The laptop just ate my exam.
March 14, 2010 12:42 PM Subscribe
"Mandatory laptop" in college. How do deal with exams?
I teach in an engineering college. There's been talk of "mandatory laptops" for students for years now, and the idea seems to be getting some traction lately. Colleagues of mine that teach math and science are reluctant about the whole idea. On the positive side, a laptop equipped with the suitable software could replace the high-end programmable calculator that has been mandatory for over 10 years (and which is probably going the way of the dodo). But then, there's the exams. Currently, the calculator is allowed in the exams. Allowing laptops is a completely different ball game. Networking possibilities would make cheating much easier (or so they think). Exams without calculator / laptop is not an option. I would like to hear from people / places that have dealt directly (and successfully) with this issue (namely, how to deal with the use of laptops in exams) .
I teach in an engineering college. There's been talk of "mandatory laptops" for students for years now, and the idea seems to be getting some traction lately. Colleagues of mine that teach math and science are reluctant about the whole idea. On the positive side, a laptop equipped with the suitable software could replace the high-end programmable calculator that has been mandatory for over 10 years (and which is probably going the way of the dodo). But then, there's the exams. Currently, the calculator is allowed in the exams. Allowing laptops is a completely different ball game. Networking possibilities would make cheating much easier (or so they think). Exams without calculator / laptop is not an option. I would like to hear from people / places that have dealt directly (and successfully) with this issue (namely, how to deal with the use of laptops in exams) .
I think you misunderstand mandatory laptop programs. Schools that have these generally require students to own laptops. It doesn't require that professors allow laptops to be used at all times. If you don't want students using laptops in your class, it's still usually your prerogative to say so. If you don't want them using them during exams, ditto.
I've never heard of any university that says students must be allowed to have their own laptops available, on and opened at absolutely any time they choose.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:53 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've never heard of any university that says students must be allowed to have their own laptops available, on and opened at absolutely any time they choose.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:53 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I attended an engineering/technical college. Although we didn't have "mandatory laptops", we often had open-book, open-software, take-home exams where computer use was essentially mandatory (ie, use of Matlab or Mathematica).
Cheating on exams was dealt with the same way in all classes - we had a strictly enforced honor code that was internally-enforced. Since most exams were open-book, open-computer, and take-home, the exams can be commensurately harder. Of course, this creates more work for the professors, which they might push back against.
posted by muddgirl at 12:55 PM on March 14, 2010
Cheating on exams was dealt with the same way in all classes - we had a strictly enforced honor code that was internally-enforced. Since most exams were open-book, open-computer, and take-home, the exams can be commensurately harder. Of course, this creates more work for the professors, which they might push back against.
posted by muddgirl at 12:55 PM on March 14, 2010
I was thinking the same thing as If only I had a penguin... I'm in a grad program where we are required to have laptops, but some professors don't allow them in class. However, we take our exams on laptops using special software that makes it so we can only access the exam software during the exam. Since they would also need a calculator or math software, this may not be possible. I haven't taken math in over 5 years, but I can't imagine taking a math exam on a computer rather than on paper where you can write stuff down, unless you just input the answers into a computer after you've solved them. Are you sure this is what your department is pushing for?
posted by ishotjr at 12:56 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by ishotjr at 12:56 PM on March 14, 2010
Does your school have strong honor code? My university has a well-established honor system that allowed us to take exams unproctored or at home (including finals). Students took the honor system very seriously: the "honor council" was student-run, and proven violations would typically result in expulsion.
Engineering exams, as far as I recall, were not a concern particularly because no two solutions to a problem would ever be the same.
posted by halogen at 12:57 PM on March 14, 2010
Engineering exams, as far as I recall, were not a concern particularly because no two solutions to a problem would ever be the same.
posted by halogen at 12:57 PM on March 14, 2010
I've seen it dealt with 2 ways as a student, both of which seemed fairly successful. 1) A really strict honor code combined with strict timing for the exam and multiversioning. This option does involve trusting the students more. 2) Force all students to install a program on their laptop which restricts access to only certain permitted programs during an exam and removes network access. This method doesn't require trust, but it could be harder if you aren't careful about how you license the software. Anecdotally, method 2 doesn't 100 percent eliminate cheating, it just makes it sufficiently difficult that most mildly dishonest students stay honest.
on preview...pretty much what others said.
posted by eleanna at 1:00 PM on March 14, 2010
on preview...pretty much what others said.
posted by eleanna at 1:00 PM on March 14, 2010
We do our exams on the university network computers. There's a separate login for the exam, which prevents you accessing anything on that computer aside from the exam itself. The computer rooms are booked out and moderated like any exam.
