More than a substitute? Digital exams with Tablets in Computer Science

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, not only did digital teaching get a massive boost, but also the delivery of digital exams was the subject of new developments. Although the design of digital exams offers the potential for new breakthrough opportunities, exam regulations and the need for short-term adjustments often stand in the way. Consequently, methods are being considered to transfer existing exam formats into the digital format. In computer science studies, paper-and-pencil exams are used because they are very suitable for many areas such as theoretical computer science. They often consist of a mixture of a selection of answer options, making sketches for automata and free text answers. The question, however, is how to translate this format to digital while still meeting the framework and still allowing students the same requirements as in the regular not digital approach. In this poster we will first discuss the requirements for an iPad exam in theoretical computer science and what possibilities there are to transfer this exam to the digital level. Second, we will describe an empirical approach, how to investigate the effects of the digital transformation on the examination process itself.