Application of MDS Codes in Solving Problem of Distributing Exam Questions

Ricky Aditya

Ricky Aditya Sanata Dharma University

Keywords: teaching strategies, cheating prevention, coding theory, MDS codes

Abstract

In online learning, giving an objective assessment is quite tricky task. Most of exams in online learning are done as take-home exams. Unlike in face-to-face onsite class, in which the students can be observed directly when doing the exam, in online class the students have chance to cheat and work together to gain unfair advantage. To tackle this, the teachers need to modify the exam format. One possible solution is to create some variations of exam questions and distribute them to the students such that they do not get the same set of questions. However, we cannot create too many variations since it would make the grading process more difficult for the teacher. Thus, we need to find an optimal way to do so. In this article, we will discuss how Maximum Separable Distance (MDS) Codes in coding theory can be applied to provide a solution for this problem. Moreover, distribution patterns for class of size 27, 64 and 125 students will also be presented.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] G. Ednadita, S. Octavia, F. S. Khairunnisa, I. Rodhiyah and D. Hendraputra, “Effects of Self-Control on Cheating Among Indonesian College Students,” Indonesian Psychological Research, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 87-95, July 2020.
[2] K. A. D’Souza and D. V. Siegfeld, “A Conceptual Framework for Detecting Cheating in Online and Take-Home Exams,” Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, vol. 15 (4), pp. 370-391, October 2017.
[3] M. Valizadeh, “Cheating in Online Learning Programs: Learners’ Perceptions and Solutions,” Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 23 no. 1, pp. 195-209, January 2022.
[4] S. Ling and C. Xing, Coding Theory: A First Course. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
[5] L. Jin and C. Xing, “New MDS Self-Dual Codes from Generalized Reed-Solomon Codes,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 63 (3), March 2017.
[6] H. Yan, “A Note on the Construction of MDS Self-Dual Codes,” Cryptography and Communications, vol. 11 (2), pp. 259-268, March 2019.
[7] A. Zhang and K. Feng, “A Unified Approach to Construct MDS Self-Dual Codes via Reed-Solomon Codes,” IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, vol. 66 (6), June 2020.