Source: Own Illustration
Digital inspections offer a number of advantages: They save resources by reducing the use of staff, students can participate remotely and receive a copy of the exam without additional effort, which they are allowed to request in accordance with the Higher Education Act in NRW.
In order to be able to use these advantages for paper pencil exams, the IT Center, CLS and the Chair of Controlling at RWTH Aachen University have developed Exam Scan, a Moodle plugin that prepares such exams for digital viewing.
Efficient Exam Management Through QR Code Integration
The plugin is linked to the task activity. It adds a QR code with the student numbers to an exam template, duplicates it and makes everything available in a ZIP archive. The scan file of the corrected exam is later uploaded to the task as a PDF, split up using the QR codes and made available to students individually, with a watermark added if required.
The Exam Scan plugin offers a variety of functions that make the examination process more efficient and transparent:
Creation of exams:
- Written exams are created taking into account a QR code that is placed on each page.
- A print file with all exams is created and printed.
Digitisation and correction:
- After scanning the exam, the PDF file with the scan is split into individual documents based on the QR codes.
- Both digital correction and correction on paper are possible.
Inspection and feedback:
- Students can view their corrected exams in RWTHmoodle.
- Feedback and objections can be submitted using a special form.
Source: Own Illustration
Legal Framework Conditions
Another important aspect in the development of the Exam Scan plugin was the consideration of the legal framework. The project “Digital Inspection of Examinations” (DiEP) collected accompanying experience reports and requirements from chairs that already carry out electronic inspections. In addition, legal issues, such as the creation of copies in accordance with §64 para. 2 sentence 10 HG NRW, and ensuring that the implemented solutions are compatible with the requirements of electronic examination archiving.
The Exam Scan Plugin represents a significant step forward in the digitalisation of examination processes. It enables efficient, transparent and legally compliant viewing of paper-pencil exams. With continuous further development and adaptation to the needs of users, the plugin remains a valuable resource for universities.
Do you have further questions about the new Exam Scan plugin?
Feel free to use our detailed documentation on IT Center Help. Dr Harald Schnurbusch will be happy to provide you with further information and support.
Responsible for the content of this article is Dana Jahn.
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