Survey Indicates Preference for Online Testing Among STEM Students

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- WebAssign, a leading provider of online instructional tools for faculty and students, today announced survey results demonstrating a growing preference for online testing. Students who previously tested in WebAssign prefer this method to paper testing. Student responses also indicate that WebAssign is perceived to be beneficial toward learning success.

In a survey issued to student users, WebAssign assessed learning preferences and overall perception of WebAssign. Over 20,000 students across the STEM disciplines in high school and higher education responded to the survey, providing valuable data regarding the company and education trends.

"Our survey data confirms WebAssign is an effective tool for students to learn outside the traditional classroom setting," said Andy Trus, WebAssign product manager. "Over 85% of the surveyed students feel WebAssign positively impacted their exam grades."

When asked to evaluate an online versus paper preference for testing, students were first asked if they had previously taken an online exam. For respondents who had never taken an online test with WebAssign, only 22.5% indicated a preference for online testing. However, for respondents who had tested with WebAssign, 55% indicated a preference for online testing. The responses show that once a student completes at least one test online, the preference shifts to online testing.

Regarding WebAssign as an effective learning tool:

• 85% of students said WebAssign positively impacted their exam grades
• 80% of respondents rated the WebAssign registration process as easy
• 73% considered WebAssign to be easy to use overall
• 76.6% stated WebAssign helped them learn the course materials better than any other technology solution.

Though the survey focused on student preferences, instructors also benefit from administering online tests with WebAssign for STEM courses. "Using instant grading via WebAssign is superior to a multiple-choice paper test for mass-testing," commented Lisa Townsley, an academic professional in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Georgia. "WebAssign provides a protected testing environment and enough flexibility to serve the needs of the pre-calculus curriculum at UGA."

About WebAssign
WebAssign is a flexible and fully customizable online instructional system that puts powerful tools in the hands of teachers, enabling them to deploy assignments, instantly assess individual student performance, and realize their teaching goals. More than eight million students have used WebAssign to submit over one billion answers to homework assignments, tests, and assessments.

Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, WebAssign is an independent, employee-owned benefit company dedicated to education technology. For more information, visit www.webassign.net. 

Media Contact
Annie McQuaid
Marketing Communications Manager
WebAssign
[email protected]
919.829.8181 x124

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SOURCE WebAssign