UNE's pioneering role in distance education has recently extended to hosting exams online, a capability which has suddenly proven invaluable in a world gripped by a pandemic.
The university's Online Exams project is considered a leader in the Australian university sector. Nearly two-thirds of UNE's subjects are already eligible for online examinations, and the university was moving to 100% online exams by the end of the year – a deadline that is being rapidly moved forward.
Jennifer Lawrence, UNE’s Program Director, Academic Success, said the COVID-19 pandemic has produced an international surge of interest in the technology from educators desperate to maintain business continuity.
“We’ve had phone calls from counterparts in probably 20 other universities just in the last week,” Ms Lawrence said.
A webinar held last week by UNE's Online Exams Team drew several hundred educators from around the world, and subsequently, hundreds more to the webinar recording
UNE Online Exams project leader Kylie Day presented the webinar at the request of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) and Australasian Council for Open and Distance Education (ACODE).
The “best-practice crash course” shared the lessons and successes from the UNE project, which has long been considered the leader in the Australian university sector.
How does it work?
Online exam technology is officially called "remote invigilation". It allows students to take an exam in their own space while still under supervision.
Using their webcam, students show supervisors their room, their workspace, and their ID - which is also verified using biometrics and facial recognition technology.
The supervisor can see and hear the students, view what’s on their screen, and run an app to turn off unauthorised programs on their computer.
“During the exam, the invigilator is watching somewhere between five and eight people at a time; the invigilator-to-student ratio is better than it would be in a traditional exam,” Ms Day said.
“Artificial intelligence checks things like if there might be another person in the room. For example, it might see a shadow falling in the background and flag that to the invigilator.”
