Danish students allowed use of internet during exams

[paroh]

Danish students allowed use of internet during exams


source

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/1...ernet-in-exams

In a bizarre alteration of examination rules, the Danish government has taken the bold steps of allowing pupils full access to the internet during their final school exams, according to the BBC's technology page.

Currently, a total of fourteen schools in the country are piloting the scheme and all schools are invited to do the same by 2011. It seems like a great deal of trust is put into the students themselves not to cheat. BBC News journalist Judy Hobson describes the Danish exam hall at Greve High School, south of Copenhagen as a strange place:

"On the morning of the exam, the exam room the floor is covered in cables. IT experts are busy helping the teenagers set up their laptops, making sure they all work. At five to nine, the room falls silent. CD-roms and exam papers are handed out together. This is the Danish language exam. One of the teachers stands in front of the class and explains the rules. She tells the candidates they can use the internet to answer any of the four questions."

The candidates may access any website they wish, including Facebook, in order to answer the questions, but are not allowed to contact any individual outside or within the exam hall. According to the Danish government, the internet is such an intrinsic part of an individual's day-to-day life now that it should be included in examinations and classrooms. For some time now, Danish students have been allowed to type up answers to exam questions on computers, having the use of the internet in examinations is logically the next step, but is it a step too far?

According to the BBC, Sanne Yde Schmidt, who heads the project at Greve, says: "If we're going to be a modern school and teach them things that are relevant for them in modern life, we have to teach them how to use the internet."

Minister for education in Denmark, Bertel Haarder, says: "Our exams have to reflect daily life in the classroom and daily life in the classroom has to reflect life in society. The internet is indispensible, including in the exam situation. I'm sure that is would be a matter of very few years when most European countries will be on the same line." He says he is proud of the fact Denmark is leading the way and believes other countries will adopt this system.

The main issue with this groundbreaking examination method is cheating. Despite communication being "banned" there is actually no way a student can be stopped from cheating using this method; however severe the consequences of doing so. Ms. Schmidt says they rely on the integrity of the pupil and the threat of expulsion if they are caught. "The main precaution is that we trust them. I think the cheat rate is very low because the consequences of cheating are very big."

According to the students at the school, cheating is too hard with the new types of exams. Instead of simply regurgitating facts, they are now required to sift through, and analyse an amount of information.

[harryneopotter]

thats really strange !!!! but good for students though

[techteen]

Lucky them.
But remember they might not be learning too.

[krishnandu.sarkar]

India mein kab hoga.....

[Anorion]

they are being realistic. I mean even in a work situation, being without the internet is somewhat unthinkable. how well the questions are framed, and how the answers are evaluated is what matters. would like to see the question paper

[amol48]

It doesn't surprise me at all. In India most of the examinations are based on mugging up and vomiting out and all such comes with a validity! I barely know a student who remembers what he learnt 5 years ago. What matters is what 'actually' is useful to you in real life and not school/college life!

They are just being practical IMO. Of course how valuation is done has to be seen but I am sure it will evolve eventually. I completely feel that the current system of education is COMPLETELY OUTDATED and hardly anything that we learn in school/colleges is useful in practical life. (We would learn most of those things anyways even if we don't go to schools)

[opwjuso]

Originally Posted by amol48

It doesn't surprise me at all. In India most of the examinations are based on mugging up and vomiting out and all such comes with a validity! I barely know a student who remembers what he learnt 5 years ago. What matters is what 'actually' is useful to you in real life and not school/college life!

They are just being practical IMO. Of course how valuation is done has to be seen but I am sure it will evolve eventually. I completely feel that the current system of education is COMPLETELY OUTDATED and hardly anything that we learn in school/colleges is useful in practical life. (We would learn most of those things anyways even if we don't go to schools)

The movie is already out in the UK and the Japanese version was region free so this should be the same.

__________________
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[XTerminator]

what internet will those corrupt officials provide here? dial-up 33.6 kbps?

[infra_red_dude]

Even most of our courses are open book, open notes, open internet exams. However, all the chat protocols are blocked. Even with the whole world wide web before us, it is not easy to score an A+ (or 100%) in the exam. This is where one's real skills are tested.

I once suggested that exam be open-notes in my college in Bangalore where I did my Bachelor's. That way the exam will test "knowledge" of the student rather than his/her "memory". The faculty laughed at me!
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Posted again:
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Even most of our courses are open book, open notes, open internet exams. However, all the chat protocols are blocked. Even with the whole world wide web before us, it is not easy to score an A+ (or 100%) in the exam. This is where one's real skills are tested.

I once suggested that exam be open-notes in my college in Bangalore where I did my Bachelor's. That way the exam will test "knowledge" of the student rather than his/her "memory". The faculty laughed at me!

[sagargv]

The trend is picking up. One of my lecturers held open text book / notes tests last semester. But that was not allowed for the final exams.

There's one other professor who does something different. He gives one question entirely out of the syllabus. Of course , he would not have taught that in the class. The description of the question gives the reader all the details and information necessary to solve the questions following it. This is suppose to test how well a student adapts to entirely new concept in a small time frame.

But in this semester , its sad to see that most lecturers expect us to know half the data sheet by heart.

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by sagargv

There's one other professor who does something different. He gives one question entirely out of the syllabus. Of course , he would not have taught that in the class. The description of the question gives the reader all the details and information necessary to solve the questions following it. This is suppose to test how well a student adapts to entirely new concept in a small time frame.

I really like this concept I wish more professors in India adopt this!

[Faun]

Originally Posted by infra_red_dude

I once suggested that exam be open-notes in my college in Bangalore where I did my Bachelor's. That way the exam will test "knowledge" of the student rather than his/her "memory". The faculty laughed at me!

Wonders of clerk ejjucation.

[pradeepcec]

ya thats better off actually, better than people cheating in the exams..

[n00buddy]

that's nice than no one will fail, all will get very good marks(may be equal) and above all there will be no cheating .

[infra_red_dude]

Originally Posted by n00buddy

that's nice than no one will fail, all will get very good marks(may be equal) and above all there will be no cheating .

Contrary to that, open book, open notes and open internet exams are really tough to crack!

[Phantom Lancer]

Here in India we rarely take initiatives to better our old "Cram school" education system . "Dont change something that isnt broken beyond repair" is the mentality we have and it does nt help .
many a suicides later cbse board has partially done away with the old system of examination . but our state and matric boards are yet to follow

[D@rekills4]

I would get an 100/100

[freshseasons]

I think people will lose their retention memory this way.There should be a age limit strictly.
We dont want kids surfing porn during giving exams.