Since UP Open University evolved from the traditional distance education to an open and distance e-Learning institution, changes in instruction, course delivery, and assessment also occurred. Through the years, UP Open University has utilized different forms of examinations from the usual sit-down proctored examination to a computer-based examination. This chapter chronicles the different forms of examinations, the issues and challenges encountered in administering these examinations, and the establishment of an examination service program that centralized the administration of academic examinations.
In its early years, UP Open University’s student support was handled by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Support Services (OVCSSS) which planned, proposed, and implemented policies pertinent to student services in support of delivery of instruction to distance learners. Face-to-face tutorials, as a form of instruction delivery and course examination, were conducted at the Learning Centers (LCs) located all over the Philippines where tutors served as proctors for the courses they handled. Examinations were taken simultaneously on the same day.
With the two institutional reorganizations in 1998 and 2003 and the rapid developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICTs), the administration of student support services also evolved through time. LCs, which were charged with conducting examinations, were administratively supervised by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA). Figure 1 shows the tasks of the UP Open University Student Support Services from 1995 to 2013 as illustrated in a timeline.
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During the introduction of online tutorials through the Integrated Virtual Learning Environment (IVLE) in 2001, some of the issues brought up included the diversity of the students and their presence at different locations in the country and abroad. UP Open University started accepting students based abroad, and since then, these students have continuously increased every year.
During the First Semester of 2003-2004, the OVCSSS began administering examinations for students based abroad with proctors coming from Philippine embassies, consulates, and the University of the Philippines (UP) alumni group. An initial attempt featured a student that took an online exam using an email facility with a specified exam duration of three hours. Without the use of a webcam, instant messaging was employed to remind the student of the remaining hours.
With the approval of the UP Open University reorganization in September 2003, the responsibility of handling examinations of offshore students was given to the Faculty Offices. Offshore examinations were proctored in Philippine diplomatic embassies or through an educational service provider. University of the Philippines alumni often served as exam proctors. In a few cases, online exams were conducted synchronously with students being monitored through a web camera. Under this arrangement, the approval of the faculty-in-charge (FIC) was sought prior to exam administration.
In implementing this scheme, the Faculty Offices made use of existing technologies such as Yahoo Messenger (YM) for invigilating examinations while strictly complying with a given set of university guidelines for both the proctors and the students. For instance, the Faculty of Education (FEd) conducted online examinations via email/YM beginning the Second Semester 2003-2004. A web-based online examination in cooperation with the UP Open University’s Management Information System Office (MISO) was piloted for five overseas students from July 28 to August 1, 2006 to address some of the issues in the first type of online examination.
In 2007, the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) piloted a number of innovations that addressed the examination needs of offshore learners resulting in the creation of a Virtual Learning Center (VLC). According to Dr. Melinda dP. Bandalaria, then Head of the Office of the University Registrar, the innovations included the mechanisms for ensuring the integrity of the examination process including the conduct of online examinations. One of the mechanisms was the creation of the guidelines in proctoring examinations. Part of these guidelines in the conduct of online examinations were the requirement and positioning of camera, ascertaining the identity of the student and the maximum number of examinees a Proctor can handle at a single session. Another innovation was the creation of “Community site for Offshore students” that served as a venue for announcements, sending messages, and socializing with fellow students. Other mechanisms required the development of an exam portal, procedures to prevent cheating and other acts of academic dishonesty, and the training of online exam proctors. Faculty members then administered online examinations either through this mechanism developed for offshore students, through a learning management system (LMS), or through mechanisms that they have developed on their own.
The Virtual Learning Center (VLC) for offshore students was eventually handled by a full time coordinator in 2011. Existing mechanisms for online examination have been used until today. VLC has catered to the unique examination needs of overseas students considering time zone differences and geographical locations.
The organizational, environmental, and technological changes that spurned a rethinking of the administration of examinations at UP Open University, necessitated a flexible and accommodating institutional approach.Through the years, UP Open University has experimented with the implementation of various forms of examinations administered in a decentralized manner primarily through the LCs. In the process, UP Open University considered the unique requirements of distance learners and the nature of the examination as crafted by the faculties-in-charge.
