The effect of transitioning to paperless assessment in a high school biology course

Abstract

Technology and education are becoming more intertwined each school year. Technology is replacing how we deliver content and perform assessments. Many of these changes are occurring before they have been determined to be effective. This research compares individuals who received the same instruction over a unit and took the same test, but in different formats. Overall, the students performed significantly better in a paper format over digital. However, the most significant finding hinged on low achieving students (GPA < 2.0). Low achieving students performed significantly worse on digital assessments compared to paper assessment.