Comparing the attitudes of HE students across two assessments (closed-book exams and take-home exams) during COVID-19

One of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education has been a substantial increase in the use of ‘take-home’ exams over ‘closed-book’ exams. Since take-home exams have previously been relatively uncommon in the UK, there is little empirical evidence of students’ experience of them. The objective of the present study was to compare the attitudes and perceptions of students across both examination types, in relation to three themes: higher order cognitive skills (HOCS), academic misconduct, and stress. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to gather data to meet the aim of this study. Attitudes and perceptions were measured using a web-based survey from a sample of 60 Computer Science (CS) students at the University of York. The findings suggest that these students favoured take-home exams over closed-book exams, but reported issues with both examination types that need improvement. The results led to guidelines on how to implement both take-home and closed-book exams more effectively to promote students’ learning.