Are ‘Online Tests’ Realistic in Sri Lanka?

EasyChair Preprint 1585

Abstract

Educational, Vocational Training, and Professional Institutions in Sri Lanka are facing a challenge in subjecting an ever increasing number of off-campus students to tests for the purpose of gauging their progress in academic programmes and for assessing their successful completion. Experience in the developed world, particularly those connected with Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), makes ‘Online Assessment’ appear promising as a viable alternative to conventional testing.

A critical success factor in the migration towards ‘Online Assessments’ within the Sri Lankan education system would be the inclination of the senior academic staff of higher educational institutions towards such migration. Consequently, a critical assessment of this inclination would be of interest to those who advocate this migration.

A survey was conducted among the academic community in the Sri Lankan higher educational institutions on the present and the future use of Online Tests for the assessment of students, with the aim of ascertaining as to how realistic it would be to embrace Online Testing in Sri Lanka at national level. The survey dealt with the personal disposition of the senior academic staff towards Online Tests, the infrastructure and facilities available, and the challenges envisaged in the transition.

This paper presents the analysis of the data gathered through the survey and the conclusions drawn from them.

Keyphrases: academic dishonesty, conventional test, online test

@booklet{EasyChair:1585,
  author    = {Athula Seneviratne and Indika Perera},
  title     = {Are ‘Online Tests’ Realistic in Sri Lanka?},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 1585},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2019}}