Testing with digital end devices
Digital examinations are written performance assessments that are carried out using digital devices such as laptops or tablets. The number of such devices in schools has risen sharply, not least thanks to the device initiative.
Despite the almost comprehensive equipment in many school levels, there is no obligation for schools to to take examinations digitally. However, schools can decide within the scope of their own autonomy that examinations are taken with digital support. The framework conditions to be applied are also at the at the discretion of the respective school.
Specialized software products are often used to perform digital inspections. These products, known as “digital examination environments” (DPU) can be roughly divided into two categories, namely (1) solutions that prepare an examination didactically and pedagogically by means of different types of questions and (2) solutions that regulate the organizational framework and are intended to prevent the faking of performance (“cheating”). As there are already systems provided by the BMB for the acceptance of electronic tests (e.g. the learning platform “eduvidual.at”), this Digital Examination Environment (DPU) serves to secure the organization of the examination, provided that different examination modes (learning platform, Office tools, Geogebra, ...) are possible.
It is important to the Federal Ministry of Education (BMB) to support teachers in the implementation of this project and to help create safe, reliable and fair framework conditions. Therefore BMB makes recommendations to ensure quality and fairness. Particularly important in this context is training of teachers and preparation of students is considered particularly important in this context in order to ensure that exams are digitally didactically meaningful and legally compliant.
1st level: DPU school coordinators
