Relying purely on my notes here from the Feb/March-whenever-it-was Seminar I attended on the new Online Examinations for Theory.
Covered first was the concern teachers mainly had with the online examinations on just how to prevent students from cheating. We learned:-
- A parent would need to pay for the theory exams/practice examinations firstly by credit card.
- A supervisor (either the parent or teacher) would need to be present whilst the student is doing their online examination. Not to assist, but to ensure the student isn’t doing anything they shouldn’t.
- The AMEB will make random calls to supervisors to check they were actually supervising that particular student.
- If a student really wanted to cheat, there was no way they could stop them even with the way things are right now (ie an older sibling could sit a written theory exam for them). It doesn’t benefit the student in the long run anyway, and the online examinations are for First and Second Grades only at present.
On supervisors:-
- The supervisor must be present and sign a declaration to state so, before the student begins their online examination.
- The supervisor must be over 18.
Other interesting pieces of information:-
- Online examinations will work on broadband or dial up.
- You must have a web browser and Adobe installed.
- The time limit for completion of the online examination is the same as the written.
- Enrollments, payments etc are all done online. Once you pay you will receive a password which you need to use each time you log in.
- You pay the one fee, then you can do as many practice examinations as you like before the ‘real exam’.
- You can practice for months if you choose (up to 12 months, I think I heard – 1 year before it expires).
- There is a group exam option for multiple students
If you need to prepare any students to use the computer (younger students perhaps – because most students WILL know how to use a computer) and to familiarise them with a similar program, the developers of the Online Examinations have another website that is in the same sort of format as the online exams (where the concept came from, I’m guessing). You can visit their site and do trial lessons at emusic theory (also found at www.theory.com.au).
