2017 8th International Conference on Information Technology (ICIT)
Forms Distribution Algorithm for Online
Examination Systems
Hussein Al Bazar
Department of Information Technology and Computing
Arab OpenUniversity
Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
halbazar@arabou.edu.sa
Abstract— e-Learning became an essential method for
learning and is widely used in universities and educational
institutions as an alternative learning environment for traditional
learning that uses face-to-face meetings and paper-based
assessment. One of the main features of e-Learning systems is
that they provide the ability for conducting online assessments.
This feature can be implemented by allowing students to attend
exams online instead of using traditional paper based
assessments. It is important to reduce paper work, time and
effort by using online examination/assessments. However, a
major drawback of online examination systems is that there is no
guarantee that exam forms may not be repeated between
adjacent students’ terminals in a lab. This fact directly affects the
reliability of the online examination system. The current paper
proposed a smart forms distribution algorithm for online
examination systems. This algorithm can improve the reliability
of online examination systems in terms of prohibiting repetition
of questions’ forms between the adjacent terminals and based on
this, it provides a guarantee that adjacent students in a lab will
not receive the same exam form during an online examination
session.
Keywords— e-Learning, online examination system
I. INTRODUCTION
Improvements in technology proficiencies such as data
processing, storing, transmission speed, and connectivity
availability have played an essential part to support e-Learning
functions. Moreover; many features are provided by e-learning
systems for all parties involved in the usage process of the
system, for educational institutions cost can be reduced,
delivery methods for tutors can be improved with several
alternative techniques such as virtual classes and video
recording tutorials [1] [9]. On the other hand, students have the
ability to conduct an online assessment instead of using a
traditional paper-based assessment. Students using such
systems can access much more recourses available online with
more dynamic and interactive methods such as submitting their
tutor-marked assignments online and, more importantly, they
have the ability to carry out online exams with the option of
immediate scoring while results are recorded on the system’s
database through usage of information and communication
Learning software such as Learning Management System
(LMS), Blackboard, and WebCT [2] [4].
978-1-5090-6332-1/17/$31.00 ©2017 IEEE
Generally, for the purpose of using an online examination
system; students are initially required to login to the system
using a web application accessed by a recommended web
browser. The system, thereafter, will automatically take
responsibility of generating and distributing the exam forms for
each student’s terminal by using the systems’ database that
contains the question bank or pre-generated forms [7]. A major
drawback for using online examination systems is that there are
no guarantees that an exam’s questions, or in some cases an
exam’s forms, will not be repeated for adjacent students in a
lab, where this case directly affects the reliability of the online
examination system. Moreover; many researches proposed
improvements over online examination systems in order to
handle the aforementioned problem and other related issues for
the sake of improving the systems’ reliability [1]. The current
paper proposed a smart forms distribution algorithm for online
examination systems. The algorithm is capable of improving
online examination systems’ reliability and is able to handle the
aforementioned adjacent-seats similarity problem.
Furthermore, the proposed algorithm provides a guarantee that
adjacent students sitting in a lab will not be carrying out the
same exam form during an online examination session.
The rest of this paper is structured as follows: Section II
reviews the related work on learning management systems.
Section III, presents a full description of the proposed
algorithm. Sections IV present the contribution of this paper for
improving the online examination systems’ form-distribution
technique. Finally, section V will provide the conclusion of this
paper.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Many solutions were proposed in order to improve and
enhance e-Learning environment, and their communication
learning software, to achieve the goal of teaching and to add
some control over the assessment criteria for the students. An
evaluation model was proposed based on two advanced
methods which are Minimal Entropy Principle Approach
(MEPA), and Rough Set Theory (RST). Four facets were used
on the proposed model which are feature selection, utilization
of the MEPA method, similarity filter, and RST to generate
rules [2]. Other solution provide the ability to attend exams
online without any restriction about student’s location, and
provide the ability of immediate automated marking method by
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using web-based online examination learning environment. TABLE I. TERMINALS ASSIGNED NUMBERS
The enhancements of the proposed method lies in installing a Terminals MAC Address Terminal Number
video camera on student’s computer that automatically 08:00:27:E0:0B:78 1
identifies students, by capturing student’s face via image 08:00:27:0D:20:68 2
recognition software, at random time intervals during the exam 08:00:27:90:E6:00 3
session for the purpose of preventing students from cheating. 08:00:27:38:DD:2A 4
The recording is used for investigation and verification of 08:00:27:00:00:05 5
D0:DF:9A:E2:68:39 6
student’s identity [3]. Moreover; the online examination system 08:00:27:2E:4F:02 7
was developed with the feature of dynamic exam generation 08:00:27:87:17:17 8
for multiple choice and true-false questions. The development 08:00:27:7E:74:48 9
process has been divided into two main phases. The first phase 08:00:27:1C:f4:8E 10
is to design the examination software and the second phase is
to create an examination questions’ bank [8]. A model was
proposed to handle the aforementioned problem of receiving In second step, after the student logs into the system, the
the same exam questions by adjacent terminals. The proposed terminal will automatically send its MAC address to the system
model works by adding a controller between the student’s server, which will use the pervious mentioned Table I in order
terminals and the database containing the questions’ bank. The to retrieve the terminal’s assigned number. This process will be
controller will be responsible for the process of generating used to verify each and retrieve the assigned number for each
different questions between adjacent terminals to ensure that all terminal. Afterward the verification process, terminal number
students have received questions of the same difficulty [1]. By will be used for the next step to select the exam forms.
using a binary-tree technique for questions’ selection process, Moreover, in the second step, one form will be selected for
an application for online examination system is proposed. The each terminal from the online examination system’s database
proposed application works by selecting a question with having that before implementing the proposed algorithm, the
medium level of difficulty. Subsequently, when a student exam forms are required to be generated and stored in the
provides an answer to the question; the next difficulty question system’s database. Furthermore, the total number of questions
level will be selected from lower or higher difficulty level in each form must be unified among all the exams forms, for
questions. Moreover; the proposed algorithm requires some example, 20 questions per-form. The selection of a specific
essential threshold values such as the maximum number of exam form for a specific terminal can be implemented using
questions, the largest difficulty score, overall time allotted for the following equation:
the exam and the number of questions [6]. A solution has been EF= ((Tn + key) mod Tnof) +1 (1)
proposed for determining the location of lab terminals through
identifying the adjacent terminals for each terminal in the lab The arguments which used in the proposed “Equation (1)”
by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) technique. On the are described as follows:
proposed online examination system, the exam questions will • EF is the exam’s form to be selected for specific
be distributed based on the terminal location, and will ensure terminal in the lab.
that no two adjacent terminals will be provided with the same
questions [5]. • Tn is the terminal’s assigned number that will be
retrieved based on MAC address from table 1.
III. PROPOSED ALGORITHM
• Key is a random value to be selected form the set (1 up
In this part, a full discussion about the proposed algorithm to total number of questions in the form) which will be
will be provided. To implement the proposed solution unified for all terminals
correctly, two main steps are required. The first step is to
assign a number for each terminal in the lab. This process can • Tnof is the total number of forms stored on the system’s
be accomplished manually by the lab administrator, and it is database.
compulsory for one time only. Moreover, in this step a number
will be assigned for each terminal in the lab for example • +1 is added to ensure that the outcome of the equation
(terminal-1, terminal-2, etc.). Once a number has been assigned will not be zero where in system’s database the numbers
to specific terminal, the system will automatically extract that started from 1.
terminal’s Media Access Control (MAC) address and stored it To conclude the overall processes in the proposed
in a specific table at the examination systems’ database. Table I algorithm, Fig. 1 illustrates the complete procedure required at
illustrates an example of terminals’ details table in the systems’ both steps. In Fig. 1, the left side of the figure illustrates the
database. The data stored in the previously mentioned table processes to be completed by the administrator which are:
will be used to identify each terminal before the exam forms assigning a number for each specific terminal, creating the
are distributed between all terminals in the lab. above mentioned table, and sorting generated forms on the
system’s database. The right side of the figure depicts that the
forms will be selected for each terminal in the lab by applying
the steps following the Fig.1.

