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The Centre for Schooling and Learning Technologies (CSaLT) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was asked in 2016 to be the Western Australian arm of a national e-exam project. This project used a bespoke exam system installed on a USB-drive to deliver what would have been traditional paper-based exams in an enclosed computer-based environment that was isolated from the internet and any resources other than those provided by the lecturer. This paper looks at the two exams chosen by the Western Australian group for the trial; a programming exam for pre-service computing teachers and an occupational health and safety exam for pre-service design and technology teachers. Both groups were drawn from the Graduate Diploma in Education course at ECU. The paper looks at the nature of the exam environment and the procedure for creating e-exams. It also outlines the exam procedures used and examines the feedback provided by both the lecturers and students involved. Conclusions are drawn about the suitability of the e-exam system and improvements are recommended as well as a discussion about e-exams and digital assessment more generally.

This article reports on an investigation to advise a teacher education institution on the feasibility of having a "Bring Your Own Digital Device" policy for students. The investigation built on components of two research projects while adding the comprehensive testing of representative potential hardware and software platforms. The initial emphasis was on identifying the digital technology demands of our teacher education courses. A representative range of potential devices was tested against these demands. At the time of testing, all laptop devices were found to be adequate but only the iPad was adequate in the mobile range. In a survey of a sample of students, nearly all owned an appropriate device but most made limited, if any, use of it at the university.

This paper is the second part of a longitudinal study on the reliability of and access to ICT technologies in remote schools in north Western Australia [WA]. Part One was featured in the last issue of "AEC" ["Australian Educational Computing"]. It was an investigation into the access and practicalities of online opportunities for students and teachers in two remote government schools, in 2001. The same teachers, still working in the North West of WA were revisited and interviewed in 2003. The latest results indicate that while infrastructure is now in place to allow broadband Internet access, this access is not yet reliable. Online learning is being hindered by this lack of reliability and also accessibility. The teachers working in these isolated schools are not yet equipped to undertake online study. (Contains 3 figures.) [For Part 1, see EJ874302.]

This paper is the first in a two part series, this first part describes the findings from visits to two isolated and remote schools in the far north of Western Australia in 2001, the second part to be published in the next issue of AEC will describe a visit to the same schools in late 2003 to see what has changed. Parts of this first paper were originally published as Online or Out of Reach, (Rabbitt E. and Pagram J., 2001). As we move into the 21st century, higher education institutions in Australia and around the world are undergoing a transition. The trend is to move away from traditional methods of course presentation towards online methodologies. In theory, students within isolated and remote areas of Australia and around the world no longer need to relocate to major cities and educational institutions as they have access to learning opportunities online. The schools were visited in order to determine how practical this approach to education is in the "real" world. The results from 2001 suggested that in many parts of northern Australia access to these new courses was limited by the telecommunications infrastructure in place.

Students' ownership of technology devices, their access to software and Web-based utilities, and their related preferences are the subject of this ongoing research. The devices that instructors use in the classroom, how students use online learning systems as provided by the university, and students' skill levels when using technology for learning are also included. The major objective of this research is to provide a long-term comparative analysis across one university to determine if students' and lecturers' use of technology for teaching-learning has changed. Such ongoing data collection and analysis will inform individual institutions about online learning and how to improve facilities for both staff and students for maximum educational success. An initial study was conducted in 2015. This paper reports on the second data collection to determine if there have been any changes over a two-year period. The findings indicate that students have intermediate skill levels when using basic software programs for their study, whereas their social media skills are advanced. Students use mobile devices (phones and tablets) to access online learning materials. Overall, most students and staff lack basic knowledge in using information technology for study purposes. It was concluded that the university should continue to conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation of students' and staff's information technology competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an investigation to advise a teacher education institution on the feasibility of having a “Bring Your Own Digital Device” policy for students. The investigation built on components of two research projects while adding the comprehensive testing of representative potential hardware and software platforms. The initial emphasis was on identifying the digital technology demands of our teacher education courses. A representative range of potential devices was tested against these demands. At the time of testing, all laptop devices were found to be adequate but only the iPad was adequate in the mobile range. In a survey of a sample of students, nearly all owned an appropriate device but most made limited, if any, use of it at the university. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Centre for Schooling and Learning Technologies (CSaLT) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was asked in 2016 to be the Western Australian arm of a national e-exam project. This project used a bespoke exam system installed on a USB-drive to deliver what would have been traditional paper-based exams in an enclosed computer-based environment that was isolated from the internet and any resources other than those provided by the lecturer. This paper looks at the two exams chosen by the Western Australian group for the trial; a programming exam for pre-service computing teachers and an occupational health and safety exam for pre-service design and technology teachers. Both groups were drawn from the Graduate Diploma in Education course at ECU. The paper looks at the nature of the exam environment and the procedure for creating e-exams. It also outlines the exam procedures used and examines the feedback provided by both the lecturers and students involved. Conclusions are drawn about the suitability of the e-exam system and improvements are recommended as well as a discussion about e-exams and digital assessment more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]