Online exams increase grades: Research

The research conducted by Hacettepe University has revealed the grades of students were higher during the pandemic period, when distance education was carried out, compared to the face-to-face education period.

With the transition to distance education during the pandemic period, the reliability of exams has become a topic of discussion.

Many stated that the high grades did not reflect the real situation of students' academic achievement, though various measures were taken against copying via camera, microphone and even IP address during the exams.

The academic achievement of students increased, and those who could not graduate before the pandemic graduated with high scores, as per claims.

According to the research covering the grades received by Hacettepe University students during the five fall semesters between 2015 and 2021, the grade point averages of the students significantly increased with distance education.

The rate of getting the highest grade A was between 29 and 34 percent in the face-to-face education period, while this rate reached 43.6 percent in the 2020-2021 academic period.

In the fall semester of 2020-2021, when distance education continued, the rate of students getting A grade in the courses was at the highest, and those receiving F grade was at the lowest level of the five fall semesters examined.

In the Medicine Faculty, one of the departments where students have the most difficulty in the courses, the A grade rate, which generally varies between 43 and 50 percent, increased to 61 percent in the fall semester of 2020.

The department with the highest-grade point averages in distance education is medicine, followed by the social sciences and engineering departments.

On the other...