Sit-down proctored examinations
Sit-down proctored examinations are administered at the accredited UP Open University Testing Centers or LCs locally and abroad with a designated proctor or examiner. These exams include pen-and-paper tests and computer-based tests where the students use a laptop to encode answers or log in to the Online Examination System (OES) at the exam venue. Up until 2017, UP Open University maintained seven UP Open University LCs located in Baguio, Manila, Diliman, Laguna, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao in the Philippines. These LCs coordinate with the 17 Testing Centers in the Philippines which mainly operate as examination venues and which are mostly universities and educational institutions.
Examinations abroad are coordinated by the Virtual Learning Center Coordinator (VLCC). At Present there are 62 Testing Centers located in different countries. Usually, these are the Philippine Embassies and Consulates abroad.
Online proctored examinations
Online proctored examinations are taken by a student at a designated time and under the supervision of a proctor. This exam is conducted using an internet and a webcam. This can be administered through an online platform such as email, YM, Skype, or Google Hangout, and GoogleDocs. This type of examination is conducted with permission from the faculty- in-charge (FIC). The requirements include a reliable internet connection which can support a three-hour examination for both the proctor and the examinee. This set-up includes the pre exam preparations like setting the camera, sending the exam file, and others. The student should have an external webcam that can support the webcam views as indicated in the screenshots below.
Online examinations administered by the faculty-in-charge (FIC).
Other FICs use the existing online examination systems of MOODLE (quiz module) or other online platforms. UP Open University’s LMS platform administers online examinations within the online classrooms. Students can take an exam at any time during the designated period. Take home examinations are non-proctored exams which consist of a set of exam questions to be answered for a certain period time. This is normally FIC-administered.
Online non-proctored exams are administered through the OES developed by the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS). Students can take the online exam at any time during the designated exam period.
In conducting examinations for students through the years, UP Open University has identified a number of issues and challenges that were considered in the planning and implementation of other future assessment mechanisms.
Security of Exams
In any form of examination, security has been an issue in most cases. The conduct of examinations in UP Open University undergoes long processes and is handled by different individuals from the FICs who constructed the exams to the proctor supervising the conduct of examinations. Compared to sit-down exams, online exams pose some major issues. One of these is the authenticity of the identity of the student taking the exam. Online proctors do follow certain guidelines to check the authenticity of the students; however, there were times when student’s internet connection was disconnected for more than the allowable time. Online proctors usually nullify the exams when this occurs and an incident report is prepared and submitted to the concerned Faculty Office for appropriate action.
Transmittal of Examination Documents
Examinations in UP Open University require a lot of time and preparation. Once the FIC has transmitted the exam questionnaire to the Faculty Office, the questionnaire will be forwarded to the Dispatch Unit for reproduction and sending to the examination venues. Copies of the examinations should be received by the proctor at least a day before the indicated schedule. These preparations pose different problems, such as delay in the receipt of exam materials from the FIC and delay in the delivery by the courier service.
Technical Difficulties
The implementation of online examination means dependence on an efficient internet connection. Slow or poor interconnectivity has been a problem for some students in the Philippines and abroad. For example, in 2012, a student based in Ethiopia was not able to continue his examination since his internet connection was always disconnected. The platforms used were email and YM. Furthermore, there was no clear video to show that he was the one taking the online examination. As a result, his examination was rescheduled and taken through a sit-down proctored exam. Another example was on the use of OES portal. There are some cases of difficulties including a student’s failure to submit the exam as the time expired ahead of the schedule and a system error where the student’s submission did not reflect in the Administrator and FIC accounts.
Time Difference
Due to time differences between the Philippines and the countries where some students are based, the schedule of the exam needs to be adjusted. The proctor in the Philippines administers the online exam and adjusts the schedule to suit the time of the students based abroad. For example, Philippine-based online proctors give the test in the evening in order to accommodate students whose time falls in the early morning hours in the country where they are based. Another example is the sit-down exams whose schedule in other countries is not the same as that in the Philippines since there is a need to consider the availability of proctors as well as the weekend activities in other countries. For instance, weekend in the Middle East countries begins on a Thursday, so exams are administered on this day.