We don't have mandatory laptops, or even commonly used laptops in classes - so as other people have said, the way you do your lessons and the way you do your exams don't have to be the same.
posted by Coobeastie at 1:09 PM on March 14, 2010
We don't have mandatory laptops, or even commonly used laptops in classes - so as other people have said, the way you do your lessons and the way you do your exams don't have to be the same.
posted by Coobeastie at 1:09 PM on March 14, 2010
Agree with ishotjr and If only I had a penguin... I work at a law school, and while laptops aren't mandatory here, they're omnipresent. My understanding of mandatory laptop programs is that they exist to make sure that students all have access to some minimum amount of technology, and this doesn't mean that all faculty members have to allow students to use them on exams or in class. I think most law schools have at least one faculty member who bans laptops entirely, and a few that don't allow students to take exams on laptops. When exams are taken on laptops, software (like Securexam, ExamSoft, or Electronic Bluebook) is used to lock down the computer and prevent access to any other programs, so there aren't any cheating issues. States use the same software to administer the bar exam, even.
posted by Madame Psychosis at 1:19 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by Madame Psychosis at 1:19 PM on March 14, 2010
Exams without calculator / laptop is not an option.
Are you sure about this? If so, then there should be institutional discussion about how to prevent cheating and institutional support (e.g., the aforementioned software solution that disables the internet and only allows access to, e.g., Matlab during the exam period).
If there hasn't been such a discussion or instruction on how to use such software, then either you need to ask your department chair to start such a discussion, or I would guess laptop use during exams is not mandated.
The way I dealt with this issue when teaching Linear Algebra, when I was at an institution where every student was required to purchase a laptop (via their tuition) but there was no requirement as to how it was (or was not) used in the class, was to give two-part exams. The first part was definitions and more theoretical questions, and was in class. The second part was more computational and was take-home, and open-book. And I just decided I didn't care to worry about the cheating.
---
I actually really like the mandatory laptop approach: it means you can use technology in class without worrying about the students who don't have access, and you can have them bring their computers to class whenever it;s convenient for you, as opposed to having to schedule special lab time.
And it also means that you can be teaching students better ways to solve problems. (I mean really: cramer's rule? to solve a system of equations? I'd like my engineering students to be able to do something other than blindly plug numbers into an equation.)
posted by leahwrenn at 1:32 PM on March 14, 2010
Are you sure about this? If so, then there should be institutional discussion about how to prevent cheating and institutional support (e.g., the aforementioned software solution that disables the internet and only allows access to, e.g., Matlab during the exam period).
If there hasn't been such a discussion or instruction on how to use such software, then either you need to ask your department chair to start such a discussion, or I would guess laptop use during exams is not mandated.
The way I dealt with this issue when teaching Linear Algebra, when I was at an institution where every student was required to purchase a laptop (via their tuition) but there was no requirement as to how it was (or was not) used in the class, was to give two-part exams. The first part was definitions and more theoretical questions, and was in class. The second part was more computational and was take-home, and open-book. And I just decided I didn't care to worry about the cheating.
---
I actually really like the mandatory laptop approach: it means you can use technology in class without worrying about the students who don't have access, and you can have them bring their computers to class whenever it;s convenient for you, as opposed to having to schedule special lab time.
And it also means that you can be teaching students better ways to solve problems. (I mean really: cramer's rule? to solve a system of equations? I'd like my engineering students to be able to do something other than blindly plug numbers into an equation.)
posted by leahwrenn at 1:32 PM on March 14, 2010
Seconding Coobeastie...
