CEF.UP – ECO Seminar/Webinar

Tuesday – April 11^th, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. | Room 305| Online

“Can the keyboard beat the good old pen? The effect of computer-based testing on students’ performance”

João Pereira dos Santos – ISEG (joint work with Ana Ruis and Luís Catela)

Abstract:

“Computer-based testing is being increasingly adopted by several education institutions worldwide. Whether this transition from paper-based testing yields different impacts on students’ performance is still an open question. This paper aims to assess the impact of computer-based testing exploiting a large-scale pilot-program deployed in 2022 low-stake exams in Portugal. We rely on rich crosssectional student-level data to implement pooled OLS and difference in differences approaches. Results indicate statistically significant differences in students’ score between computer-based and paper-based testing with differences ranging from -5pp to -24pp. Finally, we discuss important heterogeneity effects and implications of implementing this policy at scale.”