College students’ perceptions of remote online exams: a scoping review

Remote online exams (ROEs) have become more prevalent in higher education, however they have long raised issues in the field of online learning, with educators expressing concerns about assessment effectiveness and risks of academic integrity. The article primarily aims to review students’ perceptions of ROEs to offer insights for their future improvement. ROEs most commonly utilize multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and many employ invigilation. Among studies that included relevant explicit information, students predominantly had positive overall impressions of ROEs. Ease of use stood out as the most prominent form of advantage, and technology-related problems were the most frequently mentioned form of disadvantage. On some aspects, such as test anxiety and ease of cheating, different studies reported opposing perceptions. Many studies also proposed solutions concerning aspects such as exam support and exam format. The authors believe that educators should be aware of students’ differences in individual characteristics, such as working style and test anxiety, and try to accommodate the variety of preferences when designing exams if possible. Moreover, the need for improvement exists not only in the exams themselves but also in various aspects surrounding the exams.