University Students' First Online Exam Experience: Is It Stressful or Joyful?

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine university students’ views on online exams during the pandemic. The study was carried out with the participation of 15 undergraduate students studying at an engineering university in Azerbaijan. Methods: Interpretive phenomenology guided the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Research findings showed that students experienced various problems in the online exam process. The inability to solve the technical problems encountered during exams and the perception that the instructors did not have sufficient knowledge about the conduct of the online exams made it difficult for the exam process to be carried out effectively. Conclusion: Research results indicated that students who are taking their first online exam bring attention to both the positive and negative aspects of the process and discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of online exams in this context. Implications: It is critical to develop infrastructure and train human resources at this point in order to easily adapt to different crisis situations that may arise in the future that require nontraditional assessment methods.