Online Testing

The Pros and Cons of Online Testing

                 From a student perspective

 

Whether you are a fan of online testing or not, you can not deny that it is becoming a big part of schools. Many schools are beginning to use online tools for teaching in and out of the classroom. It may be online testing or classes that are done completely online but either way it shows how important technology is becoming in the schooling system.

The Pros

Online Testing is gaining much popularity among schools across the world and for good reason. When students are given tests online it completely changes the way that students look at the test. If the test is multiple choice, it is much quicker and enjoyable to take the test on a computer. Marking answers, although very simple on standard testing, is must easier on a computer. If an answer is chosen but needs to be changed it is much easier to simply click another answer than erasing and remarking. Then for short answer, they too can just be typed into an answer box on the computer. This also saves a lot of money on paper too.

Grading is also much easier and quicker than standard grading. Multiple choice can be processed immediately after a student completes the test so that they may get their results back as soon as possible. Short answer question will need to be graded individually by the teacher, but the fact that the multiple choice is automatically graded makes it much easier. Students like knowing their grades and getting them back as soon as possible and online testing make it that much better. Overall, online testing is a more enjoyable process than standard testing is.

The Cons

Online testing also has some fatal flaws that can be an issue. One of the drawbacks is the need for space and equipment. in order to be able to do online testing, there needs to be a place for computers to be set up for students to use. Then on top of that there needs to be enough computers for every student to use at once. If there is a class of 25 then there needs to be at least 25 computers which is much more expensive than 25 pieces of paper. Then if one of the computers breaks it will need to be replaced or repaired which will  cost more money. Even though complete computer failures are unlikely it is still an issue that needs to be considered.

There are also technical issues that can arise with the computers that can cause major issues. Although it is very unlikely, there is the possibility that a computer can fail to save a test or the results from a students test, in which case they would have to retake it. This would lead to major issues of when the student can retake the test and how they will do it. Also if a computer or the program being used for the online testing crashes during a test then the student would have to restart the test and possibly not have enough time complete it. Although these are very very unlikely possibilities, they are still possible and need to be considered.

Overall

Overall online testing is a much easier process that can be extremely helpful. It is a much more enjoyable process for students and the grading is much more enjoyable for teachers. Online testing, despite its flaws, is definitely a helpful tool in the classroom and should be considered for more frequent use in schools.