Students take their grades seriously in many instances. For those students completing a final exam for a required course, the pressure to perform and thoroughly know the material is enough without worrying about technical difficulties.
Connectivity can be a serious disadvantage of online testing. A student's Internet connection either in a school lab or at home can drop at any time for various reasons. In some instances this could cause the student to lose work or inadvertently submit tests that are incomplete. Some connections time out with inactivity, so students may have to open second browser windows and remember to reload pages occasionally to keep this from happening, according to the Northern Illinois University website. This problem can be a distraction from the task at hand.
The potential for cheating during an online test is tough to eliminate. In fact, unless an instructor is physically watching someone take the test, it is almost impossible to remedy.
Internet technology does nothing to stop students from taking an online test with an open book next to the workstation or opening a second window and searching out the correct answers to the test elsewhere on the Internet.
Setting test time limits with software and using controlled computer lab setting may help offset this disadvantage, but it does not do much for the online test taker working from home.
To combat potential cheating, some universities simply offer open-book tests with reasonable time limits.
When a school conducts testing online it eliminates the need for some costly resources. The more students are working off site via the Internet, the fewer students are using the physical campus facilities. This can result is a reduced need for faculty and staff. It can also mean reduced costs such as utilities on campus.
The nature of online testing also reduces the printing of tests and other materials required for teaching. The school spend less on paper and printing materials, leading to a significant advantage in the academic business.
A great advantage of online testing is its accessibility to students with disabilities. Computers can be customized to cater to those with various physical disabilities in order to place them on a level playing field with other students, according to TestPrepReview.com.
Blind students can test using a Braille keyboard, and text may be enlarged for those who have difficulty seeing small print. Software can also be installed on a computer that allows students to hear questions or instructions through speakers if they are unable to see the screen.
Students who cannot use the traditional keyboard can be outfitted with peripheral equipment that allows them to input their work in other ways, either through mice, joysticks or voice-recognition software.
Grading online tests is a snap, and is a time saving advantage for educators with lots of students. Depending on the type of test given, instructors may be able to enter an answer key into the system once and instantly grade all incoming tests. Even on tests that require grading essay type questions, the submitted exams are organized and easy to read for quicker grading.