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TABLE II. DISTRIBUTION EXAM FORMS RESULT

Terminal Selected Selected form

number key for terminal
1 5 7
2 8 1
3 15 9
4 2 7
5 7 3
6 18 5
7 11 9
8 4 3
9 14 4
10 5 6
A total number of 10 forms were generated and stored in
the examination system’s database. The proposed algorithm
was implemented in a lab with total number of 20 terminals.
Moreover; as can be seen in Table II, results show that all
adjacent terminals were prevented from receiving the same
exam form. A different exam form was distributed for each
adjacent terminal. However, the same form can be received by
Fig. 1. Exams Forms Distribution Algorithm non-adjacent terminals. As a result, the system gives a
guarantee that, by using the proposed distribution algorithm,
• Firstly: Retrieve the terminal number from the database. adjacent students sitting in a lab will not receive the same exam
• Secondly: apply the proposed algorithm using the form during an online examination session.
retrieved terminal number.
CONCLUSION
• Finally: select the form based on the terminal number This paper presented a form-distribution algorithm for
that was identified during the second step. online examination systems with the goal of preventing forms
It is important to store the selected form number in a to be repeated and shared between adjacent terminals. An
temporary variable at each form selection process. The purpose example for results of forms distribution was provided to
is to guarantee that for the next terminal a different exam form confirm that the proposed algorithm is capable of improving
will be selected. This selection can be implemented by online examination systems’ reliability and can provide a
comparing the stored variable’s value with the new formula guarantee that adjacent students sitting in a lab will not receive
output of the selection process for the next terminal. Thereafter, the same exam form during an online examination session.
if the two values are equal, then a new random key value will
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