Here at the Borders Campus we have students who have used
word processors/computers for exams for several years. For
some of them it has been because of particular physical
problems with writing for long periods, for others it has
been in place of a scribe and has been either typed
directly by the student, if they had a competent typing
speed, or dictated to someone as they would a scribe.
The advantages of the word processor over a handwriting
scribe are that the student can actually see the words
appearing on the screen and read over what they have said
more readily. It also allows them to dictate at a more or
less normal speaking speed, which can help with the
problems which arise where delays cause an interruption of
the flow of thoughts. Spellcheckers/grammarchecker systems
etc. are on tap,and this, combined with the printed pages
produces a more readable script for the examiner (very
welcome in a heap of scripts!). There has been a
significant improvement in the exam results of those who
have had access to this facility after previous attempts at
writing exams themselves.
Our computer services staff, in conjunction with the
examinations officer, arrange for "clean" machines to be
available and the exam is produced both in paper format and
backed up on floppy. Where any crises have arisen (such as
the computer crashing - and it has happened a couple of
times) the invigilator has simply stopped the clock, called
for back-up to cure the fault, and additional time allowed
to complete.
It is only a small number of students who require this
facility but it has proved successful for them and
manageable. With bigger numbers it might be more difficult
and would depend heavily on the available resources, both
technical and human.
--
Eleanor Drummond
Heriot-Watt University
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