Each and every student has different preferences when it comes to assessments. So, why does it matter whether a student completes their assessment on paper or online? Students should have some freedom to choose, but there must be some structure.
Teachers need to prevent cheating while also trying to accommodate to a student’s choice. There are so many ways to approach this, allowing the teacher to tailor it to each class and how it functions. So why not give the students a choice? Here are some reasons teachers might be hesitant.
If given the choice, students might choose an online assessment to have the freedom to cheat, but there are ways for teachers to prevent it online. They can use lockdown browsers, AI/plagiarism checkers, and the honor code system. This suggests that offering online assessments isn’t a bad idea.
The choice of paper or online can be very flexible, depending on the class. Math is better for paper because you are solving problems, while history might be better online because it’s easier to write on computers. When choosing which form of assessment is better for a class, it doesn’t have to be restricted to one or the other—it can be both.
Also, a valid argument is that there won’t be consistency in the classroom. But that’s where opinion and values come into play. If you want the students to have a choice but also want consistency, you can let the students vote for what they want. From there, you can see how different classes operate and decide which format assessments should be in from there. It creates consistency while also benefiting each class individually.
Sophomore Valentina Feitosa-Caramelo believes a choice is critical for different subjects.
“If I have to take an online test for certain subjects like math, it makes it harder because I like to see the math problem on paper and see all my work there. But I like to do it for things like English because I can type faster and edit my work faster,” said Feitosa-Caramelo.
Assessment scores tend to be higher when they are taken on paper. However, there is still always a group of people who work better on computers. The fact that not everyone will be satisfied with one or the other shows that students aren’t universally the same when taking assessments. So, why try to group all students into ‘one size fits all’ approach?
Both teacher and student perspectives are different, but each are important factors for the choice paper or online assessment. A teacher can claim that it’s too much work to cater to each student, but a student can claim that teachers should be willing to adjust to their students’ needs.
