63% educational institutes prefer hybrid mode for examinations: Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a paradigm shift in the education sector in almost every aspect, starting from imparting knowledge to conducting exams and assessment procedure, to name a few. While traditional physical classes have been replaced by remote learning, centre-based exams, in many cases, had to be cancelled, substituting them with online tests. In fact, a recent report, named The State of Online Examinations 2021, has an interesting finding to share: The way forward for exams in 2021 and beyond would be a mixed model of online and in-centre tests.

Key findings of the study
The survey, conducted by Mercer | Mettl, a global leader in online talent assessments and remotely proctored examinations, highlights the effect of COVID-19 on examinations and the increasing reliance of the education sector towards the digital ecosystem during the pandemic. This second-in-the-series annual report included more than 650 respondents (deans, HODs, professors, and other influential decision-makers) from over 150 educational institutes located in 18 countries. Here is a snapshot of the key findings of this report.

56 per cent of survey participants employed online examination platforms post March 2020. This is a massive shift towards the digital ecosystem.
According to 57 per cent respondents (6 out of 10), their major cause of concern in offering online exams is cheating.
56 percent of the surveyed educational institutes had never conducted virtual exams in the pre-pandemic era.
Prevention of cheating through better exam modalities tops the wish list of 7 out of 10 respondents.
62 per cent institutes expect enhanced ability to stage multiple types of exams (MCQs, descriptive, diagrams and more).
64 per cent of survey participants use digital platforms to conduct semester exams for final year students.
76 per cent of respondents reported that online exam service providers met nearly all their requirements. However, there is still some scope of improvement.
For 46 per cent survey participants, setting question papers for exams on diverse subjects is the most prominent benefit offered by digital exam service platforms. This is followed by the grading or evaluation process as cited by 42 per cent respondents.
The cost involved in conducting online exams is not an issue. Above 64 per cent of those surveyed reported that the expenses are relatively less or same as physical exams.
According to 63% of educational institutions surveyed, hybrid mode of exams (a mix of remote and in-centre exams) this year and beyond.

Summing up
The findings of the study indicate that globally, educational institutes are more equipped now to conduct online exams. They also suggest that there has been a massive shift of choice among colleges and universities from physical in-centre exams to the digital ecosystem. However, the digital exam service providers need to up their game while it comes to preventing cheating. This was the major concern in the previous year’s annual report too.