WATTLE Range Year 12 students made history this year when they ditched the traditional pen and paper to be among the first in the country to sit an end-of-year exam electronically.
Almost 2000 English Literary Studies students from across South Australia completed their exam on a laptop – a format which reflects how they have been learning all year – as the education system continues to modernise.
Computers were locked down to an examination browser to prevent internet access and students were denied access to the spellcheck tool.
Kangaroo Inn Area School senior teacher Anthony Mutton said there was a huge amount of preparation work completed by the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) board, as well as individual sites to make sure the appropriate structure, internet and hardware was in place.
“We ran two trials with one student sitting the English Literary Studies exam,” he said.
“We had some glitches with the system and the way it refreshed, so we gave that feedback to the SACE board and they completed some modifications on the browser they utilised.
“Once those modifications had been made, we ran another trial late last term, which ran smoothly.
“There were about four or five computers set-up in different ways, whether it was wireless or hardwire cable.
“They all worked seamlessly so we were confident it would go off without a hitch, but in the country you never know.
“It was always a bit of a worry, but on the day there were no issues whatsoever.”
Mr Mutton said exams were relatively unique as it was uncommon to have to write continuously for in excess of an hour and a half.
“We do not do that in class either,” he said.
“We are using computers and technology more and more, therefore it is almost a false environment to their demonstrated learning.
“I know if I had to write an extended response I would much prefer to type it on a computer.”
KIAS Year 12 student Sian Brooks said she was initially concerned about completing her exam electronically as a stable internet connection can sometimes be an issue in rural areas.
“After doing the trial exam earlier in the year and being able to familiarise myself with the setup, as well as give SACE feedback to fix any issues we had, I felt better about doing it again,” she said.
“I feel as though my generation can generally type better than they can write and in an exam when you are under pressure and have time restrictions hand writing can get messy and illegible.
“I think completing the exams electronically helps the students to communicate better in that respect.
“It is a good idea as long as there are steps in place to prevent the student being disadvantaged if something goes wrong.”
Sian said she had mixed emotions about finishing school, but looked forward to the future.
“I feel so relieved about finishing Year 12, but I also feel a little weird after having been in the school routine for so long.
“I am taking a gap year in 2019 to have a break, work and save money before hopefully going to university in Adelaide in 2020.”
The SACE Board plans to introduce electronic exams for subjects such as modern history and psychology next year.
The board said more time was needed to develop the tests for maths and science-based courses, which use symbols and Greek letters that are not easily typed on a keyboard.
Year 12 students from across the South East now eagerly await the results of their exams, which are set to be released next month.
In the meantime the graduates are happily enjoying end of school celebrations including Schoolies in Victor Harbour this weekend and their graduation dinners.
