Strategies and System Implementations for Secure Electronic Written Exams

Abstract

The pandemic has accelerated the process of digitization in many fields, highlighting some critical issues that have slowed the development of digital technologies in many areas. One of these is undoubtedly that of skills assessment, which on a digital platform is a more streamlined, reliable and faster process and allows some individuals from disadvantaged groups to be able to carry out the exam more easily. We present some strategies for enabling online remote secure written exams and their implementation through the open-source system LibreEOL. The system can be used for university exams (in presence or from remote locations) and training courses of all types to evaluate the effectiveness of learning in itinere, i.e., before, during and after a course, to provide quantitative data on training effectiveness. We outline the architecture of the services underpinning the system and the logical organisation of the various user roles and content relating to questions and exam delivery. We describe the algorithms that have allowed us to develop an environment that appears to be an essential aid both for teachers and students in light of the questionnaires conducted on students. The system is successfully used in the EchemTest, promoted by the European Chemistry Thematic Network, and allows comparison of chemistry training outcomes in different European countries. Despite the importance, it has taken on in the last two years due to the pandemic, such a system makes it possible to carry out a valuable skills assessment.

Keywords

• E-assessment
• cloud computing
• distributed computing
• artificial neural networks
• human–computer interaction
• user eXperience