My grad school has a couple dedicated computer classrooms--each desk has a university PC and students log in with a special exam id/password. Internet access is cut off along with other non-essential programs. We just save our test file to the desktop when we're done. Works very well.
posted by mullacc at 1:42 PM on March 14, 2010
My grad school has a couple dedicated computer classrooms--each desk has a university PC and students log in with a special exam id/password. Internet access is cut off along with other non-essential programs. We just save our test file to the desktop when we're done. Works very well.
posted by mullacc at 1:42 PM on March 14, 2010
eleanna writes "Force all students to install a program on their laptop which restricts access to only certain permitted programs during an exam and removes network access. This method doesn't require trust, but it could be harder if you aren't careful about how you license the software. Anecdotally, method 2 doesn't 100 percent eliminate cheating, it just makes it sufficiently difficult that most mildly dishonest students stay honest."
I worked technical support for an institute with two and four year technical programs with approximately 90-95% computer (CAD, GIS, Surveying, etc.) course work and of course exams. I had the advantage that the laptops were supplied by the institution with software supplied by us. We used both a special windows login (created in house) (identified at a glance by garish wallpaper that I created and changed regularly) that restricted which applications could be ran; and by hooks into our most sensitive software that let us know who had worked on a file. However that was mostly a stick behind an honour code that was mostly adhered to. The software enforcement could have been fairly trivially be broken by a dedicated cheater but it was a reminder against casual and "accidental" cheating.
Collection of exam files was via a one way, write once (for the students) file server.
posted by Mitheral at 1:59 PM on March 14, 2010
I worked technical support for an institute with two and four year technical programs with approximately 90-95% computer (CAD, GIS, Surveying, etc.) course work and of course exams. I had the advantage that the laptops were supplied by the institution with software supplied by us. We used both a special windows login (created in house) (identified at a glance by garish wallpaper that I created and changed regularly) that restricted which applications could be ran; and by hooks into our most sensitive software that let us know who had worked on a file. However that was mostly a stick behind an honour code that was mostly adhered to. The software enforcement could have been fairly trivially be broken by a dedicated cheater but it was a reminder against casual and "accidental" cheating.
Collection of exam files was via a one way, write once (for the students) file server.
posted by Mitheral at 1:59 PM on March 14, 2010
I think some people are missing the point. It seems to me the core of the problem facing bluefrog is the idea that the laptops would REPLACE the calculators.
With calculators, it's not a problem to have students bring them to exams, and they are necessary for the exams. If they have computers, and no longer have calculators, then either they have to bring the laptops to the exams (cheating potential) or they are left without a necessary exam aid (calculator/calculation software).
So just saying that he doesn't have to permit the laptops in the exam is missing the fact that absent the calculators, the laptops will actually be necessary for the exams. Just not having them there isn't an option, so the answers that focus on how to lock them down (whether with technical or social engineering) are more in line with what he's looking for.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:00 PM on March 14, 2010
With calculators, it's not a problem to have students bring them to exams, and they are necessary for the exams. If they have computers, and no longer have calculators, then either they have to bring the laptops to the exams (cheating potential) or they are left without a necessary exam aid (calculator/calculation software).
So just saying that he doesn't have to permit the laptops in the exam is missing the fact that absent the calculators, the laptops will actually be necessary for the exams. Just not having them there isn't an option, so the answers that focus on how to lock them down (whether with technical or social engineering) are more in line with what he's looking for.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:00 PM on March 14, 2010
Graphing calculators provide amble opportunity to cheat -- you can load them up with whatever programs or information you have. Unless you check to clear the memory of every student's calculator before an exam, you could probably apply similar honor codes to laptop misuse in class as to calculator misuse.
Standing at the back of the room where you can see everyone's laptop screens would probably help, too.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:07 PM on March 14, 2010
Standing at the back of the room where you can see everyone's laptop screens would probably help, too.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 2:07 PM on March 14, 2010
Currently, the calculator is allowed in the exams. Allowing laptops is a completely different ball game. Networking possibilities would make cheating much easier (or so they think). Exams without calculator / laptop is not an option.
