Should exam halls ditch pen and paper for laptops or tablets?

This is an interesting topic, Rich, and hopefully we might get some input from students and recent graduates. I am amused by the survey asking if it’s time to move into the 21st century. We should have been asking this question in the 20th century.

At the university where I worked until recently, disabled students were offered the option of using a computer for their exams. Not many chose to do this, but some were very keen on this option even though it meant drawing diagrams on paper, to accompany the answers.

There are resource implications for providing every students with simultaneous access to computers for an exam and some lecturers are opposed to dealing with lots of computer files and marking on the screen.

I do not know the answer, but by the 90s I had already become less than keen on handwriting and would do drafts of handwritten documents on the computer and then copy them from the screen! I still do this, though the only handwritten letters I write are those expressing sympathy following a death.

To avoid cheating it is best to provide a computer that has no users’ files on the hard drive, remove internet access and disable input (e.g. from USB, CD/DVD drives, Bluetooth). Let students use their own computer and trying to cheat could take priority over doing well in the exam.

If I was a university student I would be pushing to be allowed to use a computer in exams and tests. Perhaps it is right to stick with handwriting at school and college, because handwriting still has its uses.

I’m surprised about the voting results. I always thought that universities have to teach students how to apply their knowledge in situations close to reality.

The current system of examination tests nothing apart from your memory and this is really sad and stupid. Make the questions more difficult, but give to students all the advantages of the 21st century, including the Internet, Google books, online databases, etc. Information changes all the time in all aspects of life and business. Teaching students something that was accurate in a certain period of time is absolutely idiotic (except History). I remember a couple of years ago my exam work was marked down because instead of using information from the recommended book I used up-to-date information from the Internet that I read the day before the exam. I couldn’t believe that it was happening. Therefore, I can’t say anything good about the education system.

The status of our economy is a good example of my words, we are governed by the people who have learned a certain number of ‘tools’ (fiscal polices) some time ago, unfortunately, nobody taught them how to think out of the box, therefore they can’t come up with a better plan than moving eggs from one basket to another. I’m also sure that for some percentage of the population my words will call nothing more but the anger, unfortunately, in every system, there is a small percentage of the population satisfied with their being, but every year the number of unemployed students goes up by 2% and nowadays graduate unemployment is at the highest for over a decade. The government response – increase of tuitions fees = fewer students = better unemployment stats.

A. In US, certain professional exams (taken at graduate or
post-graduate level) have four or five possible answers supplied
only one of which is correct, you merely tick the correct one;
use of computer seems ideal.

B. Certain questions require a short, sharp and fairly precise
answer originating from you, again use of computer seems ideal
but maybe not.

C. But not as to essay type answers required of in the same
exam, old-fashioned pen and paper seems more appropriate
IMO.(allows for a bit of waffling so beloved of students that
experienced examiners can smell a mile off!).

D. Internet to be disabled in all cases and of course no
mobiles around (or hearing aids unless bona fide, or any
other portable electronic devices of any
description).

When students spend all year typing notes and essays on their computer it does not make sense to demand that in exams a completely different – slower – method should be used.