Paper vs Whiteboard
I know I'm echoing a lot of my peers, and NCARB is probably not going to change their minds. But hopefully you hear our concerns and do better next time you want to make significant changes.
1. Say the white board works great (unlikely)...Why would NCARB announce this before there is the ability for candidates to test the software? Now I have to spend weeks wondering what it will be like- adding more stress to an already stressful experience of test prep.
2. I'm also stressed about the testing experience in October. Is it guaranteed that my exam on October 19 I will be given paper and pencils? The Prometric experience has already been inconsistent and confusing (especially with covid) and I would not be surprised if instruction at different locations is unclear. Also, my last exam in November 25- and the changes will only have been implemented for 1 week. There is no way all the software glitches will be worked out in a week. How do you expect me to go into that exam feeling confident?
3. This should have been announced several months beforehand, so people feel more in control of their personal situation. In my opinion it feels like NCARB waited until they had my 500 dollars and tests scheduled, and then changed the rules.
4. This feels like a lack of trust that NCARB has with its candidates. Are their significant statistics of people cheating via pen and paper? If so, why aren't they shared?
Be better, NCARB.
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I would consider myself an OLD tester, compared to most, due to my age. LIFE got in the way and took priority over my licensing. I am now 45! Yes, that is a long time to wait. I only have two exams left, which to me will be the most difficult because they will require more math solving and critical thinking. I am not big on using technology. While drafting has become easier, I still do most of my designing and number crunching on trash paper and notepads. I can say FOR A FACT, that trying to use a whiteboard on a screen WILL GREATLY INCREASE MY STRESS LEVEL AND CONCENTRATION during the exam.
NCARB should at least continue offering paper and pencil to those who want to use them. Just like the MULTIPLE times they have changed the testing from 1.0 - 2.0 - 3.0 - to whatever we are on now. They offered a 6-month to a Year overlap for those in the current platform to either finish or transfer to the new one. IT SHOULD BE THE SAME FOR THIS MAJOR CHANGE TOO!!!
Yes, times have changed, but designing still takes creativity and thought. These are best done with a pencil in hand, doodling on a piece of paper.
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I'm 39 and getting on the older side of the age group taking the exam but I agree. Although I worked with sketch/drawing tools of similar nature, features, and quality that we'll likely see with the "digital whiteboard" back in the Commodore and Amiga computer era. For *bleep* sake, I would never have thought I would use such an 'interface' to sketch notes and do math on with a mouse (which is just about as ridiculous as using an Atari style one-button Joystick and the eight F-keys.) on an exam like the ARE.
If we are going to be guinea pigs.... oops... I mean.... "beta-testers", how about pay us...... at the very least the cost of the exam and pause the rolling clock or something for those running up on that time frame.
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>If we are going to be guinea pigs.... oops... I mean.... "beta-testers", how about pay us...... at the very least the cost of the exam and pause the rolling clock or something for those running up on that time frame.
^This
Also, allow more than 3 exams in a 12 month period. Additionally, the exams should remain free until a wavering majority of software issues and glitches are gone.
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IMHO the whiteboard tool is ridiculous. Are test takers expected to be able to "write" by drawing with one finger on a who knows what kind of track pad? (not even, since its done with the mouse further complicating the mechanics of the UX/UI) Has NCARB calculated how much time does "writing" on a digital whiteboard screen requires versus pen and paper or pencil and paper? If so, what was the result and how did it affect design of test? If not, then why not? How does the exam account for: 1. The additional time test taker would have to sit to take the test just because of having to write on the whiteboard, 2. The stress of not being able to write as fast as you would be able to by hand, 3. The stress of knowing that they have to use a whiteboard and not pencil and paper, 4. The probable fact that some people will just try not to use the whiteboard because it is just not efficient (I would have tested this and see how much can actually be done on the whiteboard), 5. Some people with and without ADHD are used to writing as a method of aiding with processing. Many times having to re express ideas and text into diagrams to better visualize and then analyze. Now also feeling stressed because of the additional work THEY have to do to get what they might get but deserve. 6. The additional time handling/navigating through the whiteboard, 7. I also think not being able to see what you are writing real time as in regular handwriting also affects processing speed and focus in people. Have these factors not been taken into account or if they have what was the result and weight regarding the design of the test? I am aware of the possibility of special accommodations but how many will be aware of that, go through the process and then also agree to have to process the feelings that might arise from possibly getting special accomodations for something that seems logically normal (handwriting/hand sketching drawing). A clear more fair option is to offer a touch screen with a stylus so you can at least approximate the mechanics of handwriting and hand sketching. Why wasn't this offered? Does the whiteboard feature of the test even comply with test design regulations (if there are any and I assume there are some) and general accessibility principles? Universal design is defined by the Center
for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University as “the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or
specialized design”. I would revise against the latest standards of accessibility.
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