Digital Whiteboard Testing Accommodations
NCARB,
The news of the digital white board has definitely disrupted everyone in the ARE community. Some of us are aware that NCARB is not going to change their minds about this decision despite constant feedback from the community.
I want to address another issue with this. I among a large number of testing candidates are left handed. Using a mouse right handed is not an issue for us but any type of digital drawing does not come easy. My office has made accommodations for me by providing a track pad for me to more easily use programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop when drawing digitally is necessary. Will NCARB please take into consideration left-handed test takers by providing other alternatives to using the digital white board? For me personally, this will be a hindrance and I will not be able to perform FULLY on any exam I take in the future no matter how many times I practice taking the demonstration exam with the white board.
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On Prometric's website there are a list of testing accommodations https://www.prometric.com/sites/default/files/FINALTesting-Accommodations.pdf and a touchpad mouse is available. So I have emailed Prometric and TDLR(I'm in Texas) which is the local ADA to see how we can get some type of testing accommodation!
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I'm not left handed and I still can't draw with a mouse. I've seen people at the test center that have a laminated paper and dry erase marker. Why can't we use the same thing?! If I already have to buy a webcam and hand held mirror to test remotely, I'd also be down to buy a real white board and eraser. I feel like we should be able to use a real white board and show the proctor that we've erased it before leaving the room. If you don't have a white board then the digital white board could be used.
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NCARB, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yTA1P8SrqI
The reasons I suggested the graphic tablet and stylus (okay, you can use the stylus/tablet in mouse mode versus pen mode and it should work the way you need it to for the exam program). Many things that was pointed out in the video also applies to use of pencil/pen & paper. Not everything mentioned applies to the One by Wacom tablet because its a very simple and basic introductory graphic tablet without additional buttons or touch track pad functionality. If we can't have or use paper and pen/pencil then we need to use a stylus and tablet.
AGAIN - The model I am looking at is called the One by Wacom ( https://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-tablets/one-by-wacom ) - not ones with computer display for purposes of the exam rules. Some other models may work adequately but have more functionality capabilities but as you may note, the digital whiteboard isn't going to be as sophisticated as Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Note: Screen mapping only applies when using tablet in pen mode. When using tablet in mouse mode (which is the default when using drivers autoinstalled by Windows if you don't install the Wacom software tools will be in mouse mode and therefore will behave more like a mouse when you lift up the pen from the tablet beyond a certain distance and bring it back down on tablet. There is videos on Youtube that explains that. From an app point of view like the Zoomorphix's Exam Studio, it shouldn't matter and it's using the tablet in "mouse" mode that matters and even the digital whiteboard will likely work just fine with tablet and stylus in "mouse" mode. Even in "mouse mode" jotting notes or doing a diagram sketch quickly would work with some reason. I tested with MS Paint with the Intuos 4XL by Wacom using a stylus for it.
As you may noticed on the One by Wacom model tablets, no additional buttons, there is a usb port connector to connect by USB to computer. The length of cable is irrelevant and someone can use their own if its longer for their own comfort purposes. The key thing, no paper, the tablet as no video display of its own and the stylus functions like a mouse and control the pointer. At home via remote proctoring, this would be great if they are not using pen/pencil & paper. At test center, I (as someone who would be remote proctoring) wouldn't have an issue if someone was using pencil & paper because their net result will be equivalent to a stylus/tablet with the digital whiteboard.
For the digital whiteboard to be usable as intended to serve test candidates effectively, you're going to need to use the stylus/graphic tablet. Using a mouse is not very useful for sketching or jotting notes and diagrams to work through solving test items. At test centers, using plain paper and pen/pencil will be equitable to using the digital whiteboard (remotely) with stylus/tablet because the users will use them to comparable effectiveness. I don't think people at test centers will torture themselves to using their mouse to using the digital whiteboard.
For the digital whiteboard to be used, it needs to be effective and to be effective with it in the time constraints of the exam, regardless of breaks allowed and slight reduction of question items, you still need a tablet/stylus because a mouse is not ergonomically designed for this type of usage. Lets think about the most grueling exam divisions we have with structural engineering calculations involved and where diagramming is needed. At other times, you're trying to jot information that you need to recall like the criteria of a test item to answer, code requirements, then to calculate. All those pieces of information needs to be on-screen with the digital whiteboard so its visually present just like it was with scratch paper and pencil/pen and what you have on the screen. Flipping between windows that covers over is visually disruptive and often causes losing track of information which would require more re-reading which in turn takes more time. Again, you have a time limit. You can't be spending 10 minutes to answering a single test item and do that on 65 to 100 test items. You'll end up failing the division because you didn't answer enough questions or end up just throwing answers with no thought of what is asked and possibly still be wrong.
Forcing examinees to fail is not what NCARB should be doing. That's just a money grab game that can result in a class-action lawsuit. I want NCARB to succeed in the mission that NCARB is about and remote proctoring as well. I also want candidates to succeed with a fair chance.
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