"Web-based exam" refers to tests carried out through the use of computers and networks, in which the exam questions are transmitted over the network and the examinees answer them on a computer. The computers automatically review the objective questions, while the subjective questions are reviewed by tutors on another computer. Compared to traditional exams administered via pen and paper, web-based exams are more flexible as to time and more efficiently organized.
By taking full advantage of information technology in education, web-based exams are developing very rapidly, with a total of 514,148 examinees participating in online exams in 205 subjects during the current term. As of last term (2015 spring semester), the number of network test subjects totaled 2,436, and examinees who took their final exams online totaled 6.072 million. Web-based exams have provided more flexible and convenient services for a large number of examinees.
In order to utilize web-based examinations, the Open University of China (OUC) launched a trial programme for examination appointments during the fall 2012 semester. At the end of each semester, examinees who failed to pass the final course examination were provided with an opportunity to take the final exam one additional time online.
With the implementation of these final exams, students participating in the web-based exams are reminded to pay attention to the following:
For each web-based exam, the OUC will provide a 30-minute long mock exam before the web-based exam. Most OUC branches will organize mock exams. Mock exams will be held from December 23-27, 2015, at the end of the term. For this reason, students not familiar with the network test environment and particularly examinees participating in the examination for the first time should make sure to participate in the mock exams in order to become familiar with the operation of the test system.
After entering the examination room, the examinees should follow the instructions of the examiners and find their assigned seats. Changing seats is not allowed. At 10 minutes before the examination, the test supervisors will explain the examination notes. Examinees should follow the onscreen exam interface instructions and input their student ID number and other information correctly. After logging in to the test system, examinees will need to verify whether the exam subject is correct. If any errors are found, examinees are requested to immediately report them to the supervisor for a resolution.
During the test, in case of machine malfunction or software crash, examinees should promptly report the issue to the invigilator, who will assist in resolving the issue, after which the exam will continue. If the computer issue cannot be resolved, examinees may request that the teachers in the examination room allow for a change to a different computer. For test delays due to emergency situations, examinees may apply to the invigilator to extend their examination time, with 15 minutes being the maximum amount of extra time allowed.
The examination system automatically backs up any answers made by the examinees, records the elapsed time used to take the exam, and automatically terminates the exam once the maximum time has been reached. For this reason, examinees must make good use of their time during the examination. For time delays caused to the examinees due to an emergency, the technical staff can extend the computer's maximum examination time for up to 15 minutes. After the exam, examinees need to be careful not to shut down the computer on their own so as not to affect the backup and upload of the test data.
To provide more convenient services for examinees, the OUC is actively promoting the construction of a question bank and platform. We believe that with the advance of the construction of the question bank, there will be more courses available for online exams and the examination time will be more flexible. At that time, examinees will be able to choose their testing method and time according to their own situation. If the results are not satisfactory, examinees can even take the tests multiple times. Web-based exams are no longer a mere backup for final massive pen-and-paper examinations, but are in a position to become equivalent to traditional pen-and-paper tests. For some course exams, they will even become the primary testing method.
By OUC Test Centre