Exams Process and Laptops

[midweek]

For the mock exams just passed we had 18 laptops and 2 x IT suites locked down at one point. I had to create 65 digital exam users accounts. Our pupil count is only 650!

 

Likewise just moved to ExamWritePad as M365 Apps are no longer fit for offline use.

[jthompson]

Anyone having more and more kids needing laptops for exams? We have a separate suite locked down like others here, it used to be 2 or 3, then 5 or 6, now it's 15 ??? Once one student has one everyone else suddenly needs one too

 

Yes, it seems like more each year. I'm assuming that it's driven more by the advancements of fairness and levels of ICT use, rather than signalling some kind of degredation.

[mavhc]

Don't forget that digital exams are coming too, expect to have everyone using a computer for at least 1 GCSE option soon

[Brax]

Don't forget that digital exams are coming too, expect to have everyone using a computer for at least 1 GCSE option soon

True, I can't see it happening anytime soon though. It'll be optional until most schools can afford the hundreds of devices to run it. Then you've got to contend with issues with the exams themselves. Examples being SecureClient's release and the recent Oxbridge entrance issues.

[mavhc]

https://ocr.org.uk/news/ocr-to-offer-first-gcse-with-fully-digital-exams/

 

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/computer-science-2020/teaching-support/onscreen-assessment.html CS from Pearson has one exam that's: use the computer as normal, don't use the internet though

[Rob_D]

True, I can't see it happening anytime soon though. It'll be optional until most schools can afford the hundreds of devices to run it. Then you've got to contend with issues with the exams themselves. Examples being SecureClient's release and the recent Oxbridge entrance issues.

From what I've read about OCRs plans to have a language exam on computers in 2026, it didn't sound optional.

[mikes]

From what I've read about OCRs plans to have a language exam on computers in 2026, it didn't sound optional.

 

I wonder if it'll be the usual - they'll force schools to do it, it'll be a massive disaster, they'll then scale back the plans for a few more years while saying "lessons have been learned"

[simpsonj]

I had a discussion with our Exams Officer about this, and it does seem to be in the pipeline. I was trying to think of all the potential issues and solutions, assuming all students had to take their exam on a device:

 

Power - We wouldn't provide power to the desk for an entire year group, so we'd have to buy a dedicated device just for exams, and charging facilities for those devices. These devices would then need to be put out on desks and collected every single day to be charged overnight.

 

Spacing - Currently we have to sit at least 1.5m apart when taking an exam on a computer, and can't have someone directly in front of you (we skip a desk). This wouldn't be possible if all students had a computer, so that rule would need to be relaxed.

 

Logging in - We would need to have a simple login that allowed invigilators to login to the device every morning. But then it could start to get complicated as presumable each exam board will have it's own URL or software, and each exam will have different credentials for every student. I foresee a lot of problems logging in (O instead of 0, 1 or I etc), or trying to log into the wrong exam board all together...

 

Invigilation - Digital exams I've been involved in previously have had an invigilator dashboard to control pauses in the exam (fire alarm etc), extra time and other bits. So there could well be quite a steep learning curve for some of our invigilators that could put some off.

 

Networking - Having an entire year group connected to one AP in our Sports Hall for exams doesn't fill me with confidence. It should be fine, but there's a difference between having a lesson that could go wrong and it not being the end of the world, and an exam which are far higher stakes.

 

Still, to emphasis some of the positives, if all goes well and it's properly designed, then:

 

Accessibility should be improved - can increase the font size, change the background colour, have questions read to you through the software (provided you have headphones)

No more printing and signing answers

 

Anything I've missed?

[mavhc]

I just have the students use their school laptop, with a new login, exam-username, with a randomly generated password. You could print out those passwords along with their candidate number and other details I suppose, then change them for the next exam.

 

I suggest all exam student laptops are charged the night before and only used for exams that day, someone would have to check the evening before. If 2 exams in 1 day then charge again at lunch. If your laptop batteries don't last 2 hours then get new ones.

 

Next steps depend on how the exam system works, does it require internet? lan? autosave?

[simpsonj]

I just have the students use their school laptop, with a new login, exam-username, with a randomly generated password. You could print out those passwords along with their candidate number and other details I suppose, then change them for the next exam.

 

I suggest all exam student laptops are charged the night before and only used for exams that day, someone would have to check the evening before. If 2 exams in 1 day then charge again at lunch. If your laptop batteries don't last 2 hours then get new ones.

 

Next steps depend on how the exam system works, does it require internet? lan? autosave?

 

Logging onto the laptop itself isn't the problem, my worry is that if the exam is 'online', it will almost certainly require the student to login with a unique credential for each exam. Plus there are multiple exam boards, potentially each with their own way of logging in, either via URL or piece of software. How that piece gets managed could be quite complex and error prone. Or it could be that we continue to use a Word processor, like ExamWritePad, but that doesn't seem to be the direction of travel that I'm seeing.

 

If it is online, at least it means we could do away with Exam papers (storing, distributing, sending back), which I know our Exams Officer would love!