the effectiveness of open book test on student's performance in summative assessment and to know the perception of students on open book test.
 Methodology
 The study was conducted on I MBBS students (n=150), who were divided into 2 groups, Group I: subjected to open book test for 4 weeks and Group II: subjected to closed book tests for 4weeks. There was a cross-over of the two groups and Group I were subjected to the closed book test and Group II students were subjected to open book tests. The mean marks obtained in summative assessment were statistically compared. Perception of the students was taken through feedback questionnaire.
 Results
 The mean marks obtained by the students (n= 141) in the summative assessment after open book test (Mean± SD =26.37±6.235) are statistically significant than those after closed book tests(mean± SD =24.09± 6.3513(p value< 0.005).
 Conclusion
 71% of students recommended open book tests for the formative assessment. Hence, adding open book test to the medical curriculum along with regularly used closed book test are expected to stimulate deep learning.