Assessments are an essential part of learning. Online quizzes serve as an effective way of assessment of learning. They are a quick form of assessment that helps teachers examine student abilities and modify teaching strategies accordingly. Online quizzes like those in the Auro Scholar App help students practice the concepts they learn and get micro-scholarship rewards. In our blog on Online Quizzes; Uses and Benefits, we mentioned some of the important uses and benefits of online quizzes and assessments. Read further to learn about the various advantages and disadvantages of online quizzes and assessments in this blog.
Advantages of Online Quizzes
1. Environment Friendly
Conducting a pen and paper examination requires materials including paper to print questions and answer sheets. Producing paper in huge quantities leads to cutting down numerous trees and excessive use of water in the production cycle. Furthermore, the transportation of the materials and final product uses vehicles that run on fossil fuels. It consumes the limited Earth resources on one hand and pollutes it on the other. Increasing pollution adds to the carbon footprint, affecting the Earth’s environment.
However, online quizzes do not require physical materials like pen or paper. The entire process happens online with the help of an electronic device and Internet connection. Ergo, it is an environmentally friendly process.
2. Cost-Effective
The production of materials for conducting a pen and paper test is comparatively high. The money that goes into setting up and managing classroom examinations is cut down in online quizzes or exams. Online exams do not require classroom arrangement, invigilators and stationeries. Moreover, the study material that the students use is available online. All the communications happen via email or other such media. It means that everything is available in an online format and does not need printing. Thus, online quizzes as a form of online assessments are a cost-effective method of assessing student learning levels.
3. Time Saver
Online examinations in the form of online quizzes and assessment tests are a big time saver. When conducting physical examinations, teachers have to invest a great deal of time to set up papers. Similarly, a fairly good amount of time goes into determining the examination center for each student. Also, students have to travel to the exam location and wait for the distribution of exam papers. Furthermore, teachers spend hours marking the papers while students wait for days to get the results.
On the other hand, online examinations are a quick form of assessment. Students do not need to travel to an examination center and wait for the distribution of papers. They only need an electronic device like a laptop, desktop, or smartphone to take online quizzes or assessment tests. Also, the auto-grading system saves teachers’ time and provides instant results.
4. Convenient
With the advancements in technology and the era of the Internet, every task is becoming easy and efficient. The main focus is on the convenience of the user. Similar is the case in terms of online quizzes and assessments. Online processes make it convenient for the teachers to set up examinations for students and assign grades accordingly. There are no constraints over time and resources. Teachers can refer to a huge database of previous papers and upload the current exam papers. Moreover, students have free will to choose the time and place of the exam. They can even take online quizzes from the comfort of their homes.
On the other hand, classroom examinations create constraints for students and teachers. Teachers have to search the entire database for setting up the papers. The course administrators also have to carry out several processes to conduct physical examinations. The absence of this hassle makes online exams much more convenient than physical classroom examinations.
5. Fewer Chances of Paper Leaks
Security is the biggest concern while conducting examinations, especially high profile examinations like competitive exams, college and university examinations. There are chances of paper leaks during the printing and logistics process. However, online examinations such as online quizzes do not require any manual process. The question papers are set up using question banks that select questions at random. Therefore, no two exams have the same question paper. As a result, there are minimal chances of cheating or paper leaks.
Furthermore, in the case of online quizzes, numerous questions are available in the form of question banks. Examiners can randomly select questions to create a unique question paper for every student. Thus, there are no chances of cheating or paper leaks.
Disadvantages of Online Quizzes
1. Depends on Technology
Although technology makes our lives easy, it also makes us dependent. One of the drawbacks of online examinations is that it requires technology that everyone may not be able to afford.The transition from pen and paper examinations to online assessments is difficult in many cases. Several factors, including the lack of infrastructure and unavailability of resources, poses a challenge for the learners. Also, the transition phase pose numerous challenges in terms of the usage of technical equipment. Teachers and even students may be against such a sudden shift in the assessment format. The reasons behind their resistance can be the lack of computer literacy and unfamiliarity with technical devices.
2. Lack of Infrastructure
In India, one of the common problems that the students face is the lack of infrastructure for learning. Conducting online quizzes and assessment tests requires computers/laptops and a stable internet connection. Also, considering the number of students, the requirement of the devices increases, but the availability is low. Schools are often unable to procure the minimum number of devices to conduct online assessments. Moreover, having a stable Internet connection is a challenge in rural areas. The network connection in rural areas suffers due to the lack of infrastructure for providing adequate network coverage. Therefore, the traditional pen and paper examination methods are more effective in such areas.
3. More Chances of Cheating
Cheating is a common phenomenon in any examination. No matter which method the educators use, there are always chances of cheating. Online exams are especially vulnerable to cheating. Students may use unfair means like searching online while taking the exam or plugging in external devices with answers. Also, screen sharing is common malpractice while taking online quizzes or assessments. Additionally, after finishing, students may tell the answers to fellow students who are yet to take the exam. To avoid such a situation, examiners must randomize the questions so that no two students get the same question paper.
4. Differential Grades
The grading system in online quizzes and assessments evaluates students on similar grounds. In case of online quizzes, the grading system is much easier as it assigns grades upon every correct answer. However, artificial intelligence does not prove effective in the case of long answer type questions involving reasoning and interpretation. There is a need for a teacher or facilitator to read and assess student responses. Therefore, online grading cannot effectively assess every student on equal grounds. Different students possess different abilities. Thus, evaluating every student with the same auto-grading system is unfair. Therefore, online assessments are disadvantageous in this regard.
5. Not Effective for All Types of Examinations
Many examinations require collaboration between students. They may be group projects or some vocational examinations. Such exam types require subjective evaluation by an examiner. Online exams through online quizzes or question-answers are not successful for judging student abilities. Moreover, group projects require students to work together, making it difficult to assess students individually through the online method. It adds to the disadvantages of online quizzes and assessments.
Final Note
Although online quizzes and assessments are an effective way of evaluating students, they are equally disadvantageous. The various advantages of online quizzes and assessments make them an effective way of assessment. It is easy for institutions to conduct online examinations considering the needs of students. However, every institution does not have the privilege of doing so due to several external factors. However, developments in technology and expanding infrastructural facilities may make online assessments accessible to all shortly.
