Our Law School is successfully using wireless for exams. I don't know
all the details, but the software is called Exam 4. It's marketed
specifically to law schools, but it would probably work for any essay
exam application. The client software, which is installed on a laptop
owned by the student, controls user access to computer resources -
including the network. In their implementation, I think they hand out
printed exam questions, the answers are entered into the software and
the client uploads the completed exam to a server. This does not seem
to put much strain on the network and the software automatically saves a
local copy of the exam. If the client loses its network connection
during the exam they don't worry about it. They finish the exam, exit
the software, restore the network connection, and upload the exam.
Maybe there's similar software that's better suited to undergraduate
testing. The WLAN takeaway for me is that if the exam system can
tolerate the network connection being lost and restored then wireless
may be suitable. Like anything else, you have to match the application
with the medium and the benefit must outweigh the risk, but I'm inclined
to believe there are plenty of instances when this will be suitable.
I also doubt that we as networking professionals can avoid this
indefinitely. Wide-spread online testing is coming. For proctored
exams the alternative to using wireless in existing instructional spaces
is large, expensive, scarce, specialized e-testing facilities such as
are required for GRE's, professional exams, and the like. We'll never
be able to afford enough such spaces to satisfy undergrad testing
requirements and I don't see anything changing on the wireless front
that will significantly reduce the risks associated with using it for
testing, so now is probably as good a time as any to try to crack this
nut.
Chuck Enfield
Sr. Communications Engineer
Telecommunications & Network Services
The Pennsylvania State University
110H, USB2, UP, PA 16802
ph: 814.863.8715
fx: 814.865-3988
From: The EDUCAUSE Wireless Issues Constituent Group Listserv
[mailto:wireless-...@listserv.educause.edu] On Behalf Of heath.barnhart
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 2:31 PM
To: WIRELESS-LAN@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Wireless for Exams
We are not doing it here, but if asked I would advise against it do to
wireless networks being a shared contentious medium. If you could
confine the signal to a specific area were the testing would be going
on, then it might be ok, as only the people in the testing area would
have access to the resource.
Another issue though would be ensuring user integrity. Unless you are
providing the laptops for the users and restricting access locally,
someone will have to be actively checking to make sure they are not
using online resources during the testing time. You could create a new
network with access restrictions, though managing it might be tough if
the area is used for general lecture as well.
Heath
On 8/18/2010 11:54 AM, Johnson, Neil M wrote:
We are getting inquiries concerning the use of the wireless network for
computer based exams in large lecture halls.
Although we provide coverage in most of our lecture halls, our current
policy states that given the unlicensed nature of 802.11 spectrum we
can't guarantee network availability and performance and therefore don't
recommend using the wireless network for this type of testing.
I was wondering how other institutions approach this.
Thanks.
-Neil
--
Neil Johnson
Network Engineer
Information Technology Services
The University of Iowa
Work: 319 384-0938
Mobile: 319 540-2081
Fax: 319 355-2618
E-mail: neil-john...@uiowa.edu
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Constituent Group discussion list can be found at
http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
--
Heath Barnhart, CCNA
Network Administrator
Information Systems and Services
Washburn University
Topeka, KS 66621
** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE
Constituent Group discussion list can be found at
http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
**
Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group
discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
