University Students’ Attitudes Towards Online Exam During the Pandemic: The Case of a State University in Türkiye

Abstract

This study aims to investigate students’ attitudes changes in line with midterm and final exams and to determine their attitudes towards online exams by gender, age, department, and their hometown, and to analyze their opinions about this type of exam mode. The research was conducted at a state university in Türkiye during the 2021 fall semester. The sample consisted of 101 university students taking Information Technology course from Art Teaching, Social Studies Teaching, and Pre-School Teaching Departments. The research has been designed a mixed-method study including both quantitative (students' attitudes after midterm and final exams) and qualitative data (students’ opinions about online exams). The quantitative results showed there was no statistically significant difference in students' attitudes after midterm and final exams. There was also no significant difference in the attitude scores by gender, age, and region. However, statistically significant differences were found by major department for some of the sub-factors of the questionnaire. The qualitative results showed that most students found online assessment advantageous, comfortable, and practical. On the other hand, the majority of the students pointed out time management and potential technical problems that may occur during the implementation of the exam.