Interesting Times: Relation between Test Times and Student Performance in Online Courses

Many instructors are now using online technology for the assessment of student learning. However, there are still relatively few empirical studies of the technology’s implications for student learning. In this study, the authors use student performance data from over two hundred students in principles of microeconomics to assess the correlation between student performance and the duration of an online exam. Conclusions were drawn regarding the “optimum ” time allotted for multiple-choice, computer-based course examinations. The results should be of interest to all educators who are involved with distance learning programs generally, and those instructors who administer non-proctored online exams, specifically