Online examination at UEH and its achievements

Born in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, the online examination at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) not only solved the urgent problem in teaching activities at that time but also demonstrated practical effectiveness, becoming an important step forward for digital transformation in training activities of the University. After more than 2 years of official implementation, let’s now look back at the results achieved by online testing at UEH!

The process of implementing online examinations at UEH from May 2021 to the present

The process of implementing online exam activities at UEH has, so far, been divided into 2 phases: Phase 1 was in the context of an epidemic outbreak, implementing social distancing according to Direction No. 16 of the Government; and Phase 2 was after the lockdown, the new normal until now.

In 2021, facing the severe outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic globally, the whole country in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, in order to implement disease prevention according to Direction No. 16 of the Government; at the same time, to ensure admissions, training management, and educating learners, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City has pioneered the application of information technology in recruiting students, organizing and managing education activities of lecturers, officials, and students and applying modern testing tools to evaluate the quality of training at UEH.

In the case that the entire city must do social distancing in nearly 3 months, along with the goal of ensuring the operation of the University’s academic activities, UEH has flexibly issued notices, regulations, and procedures on management, teaching, learning, and online exams and received high consensus from learners, lecturers, and UEH officials. Specifically, regulations have been issued on organizing exams in the form of online exams at the University of Economics of Ho Chi Minh City, which created the first legal foundation for organizing online exams at UEH, followed by instructions for online exam protocol for invigilators (Online exam protocol on- and off-campus) and online exam instructions for examinees; the establishment of the invigilator team for online exams that meets IT proficiency requirements and training for invigilators; the organization of mock exams for students to familiarize themselves with online exam formats; review and equipment check at all UEH computer rooms; official application of online exam format at UEH on July 17, 2021 (invigilators at UEH and remote examinees). The online exam format was deployed for students to stay at home during the social distancing period from July 19, 2021 to October 31, 2021 (invigilators at home and remote examinees).

Thanks to preparation, UEH was proactive in organizing online exams with many exam forms during the period of social distancing across the city, ensuring to strictly conform to Direction No. 16 of the Government in the implementation of social distancing throughout the city. In particular, UEH’s enrollment was not affected or interrupted. The entrance exams were successfully organized and achieved the expected results and targets. Online testing activities were applied by the School throughout the period of social distancing. Final exams were well organized, with no errors or violations in exam organization.

Following the achievements in organizing online exams during the social distancing period, UEH continued to build, update and develop from the results achieved for the purpose of digitizing and improving management efficiency of UEH general activities. In the post-distancing period, the new normal (from November 1, 2021 to the present), UEH continuously updated relevant regulations and software to ensure objectivity and seriousness in management. Training and exam organization in online form at UEH. Specifically, UEH has issued updated regulations on organizing online exams of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (Issued along with Decision No.: 2063/QD-DHKT-KHDTKT dated July 19, 2022 of the President of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City). On March 1, 2023, UEH continued to issue a Decision on Amending and Supplementing several Articles in the Regulations on Organizing Exams in the Form of Online Exams of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (Issued with Decision No. 500/QD-DHKT-KHDTKT dated March 1, 2023 of the President of University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City); at the same time, updating requirements on exam software, techniques, inspection equipment, violations, Online Exam Protocol and Instructions for invigilators and Online Exam Instructions for examinees; continuing to select and supplement online invigilators, organizing training for qualified staff to be ready for the organization of online exams (273 people), etc. for the purpose of serious, safe and effective implementation and fairness in organizing online exams at UEH.

At the same time, online testing activities have been applied by UEH throughout the period after the lockdown and the new normal until now. Final exams are well organized, with no errors or violations in exam organization. Preparing exam questions and marking exams is carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and UEH. Specifically, UEH successfully organized online final exams for all training levels at UEH during the pandemic with 1,507 cases and 60,358 students taking the exam; After the epidemic, up to now (November 1, 2021 to May 31, 2023), 6,650 cases have been organized with 261,307 students taking the exam of all training levels.

Developing a specific online exam process

Advantages of taking online exams at UEH

After more than 2 years of implementation, online testing at UEH has achieved practical results with many recognized advantages.

UEH implemented it promptly, on time and in compliance with the procedures and regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and built an invigilator team with good IT skills to serve online exams when necessary. Admissions at all levels of training have been carried out well, meeting established targets. The organization of English, IT and final exams has been done well, saving personnel, time and travel costs for learners because learners can take the exam remotely from anywhere according to personal needs, without having to spend a lot of time traveling to the exam center as in-person testing. The results of online exams were also released earlier than conventional exams, helping UEH ensure the overall training progress of learners as committed.

According to the survey of online exam results, the final exam scores in the online remote exam format compared to the online exam at UEH increased but not significantly. The difference in final exam scores by remote online form and directly at UEH (with direct monitoring of invigilators) was not significant. This shows that, up to now, online exam results are still highly reliable. However, the current increasing development of information technology will lead to risks that learners and external factors can take advantage of the gaps in the system and software to find ways to destroy it, leading to students’ exam results not properly assessing their learning outcomes. To limit this risk, there is a need for coordination and support from many sides listed as the Department of Information Technology, the Department of Training Planning and Testing, the Training Management Units, related units and the supervision and direction from school leaders.

Investment in modern facilities and machinery serving online exams at the school

Orientation for online exam activities in the upcoming period

With the results achieved, in the upcoming time, UEH will continue to organize online exams (entrance exam, final exam, graduation exam, etc.) in modules with the appropriate exam format and content. For subjects that do not meet the format and content requirements for online testing, the exam will be held directly at UEH. Specifically:

Continuing to apply the UEH online exam format in the following forms: Online test on LMS (LMS-TNOL); Online Questioning (VDOL); and Essay with online presentation (TLTTOL).

Organizing in-person exams in the following forms: Essay; Multiple choice and essay (based on consensus among all lecturers teaching the module).

In addition, the school will choose an appropriate online exam organization plan and continue to research and learn to update the exam software to improve supervision, security, and efficiency; strengthen the assessment of the learning process, reduce the percentage of final test scores (no more than 40%), and encourage the organization of online final multiple-choice tests; increase investment in facilities, invest in additional computer rooms to serve teaching, organize online exams and other major exams at UEH; strengthen discipline, determination, and toughness in the cases that candidates intentionally do not comply with regulations; add necessary disciplinary measures to the Online Exam Regulations and seriously apply disciplinary measures to examinees who violate the Exam Regulations; at the same time, promoting propaganda for learners to clearly understand UEH’s purpose, vision, and mission regarding the digitalization of teaching, research, and learning activities, understanding the importance of assessing capacity in recruitment and the issue of honesty and seriousness in examinations, contributing to the correct assessment of students’ capacity and benefiting students in their future job application and career.

The school will choose an appropriate online exam organization plan and continue to research and learn to update the exam software to improve inspection, security, and efficiency.

The implementation of online examinations at UEH has been planned with very strict regulations, ensuring efficiency and synchronization, fair assessment, and quality in training of the School. This demonstrates UEH’s digital transformation efforts towards a smart University as well as responding to unexpected situations that may occur without affecting teaching and learning.

*Further information regarding the regulations on organizing UEH online exams: DECISION 2063 and UPDATED DECISION 2063.

News and photos: UEH Department of Marketing and Communication