JGU celebrates 20 years of e-examinations: revolution in examinations!

JGU celebrates 20 years of e-examinations: revolution in examinations!

The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) looks back on two decades of digital examination organization. E-examinations have been successfully conducted at JGU since the winter semester of 2004/2005, which has significantly changed the examination landscape. During this time, more than 7,000 e-examinations were held, in which a total of around 600,000 students took part. In the current winter semester 2024/2025, over 250 e-examinations were carried out, according to current statistics from the university presse.uni-mainz.de is provided.

The e-exam places at JGU are currently spread over 644 in eleven different rooms and are technically supported by the Center for Data Processing (ZDV). This also includes the reopening of course room 3 in the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Almost all departments at JGU use e-exams, especially departments 02, 03 and 04. The advantages of this form of examination lie in the quick correction, automated evaluation, objectivity of the assessment and the possibility of integrating various media.

Technical basics of e-exams

The digital examination process is based on the open source software ILIAS, an integrated learning, information and work collaboration system that has been used by JGU since the beginning of e-exams. The ZDV is responsible for technical support and offers a secure exam environment in suitable pool rooms. This environment is carefully tailored to the requirements of the examination regulations, with the legal department also being involved.

The system allows a variety of 14 question types, and of course audio sequences can also be used in language tests. To ensure the security of the exams, special settings have been implemented to ensure access to the exam platform via an e-exam browser. All students need is a JGU account and a current web browser or an app on their mobile devices. Lecturers also have to log in with a JGU account, while external users can only access public content.

Achievements and outlook

So far, successes have also been recorded at the Trier Medical Campus, as the first e-exam took place there in 2024. Further innovations can be observed at the International Studies and Languages ​​College (ISSK), which has been offering decentralized e-exams since 2014, starting in Ecuador. An exam check enables teachers to carry out a technical check before the e-exams to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The ZDV e-learning team provides the examiners with technical help during the exams.

In summary, it can be said that JGU's commitment to digital examination formats is underpinned by start-up financing and close cooperation between various ZDV departments. The university plans to continue using e-exams and continually develop the digital exam formats. Detailed documentation and evaluations of e-exams are archived, with comprehensive data packages provided that enable a refined analysis of the exams. Further information is in the University didactics documentation to find.