From Paper to Pixels

“Digitalisation significantly contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Future economic and environmental challenges cannot be resolved sustainably without the transformation of existing businesses.” ¹

Implementing digital exam processes can provide significant financial benefits for schools, professional bodies, and businesses. Embracing technological advancements in examination processes can provide substantial cost savings, anywhere from between 40% to 50%. With the savings primarily attributed to reduced requirements for physical materials and logistical arrangements.

In addition to the evident cost savings, the digitisation of exam workflows to the cloud presents a crucial advantage in time efficiency. Using online resources can significantly reduce grading times and efforts by up to 60%.

A study published by the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education reported a significant 60% decrease in the time required for data entry and reporting. This collective impact provides a substantial time-saving opportunity, with reported reductions in workload ranging from 50-70%.

For institutions, professional bodies, and businesses, the streamlined grading process becomes a critical factor in enhancing overall business efficiency.

“Some studies have concluded that A staggering “80% cost savings realised, by providing electronic reports to examinees, schools and school boards, rather than to printing and distributing paper reports.” ²

The shift towards digital exams significantly lowers the demand for paper, directly contributing to forest conservation, biodiversity preservation, and a reduction in the water and energy consumption associated with paper production. For instance, one client’s transition to digital exams reduced to need to use over 240,000 sheets of paper annually, highlighting the tangible benefits of adopting digital alternatives.

Moving away from paper-based exams additionally inherently reduces ink usage, with the same client saving $400,000 annually on printing costs alone. A reduction in ink consumption also lessens the environmental burden of ink production and disposal. By decreasing ink use, organisations proactively contribute to lowering carbon emissions and minimising the overall environmental footprint of their assessment processes.

“An estimated carbon impact of paper-based process and a digital exam is an estimated reduction of 9% carbon emissions overall per exam by moving from paper to digital.” ³

The adoption of digital exam processes in education and learning offers significant benefits across finances, time management, and environmental impact. Schools and organisations that embrace the shift are contributing to a more sustainable future by conserving natural resources, reducing waste, and diminishing the carbon footprint associated with traditional manual examination methods.

Digital exams represents a significant step forward in making education and professional development. Institutions that embrace these digital practices are not only optimising their operations but are also contributing to a more sustainable and ecologically conscious future.

“Meeting today’s challenges is only possible if we stay ahead and continuously upgrade our educational systems with technology. Incorporating these enhancements will increase active participation while also instilling within people a passion for lifelong learning.” ⁴

References

¹ Impact of Digital Transformation toward Sustainable Development, Mohannad Alojail and Surbhi Bhatia Khan, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/20/14697# (October 2023)

² Dr. Richard Jones. Value of Large-scale, Online Student Assessments.RMJ Assessment. https://rmjassessment.com/2023/08/02/value-of-large-scale-online-student-assessments/ (2023).

³ Making it click , The case for digital examinations in England Adam Steedman Thake
https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/content/about-us/education-policy/AQA-DIGITAL-EXAMS-IN-ENGLAND-REPORT.PDF (October 2023).

⁴ Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Studies on Student Support Systems in Open and Distance Learning.Bramble et al., 2018;Abdunabi et al., 2019;Abubakari et al., 2020;Adeshola and Agoyi, 2022). (December 2023).

^* Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Development Programme https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals

Learn more about Elumina’s environment stewardship here: Sustainable Impact