During the last few days, Umm Al-Qura University conducted electronic exams for the course of general chemistry (specifically, the practical section of the course). A total of 380 students passed the exams from 30 academic divisions of the College of Applied Sciences in the Department of Chemistry. Students taking the exams were distributed among three labs provided by the deanship. Electronic exams aim at providing accuracy in measuring student performance as well as discovering the student’s points of strength and weakness, which will contribute to the development and improvement of the quality of teaching and learning.

The e-learning exams are used to identify the students' level of competence, classify them into groups to ensure transparency and credibility, and achieve greater speed and precision in results. Within this context, the Deanship of E-Learning and Distance Education, in collaboration with the College of Computer, secured all the elements of success needed to conduct the exams properly, under the directions of the Dean of E-Learning and Distance Education, Dr. Khalid Al-Mutairi, and field supervision by the Vice Dean of Technical Affairs, Dr. Ahmad Humaid, the Head of the Department of Information Systems Mr. Ra'id Ghazzawi, and the team of systems and digital production at the deanship.

The electronic exams were carried out in the presence and under the supervision of Dr. Ismail Al-Thaqafi, the Head of the Chemistry Department, who expressed his thanks to the Deanship of E-Learning and Distance Education for providing all the required preparations for the electronic exams, including necessary infrastructure, technical support, and training programs.

Concerning this step, Dr. Ahmad Humaid further added that electronic exams save time and effort by relieving pressure on academic members, and also motivate the students to learn, thus indicating his preference for this process of examination over traditional tests.

Dr. Khalid Al-Mutairi discussed the positive aspects of electronic exams in terms of being able to establish a question-bank of different levels, and cover all lectures of the course. This is in order to develop the planning of an exam and ensure the ease of the examination process. He pointed out that electronic exams realize the advantages of precise organization, transparency in evaluation, suitable grade assignment, and speed and accuracy in the listing of the scores attained, in addition to the ability to automatically upload the scores to the e-learning system.

Finally, Dr. Khalid Al-Mutairi expressed his sincere thanks to the university leadership, represented by His Excellency the University President, Dr. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, for providing unlimited support to the Deanship of E-Learning and Distance Education. He also referred to the constant support given by the Vice President for Educational Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Aziz bin Rashad Suruji, the Dean of the College of Applied Sciences, Dr. Hatim Al-Tas, and the Dean of the College of Computer and Information Systems, Dr. Majid Al-Qathami.