The convenience of online courses is reduced when students have to commute to take an exam on campus. The Beacon finds it senseless to require students to take exams for online courses in person; this requirement completely defeats the purpose of distance learning.
Online courses are available for all majors of the University. Courses that require only books and an Internet connection opens up doors for a type of student who may otherwise be incapable of going to college in person.
Work schedules, children, military life or living overseas can make it arduous, and often even impossible, to obtain a college degree. Distance learning solves the problem.
However, online learning opportunities are compromised when they also include in-person exams. In the interest of continuing to expand avenues for education, in-person test-taking requirements should be discontinued.
Perhaps one of the greatest concerns for online courses is that of potential cheating. The Beacon thinks if a student is adamant about cheating, it does not matter if they are taking the test in-person or on a computer; they will find a way.
Online, there are obvious concerns of cheating when a student takes a quiz, test or even comprehensive midterm or final exam. However, cheating can be made more difficult in a couple of ways.
First and foremost, the material for online tests and exam should be appropriately timed and done in Respondus Lockdown Browser, a software program that creates a web environment that bars the test taker from opening other tabs or documents.
The time allotted for the test is also crucial. Obviously, students do not need 60 minutes to answer 20 multiple choice questions. The timing must be allocated appropriately.
Secondly, if there needs to be a multiple choice test due to the nature of the course, the test can vary for each student.
Thirdly, essay tests and papers that are turned into turnitin.com can be weighed heavier than multiple choice tests.
Online education opportunities are important and integral to our “Worlds Ahead” mentality. Online education should be limitless in regard to location and convenience. Eliminating the on-campus requirement encourages this.