Attitudes Toward and Implications of the Computer-Based Exams at Arab American University of Palestine

Abstract

We examine the computer-based exams system at Arab American University-Palestine in terms of teacher and student attitudes as well as the quality of the test items. A three-pronged approach to data collection was used. First, we elicited answers to questionnaires from 704 faculty and student respondents. Second, we conducted eight individual interviews with students and instructors, as well as three focus groups—each comprising 8–10 students—from different majors in the university. Third, we had access to the records of the registrar on the grades of students in different years prior to and after introducing the system. We utilized descriptive statistics to examine the quantitative data and qualitative methods to analyze the interviews. The results suggested that the attitudes of instructors and students, as well as the quality of the exams were not adequately considered by AAUP when it introduced the computer-based exams system. We found significant differences between grades prior to and after adopting the system; yet the changes are not necessarily positive, at least from an academic point of view.