When Do Students Complete Online Exams?

NACTA Journal, Dec 2007 by Gustafson, Cole R

Abstract

This study examines test taking patterns of students enrolled in an introductory economics class who could complete their exams electronically at any time-of-day or day-of-week. Exam completion patterns were related to several student characteristics including gender, class rank, major, and whether the student was enrolled online. Statistical differences in both time-of-day and day-of-week were observed across these strata and related to overall performance. The majority of students completed their exams in late evening time periods, which negatively affected overall performance. These results have important implications for educators and may partially explain past anomalies in other studies of student study habits.

Introduction

Online and distant education courses are becoming increasingly common in many agricultural economics departments throughout the United States (Dahlgran, 2003). While the costs of offering these alternatives relative to traditional classroom courses has been shown to be considerably higher (Sterns, et. al., 2005), the value of these alternative offerings to students enrolled is less understood. In particular, do students value the additional flexibility afforded by these alternatives? If so, what features are particularly attractive and does value vary across students with differing demographic or scholastic characteristics? A more important question is whether students in traditional classrooms would utilize greater flexibility in their curriculums if it was provided.

This exploratory study examines test-taking patterns of students enrolled in an introductory economics class who were afforded complete flexibility with respect to time-of-day and day-of-week for completing coursework. Students could take pretests and chapter exams at any time-of-day or day-of-week until each was due. Exam completion patterns are related to several student characteristics including gender, class rank, major, and whether the student was enrolled in an online section. Mild statistical differences in both time-of-day and day-of-week completion patterns were observed across these diverse strata and related to overall student performance in the course. Finally, a study of student habits finds that students who routinely complete pretests and chapter exams just prior to the time when they are due, perform significantly less well academically. Implications of these results are discussed prior to the conclusion.

Background

Student performance in agricultural economics classes has been shown to vary by gender, age, academic level, and whether a course is required or elective (Batte et al., 2003; Stephenson et al., 2005). Recently, student performance has also been linked to various personality characteristics. Borg and Stranahan (2002) demonstrate that personality type is an important explanatory variable in student performance in economics at the upper level and that introverts achieve higher grades than identical students who are extroverts. Earlier research by Ziegert (2000) found that personality types are an important determinant of success in economic principles classes which tend to demand strong analytical skills. Irani et al. (2000) also found personality to be important in their study of distance education courses.

To the extent that personalities are individual, students are likely to have differing preferences with respect to course design, content, curriculum delivery methods, communication methods, and assessment. Tailoring each of these elements to the needs of individual students is one goal of the recent emphasis on learning styles. DeBello (1990) defined learning style as the characteristic cognitive, affective, and psychological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment. A mismatch between an instructor's teaching style and a student's learning style can result in the student learning less and being less interested in the subject matter (Lage et al., 2000).

In addition to personality, basic human biology may also result in diverse learning style preferences across students. Research on teenage sleep patterns has spurred debate on the interaction between human biology and learning (Lawton, 1999). This research suggests that people respond to circadian rhythms and have a certain time-of-day when they are most alert and able to perform at their best. Circadian rhythms can change throughout a person's lifetime. Thus, ideal study times not only vary greatly from person to person, but can also change over a person's lifetime implying there is no one time-of-day that is ideal for everyone in a particular age group.

Online courses provide an opportunity to accommodate diverse student learning styles by offering courses at times when students are best able and/or available to learn. Proponents of online and distance education courses argue that they can more effectively teach students with different learning styles and provide more individualized instruction than traditional classroom courses (Navarro 2000, Stephenson et al., 2005, and Wachenheim, 2004).