Now, Norwegian students take exams on their laptops

Toronto, May. 4 (ANI): As part of a trial that could soon become the modus operandi of university examinations in Norway, around 6,000 college students took exams on their laptops.

Every 16-19 year-old in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway has been trying out the laptop-based system, the BBC reports.

Ass soon as secondary students turn 16 in Nord-Trondelag county of Norway, they are given a laptop by the government to help them with their schoolwork.

During exams the specially-tailored software springs to life to block and record any attempt at cheating.

The laptops issued to the students are used for everyday schoolwork and come with standard software, such as word processors, spreadsheets and calculators.

"For instance, media students would have their machines fitted with Adobe Photoshop," said Bjorg Helland, a project manager for digital literacy in the Nord-Trondelag county council.

It is not for the first time that Norway is using computers for exams, Helland said the decision to move to laptops was taken to ensure that, in the exam hall, students used equipment with which they were familiar.

"This is used both during their final exams before going to college or university but also during tests when the teacher wants to have a test with the class," she said.

"That's why we have to monitor the laptops during the exams, because they are not supposed to have internet access and not supposed to communicate with other students," she added.Although students could turn to spellcheckers to help proofread their answers, the use of anything more sophisticated was banned.

"One of the students was using a translation program and wrote with it: 'If you can see me, stop me now.' We did see her and we did stop her," Helland said.(ANI)