In recent years, Australian schools have been shifting from traditional pen-and-paper exams to online assessments.
The move to online exams in Australian schools began in the early 2010s, with a key milestone being NAPLAN's transition online in 2018. Led by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the shift aimed to modernise assessments and improve efficiency.
Between 2018-2020, schools gradually adopted the change, with the COVID-19 pandemic further accelerating the push towards digital exams following the transition to remote learning. Since this time, online assessments have been an increasingly common feature in Australian schools.
In September, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) announced that pen and paper would be phased out for extension English courses under one of the biggest shake-ups to the HSC exam in its 57-year history.
The changes, due to come in from 2027, mean that final exams for the extension 1 and extension 2 English courses will take place online. However, students will still use pen and paper when sitting their English standard and advanced courses.
“We want to be clear that handwriting is still a vital skill, while continuing to modernise the HSC exam experience for students,” NESA chief, Paul Martin, said.
Dr Ben Zunica is a secondary mathematics educator and researcher in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. NESA has consulted Dr Zunica for a number of projects, writing Stage 6 curriculum, as a member of a Technical Advisory Group, as a member of a HSC examination committee and as a senior marker for the HSC.
When asked how school leaders help staff and students prepare for the shift to online exams and ensure all students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have access, Dr Zunica noted that online exams tend to have a slightly different structure compared to traditional exams due to the affordances of technology.
“Also, stimulus material is not restricted to text or static images. Leaders and teachers need to highlight important changes for students to be aware of,” Dr Zunica told The Educator.
“All students need consistent access to computing equipment where they can complete practice tests, which are readily available.”
Dr Zunica said online tests are usually designed in a way that relatively old computers can handle them, which helps with access for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Students need to work on their typing speed and accuracy to prepare for an online examination. They need to be able to type at a rate that is similar to writing.”
In recent years, there has been a marked rise in Australian families turning to private tutors to help their kids catch up at school. According to the Australian Tutoring Association, almost a quarter of Australian families are using private tutoring – an industry that is worth up to $1.3bn as of 2023.
Dr Zunica believes school leaders should make rules banning the discussion of tutoring materials inside school classrooms.
“Even if the majority of students are being tutored, the role of the school is to be the primary source of education for young people,” he said.
“Schools also should communicate to parents and students that engaging in tutoring is a choice made by them and that if their child is ‘bored’ in class due to having seen the content being taught in tutoring, it is for them to manage how they engage with tutoring services as it is clearly not meeting their objectives.”
Another important challenge for schools is addressing the gap between students who can afford private tutoring and those who can't, says Dr Zunica.
“Schools should encourage educators to teach as though none of their students are receiving tutoring,” he said. “This will ensure that students in the school who do not have access to tutoring services are able to receive a complete education from their school classes alone.”
Dr Zunica said schools also need to ensure they are providing adequate feedback about student progress to parents to help them monitor their child’s progress.
“Schools have little control over the extent to which their students are being tutored and have limited resources to manage so it is unreasonable to ask them to offer extra support that is tutor like in nature.”