Where online exams taken at home have resulted in a pass, there’s always the nagging question:
how can we be sure there was no cheating? And we’ve had to do without tried and tested exam formats for large groups, such as multiple choice tasks. Yet reliable examinations are indispensable for assuring the quality of our educational institutions.
Running into errors
Decisions based on unreliable exam situations can lead to two mistakes in our education system: either someone unsuitable is selected, or someone who actually is suitable is rejected. The exam procedures in force this spring and summer rule out the second possibility, but mean the first is much more likely to happen. Pupils and students will receive a certificate stating that they’ve achieved a learning objective, although in fact they haven’t acquired the necessary skills or knowledge. We should be aware of the great problems this causes. I hope that computer-based exams will be used more often in schools and universities in the future – but these must be taken under supervision, and not on the edge of a bed or at a corner of the dining table.
Too soon to judge
So although teachers have made every effort to hold fair and credible exams, we know that the results obtained in the early summer of 2020 should be assessed differently than usual. And what about the educational outcomes of remote learning? We don’t have reliable data on this yet, but experiences vary considerably. At university, the impression is positive on the whole, and initial interim reports suggest that the learning opportunities afforded by distance learning have been at least as well received as those of the face-to-face teaching model. However, we must be careful not to jump to conclusions. After all, more has changed for the students than just the switch from face-to-face to distance learning: the shutdown of public life ruled out a number of alternatives to studying, so most young people will have spent more time at their studies than usual.
