Students’ acceptance of and preferences regarding online exams: a systematic literature review

Online assessments of learning, or online exams, have become increasingly widespread with the rise of distance learning. Online exams are preferred by many students and are perceived as a quick and easy tool to measure knowledge. On the contrary, some students are concerned about the possibility of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational technology research and development 2024-04, Vol.72 (2), p.1111-1151
Main Authors: Topuz, Arif Cem, Kinshuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Development Article
Distance Education
Education
Educational Technology
Gender Differences
Learning and Instruction
Literature Reviews
Preferences
Students
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Summary:Online assessments of learning, or online exams, have become increasingly widespread with the rise of distance learning. Online exams are preferred by many students and are perceived as a quick and easy tool to measure knowledge. On the contrary, some students are concerned about the possibility of cheating and technological difficulties in online exams. As a result, students' perspectives on online exam acceptance and preferences differ. Therefore, various studies have been conducted on students’ views to reveal the factors affecting students’ acceptance of and preferences regarding online exams. At this point, this research aims to better understand students' acceptance of and preferences regarding online exams by systematically analyzing the existing literature. Data consisted of 94 academic studies published in the period of 2002–2023. Synthesis results of the first theme include 4 categories about students' acceptance of online exams: namely, (i) factors affecting students’ acceptance, (ii) effects of factors, (iii) methods for increasing the level of acceptance, and (iv) effects of gender differences. The synthesis results of the second theme outline students' preferences towards online exams in terms of (i) feedback, (ii) questions, (iii) location, (iv) disciplines, (v) exam security methods, and (vi) exam duration. Thus, these results can contribute to those who want to take into account the factors affecting students' acceptance of and preferences regarding online exams and the factors that drive students' preferences. The paper also highlights several directions for future studies that have emerged from the findings.
ISSN:1042-1629
1556-6501
DOI:10.1007/s11423-023-10333-x