At my engineering school, the approved exam calculator was a Casio Fx-83 which cost maybe $15. That and stationary were the only things students took into exams.
So it wasn't as impractical as an exam entirely without a calculator; but neither was it as unrealistic as thinking students' personal laptops could be secured for use in exams.
Final grades were based partly on the (computerless) exam and partly on coursework (which often required computer use).
When exams are taken on laptops, software (like Securexam, ExamSoft, or Electronic Bluebook) is used to lock down the computer and prevent access to any other programs, so there aren't any cheating issues.
None of those products' websites really have enough technical detail to convince me their software is as secure as they claim.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:09 PM on March 14, 2010
At my engineering school, the approved exam calculator was a Casio Fx-83 which cost maybe $15. That and stationary were the only things students took into exams.
So it wasn't as impractical as an exam entirely without a calculator; but neither was it as unrealistic as thinking students' personal laptops could be secured for use in exams.
Final grades were based partly on the (computerless) exam and partly on coursework (which often required computer use).
When exams are taken on laptops, software (like Securexam, ExamSoft, or Electronic Bluebook) is used to lock down the computer and prevent access to any other programs, so there aren't any cheating issues.
None of those products' websites really have enough technical detail to convince me their software is as secure as they claim.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:09 PM on March 14, 2010
I went to a school where computers were allowed on some exams, and you could even prep for the exams with files in your accounts too. A lot of the questions were more conceptual and we ended up finishing the questions in mathematica.
The only thing I could add to the above is, what about spyware and viruses or hardware problems.
The computers at the school were the responsibility of the school to be in working order, and even if one was dead there was a whole room full of them.
I was just thinking that over the entire class size there will be one or two people with a dead or unusable laptop at the time of exams, will there be school provided laptops during the exam, or the ability to re-take the exam and good tech support from the school?
posted by so_ at 2:30 PM on March 14, 2010
The only thing I could add to the above is, what about spyware and viruses or hardware problems.
The computers at the school were the responsibility of the school to be in working order, and even if one was dead there was a whole room full of them.
I was just thinking that over the entire class size there will be one or two people with a dead or unusable laptop at the time of exams, will there be school provided laptops during the exam, or the ability to re-take the exam and good tech support from the school?
posted by so_ at 2:30 PM on March 14, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks all for the comments so far.
jacquilynne sums it up neatly.
The use of calculator in class means that the students are taught "better ways to solve problems", as leahwrenn said. This dictates that the calculator (or a laptop running matlab) is required for at least parts of the exams. (The laptop is not to write the exam. This would still be done with pen and paper).
Solutions such as take-home exams, honor code (which we already have) are interesting, but a "lockdown" solution would go a long way towards reducing my colleagues resistance. They don't really care about access to other software on the laptop (hard to imagine how it would help). What bothers them is the possibility of students using the network to cheat. The way I see it, it leaves two possibilities:
-Block wifi in the classroom during exam (doable without interfering with the classrooms around?)
-Have special room with non networked computers for exams (space and scheduling constraints to consider)
posted by bluefrog at 2:44 PM on March 14, 2010
jacquilynne sums it up neatly.
The use of calculator in class means that the students are taught "better ways to solve problems", as leahwrenn said. This dictates that the calculator (or a laptop running matlab) is required for at least parts of the exams. (The laptop is not to write the exam. This would still be done with pen and paper).
Solutions such as take-home exams, honor code (which we already have) are interesting, but a "lockdown" solution would go a long way towards reducing my colleagues resistance. They don't really care about access to other software on the laptop (hard to imagine how it would help). What bothers them is the possibility of students using the network to cheat. The way I see it, it leaves two possibilities:
-Block wifi in the classroom during exam (doable without interfering with the classrooms around?)
-Have special room with non networked computers for exams (space and scheduling constraints to consider)
posted by bluefrog at 2:44 PM on March 14, 2010
I had one exam that actually required the use of laptops. The reason was that it was heavily involved with MINIX source code and searching through code for references was far simpler electronically. It's small enough a class that you can simply proctor it and keep an eye on student activity.
