Towards a low-cost universal access cloud framework to assess STEM students

Government-imposed lockdowns have challenged academic institutions to transition from traditional face-to-face education into hybrid or fully remote learning models. This transition has focused on the technological challenge of guaranteeing the continuity of sound pedagogy and granting safe access to online digital university services. However, a key requisite involves adapting the evaluation process as well. In response to this need, the authors of this paper tailored and implemented a cloud deployment to provide universal access to online summative assessment of university students in a computer programming course that mirrored a traditional in-person monitored computer laboratory under strictly controlled exam conditions. This deployment proved easy to integrate with the university systems and many commercial proctoring tools. This cloud deployment is not only a solution for extraordinary situations; it can also be adapted daily for online collaborative coding assignments, practical lab sessions, formative assessments, and masterclasses where the students connect using their equipment. Connecting from home facilitates access to education for students with physical disabilities. It also allows participation with their students' own adapted equipment in the evaluation processes, simplifying assessment for those with hearing or visual impairments. In addition to these benefits and the evident commitment to the safety rules, this solution has proven cheaper and more flexible than on-premise equivalent installations.