The two challenges shared by university students today are (1) being unaccustomed to writing for an extensive period (2) formulation of ideas and penning them down on paper was conceptually different from the use of devices. The increased dependency on devices during lessons have resulted in students losing their ability to acquire legible handwriting. Students’ deteriorating ability to write clearly also posed an issue to examiners as it made scripts less comprehensible. Hence, explaining the university’s decision to consider permitting laptops for exams.
Due to an escalation in the number of scripts required to be transcribed, students with illegible handwriting were compelled to return to the campus during summer holidays to aid university administrators in understanding their scripts through the verbalisation of content.
Therefore, in accordance to the British media, to resolve the present challenge, the institution has now initiated a consultation as part of its digital education strategy after piloting a digital exam arrangement in the history and classics departments. Likewise, Edinburgh University launched a similar structure for its first- and second- year divinity students in 2011. While students at the Cambridge University are given the alternative exam-typing option, the practice has yet to be implemented throughout the campus.