If your concern is that students will substitute laptops for graphing calculators, then you're in a bind. It's going to be a bitch and a half to stop people from using emulators like VMware or VirtualBox, or remote desktop tools. Really, the only secure option is to use a testing center environment.
posted by pwnguin at 2:50 PM on March 14, 2010
If your concern is that students will substitute laptops for graphing calculators, then you're in a bind. It's going to be a bitch and a half to stop people from using emulators like VMware or VirtualBox, or remote desktop tools. Really, the only secure option is to use a testing center environment.
posted by pwnguin at 2:50 PM on March 14, 2010
Response by poster: BTW, the calculator currently used is the TI Voyage 200
posted by bluefrog at 3:00 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by bluefrog at 3:00 PM on March 14, 2010
Try and get in touch with the administrators of this scheme in Norway.
About 6,000 students in Norway are doing exams on their laptops in a trial that could soon be rolled out across the country.
Every 16-19 year-old in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway has been trying out the laptop-based system.
The secondary students are given a laptop by the government when they turn 16 to help them with schoolwork.
During exams the specially-tailored software springs into life to block and record any attempt at cheating.
posted by knapah at 3:42 PM on March 14, 2010
About 6,000 students in Norway are doing exams on their laptops in a trial that could soon be rolled out across the country.
Every 16-19 year-old in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway has been trying out the laptop-based system.
The secondary students are given a laptop by the government when they turn 16 to help them with schoolwork.
During exams the specially-tailored software springs into life to block and record any attempt at cheating.
posted by knapah at 3:42 PM on March 14, 2010
On the blocking during exams: I know many law schools have the option of turning on and off wi-fi access to classrooms per professor and it doesn't seem to interfere with anything around it. So solutions are definitely there, as far as that goes.
You wouldn't need non-networked computers during exams, as others have stated above--just logins for exams with networking disabled.
I am going to reiterate that if you're going to do this, you need to be very careful how the university licenses the necessary software. The university I go to licenses Matlab in a way where you have to be logged into the network in order for the software to work (they do the same thing with ArcGIS). If the license looks like this, a non-networking solution is not going to work.
An alternative, given the honor code already exists and that you don't care about other software on the laptop: Require that the laptops have an external on-off switch for the wireless. Have students verify with the proctors that the switch on their laptop is turned to off.
posted by eleanna at 5:37 PM on March 14, 2010
You wouldn't need non-networked computers during exams, as others have stated above--just logins for exams with networking disabled.
I am going to reiterate that if you're going to do this, you need to be very careful how the university licenses the necessary software. The university I go to licenses Matlab in a way where you have to be logged into the network in order for the software to work (they do the same thing with ArcGIS). If the license looks like this, a non-networking solution is not going to work.
An alternative, given the honor code already exists and that you don't care about other software on the laptop: Require that the laptops have an external on-off switch for the wireless. Have students verify with the proctors that the switch on their laptop is turned to off.
posted by eleanna at 5:37 PM on March 14, 2010
You aren't going to win this with a technical solution. Blocking wifi is really only a partial solution. A determined cheater could use a built-in 3G wireless connection to access the Internet. As someone else mentioned, people could use virtualization or other methods (even dual booting to a non-locked-down OS), so it will be hard to completely lock down students' laptops.
Eventually technology is going to catch up with you.
posted by kenliu at 6:56 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Eventually technology is going to catch up with you.
posted by kenliu at 6:56 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Have the students get a laptopt *and* a calculator. Let them use the calculator on the exams where you don't want them to use the laptop. Let them use the laptop if the calculator is open-book/open-notes etc.
posted by kindall at 8:16 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by kindall at 8:16 PM on March 14, 2010
Could the students use their laptops for classwork, then have the school provide calculators to be used during the exams?
posted by itesser at 9:37 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by itesser at 9:37 PM on March 14, 2010
Does your school have strong honor code? My university has a well-established honor system that allowed us to take exams unproctored or at home (including finals). Students took the honor system very seriously: the "honor council" was student-run, and proven violations would typically result in expulsion.
The thing is, we've got no idea how well that honor system worked.