Human Error
Since many individuals handle exams, susceptibility to human errors have been experienced, among these are missing pages of exam questionnaires and inadequate number of examination papers for the examinees. During the early beginnings of online examinations when exams were being administered through YM and email, human error became inevitable. At one time, a proctor accidentally sent the wrong examination paper to the student and an incident report was prepared to address the issue.
The UP Open University LCs have played a crucial role in providing support to learners through the years. One such support provided by the LC is the facilitation of examinations. Most of their present support to students in examinations focus on proctoring examinations, sending back examination papers to Faculty Offices, safeguarding the integrity of exams, and coordinating with testing centers and proctors before the scheduled exam. The LCCs serve as coordinators of examinations among the network of testing centers under them.
With the changes in technology and new trends in Open and Distance Learning (ODL), the role in the delivery of support to students has changed too and will need to consider reconceptualizing its role in order to cope with these environmental changes. In an article by Lumanta and colleagues (2017), it was proposed that the LCs set up be reconceptualized into a hub concept where the hub serves as the center of an activity, region, or network with a set of spokes that connect to a specific set of activities, services, and organizations. Through this reconceptualization, the task in administering examinations of the LC would be left behind and would require the creation of a unit or an office that will be in charge of this service that is provided to its students.
The idea of an Exam Services Office/Unit/Program came up during an organized forum conducted with the UP Open University’s Learning Center Coordinators and Faculty Secretaries. The three-day forum was organized to address the need to reconceptualize the tasks of the LCs. One of the recommendations was the possibility of an assignment and examination unit which will be tasked to come up with guidelines on choosing testing centers, designing a set of criteria in selecting proctors, ensuring the quality and security of exams, to coordinate with individuals and institutions, and scheduling examinations.
A report on what transpired during the forum was submitted by the UP Open University Exam Task Force and among its recommendations was the establishment of a UP Open University Examination Unit to oversee the administration of exams. The UP Open University administration favorably considered this recommendation and immediately after started a program that will be responsible for a centralized examination system.
In the first semester/trimester 2017-2018, the UP Open University Examination Services (ES) started its operation. Headed by a Program Development Associate, the UP Open University ES is responsible for the overall administration and operation of academic examinations done at the University. This includes examinations conducted in both online and sit-down proctored examinations in courses as well as admission exams to degree programs of the university. It is also mandated to scout for, evaluate, and maintain the pool of examination venues and proctors; supervise and collect examinations; coordinate with students and proctors regarding examination matters; and ensure the integrity of examinations in compliance with university rules and regulations.
Currently, the UP Open University is being manned by a skeletal staff of four whose tasks are to make examination arrangements and orient and train proctors. One of them is in charge of students who take exams within the Philippines while the other is in charge of students who take exams abroad. The two other staff take care of administrative matters as well as assist the staff in charge of exams in the Philippines and abroad.
Initially, the program started with different activities like organizing the meetings with the people who will be assigned to the different tasks, setting up the meetings with other individuals and offices involved in examination, putting up its own email address, designing standard forms, and drawing up policies and guidelines. It has also started to create and establish networks of exam venues and proctors.
Like other newly established office or unit, the Program has encountered challenges and difficulties which became the bases to improve its system to serve UP Open University students better in the future.
Lumanta, M.F., Serrano, J.V., Yambao, Y.I.A. M., & Dolom, M.A.C. (2017). Reconceptualizing the Learning Center System: From Centers to Hubs. In Lumanta, M.F. & Serrano, J.V (Eds.). From Centers to Hubs: Reconceptualizing UPOU Learning Centers, pp. 71-79.
University of the Philippines Open University Exam Task Force Report (2016). University of the Philippines Open University Exam Task Force Report. Los Baños, Laguna: UP Open University.
Yambao, Y. I. A. M. and Lumanta, M. F. (2018). Chronicling the Institutional Challenges and Adjustments in Administering Examination in UPOU. In M. F. Lumanta, & L. C. Carascal (Eds.), Assessment Praxis in Open and Distance e-Learning: Thoughts and Practices in UPOU (pp. 153-163). Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines: UP Open University