How do we know if people have cheated on course A? Well, if people had been caught cheating we'd know cheating had gone on, but if nobody has been caught cheating that means either nobody cheated, or people cheated without getting caught. So, if nobody has been caught cheating, we would only believe nobody cheated if we believe cheaters would have been caught.
They don't really care about access to other software on the laptop (hard to imagine how it would help).
1. PDF copies of the course textbook, lecture slides, students' notes, and solutions to past exam papers.
2. Software you don't know about - If you were running a course on partial differential equations, and you weren't aware of symbolic manipulation software, students might find that 4-by-4 jacobian quicker more easily than you anticipate.
A determined cheater could use a built-in 3G wireless connection to access the Internet.
A few years ago I would have said "ha, who could afford that?" - but nowerdays in my country you can get a 3G wireless internet connection for $20/month; I know several students with such connections. If cheap 3G wireless internet isn't available in your country now, it will be in a few years' time.
I had one exam that actually required the use of laptops. [...] It's small enough a class that you can simply proctor it and keep an eye on student activity.
Windows has a tendancy to connect to your favorite wireless network automatically, and MSN Messenger/Yahoo Chat/whatever has a tendancy to start automatically on boot and sign in automatically, and when someone sends you a message the windows just pop up on their own.
What would you do if you encountered someone using a chat program (or something similar) and they said 'It just came up on its own, I don't know why'?
posted by Mike1024 at 1:56 AM on March 15, 2010
The thing is, we've got no idea how well that honor system worked.
How do we know if people have cheated on course A? Well, if people had been caught cheating we'd know cheating had gone on, but if nobody has been caught cheating that means either nobody cheated, or people cheated without getting caught. So, if nobody has been caught cheating, we would only believe nobody cheated if we believe cheaters would have been caught.
They don't really care about access to other software on the laptop (hard to imagine how it would help).
1. PDF copies of the course textbook, lecture slides, students' notes, and solutions to past exam papers.
2. Software you don't know about - If you were running a course on partial differential equations, and you weren't aware of symbolic manipulation software, students might find that 4-by-4 jacobian quicker more easily than you anticipate.
A determined cheater could use a built-in 3G wireless connection to access the Internet.
A few years ago I would have said "ha, who could afford that?" - but nowerdays in my country you can get a 3G wireless internet connection for $20/month; I know several students with such connections. If cheap 3G wireless internet isn't available in your country now, it will be in a few years' time.
I had one exam that actually required the use of laptops. [...] It's small enough a class that you can simply proctor it and keep an eye on student activity.
Windows has a tendancy to connect to your favorite wireless network automatically, and MSN Messenger/Yahoo Chat/whatever has a tendancy to start automatically on boot and sign in automatically, and when someone sends you a message the windows just pop up on their own.
What would you do if you encountered someone using a chat program (or something similar) and they said 'It just came up on its own, I don't know why'?
posted by Mike1024 at 1:56 AM on March 15, 2010
Don't give exams. Use something more realistic as an assessment tool. Seriously, how often in real life do people have to answer questions in a one- or two-hour window without being able to access references, the internet, or colleagues to help with the answers? Assign projects instead.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:22 PM on March 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacqueline at 1:22 PM on March 15, 2010 [1 favorite]
Just FYI, interesting article from The Washington Post about banning laptop use in the classroom. As a recent college graduate, it's true--what a distraction, even if it's not your laptop!
posted by trampoliningisfun at 2:56 PM on March 15, 2010
posted by trampoliningisfun at 2:56 PM on March 15, 2010
Seriously, how often in real life do people have to answer questions in a one- or two-hour window without being able to access references, the internet, or colleagues to help with the answers?
Rarely - but on the other hand a college student might buy essays online - how often in real life would that work?
Both exams and coursework have their place; I say use both.
posted by Mike1024 at 3:46 PM on March 15, 2010
Rarely - but on the other hand a college student might buy essays online - how often in real life would that work?
Both exams and coursework have their place; I say use both.
posted by Mike1024 at 3:46 PM on March 15, 2010
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Am I getting that right?
posted by squorch at 12:52 PM on March 14, 2010