M-Quiz By SMS with Cheat Prevention Feature

Virtual learning is a new idea that has gotten a new form with the emergence of new technologies such as the wireless networks. The mobile phone (cell phone) is a device that is used by most people nowadays. Therefore, one can use the mobile phone for virtual learning on a wide scale. One of the popular and at the same time simple and inexpensive services on the mobile phone is the SMS (Short Message Service). In this paper, we propose a method for taking multiple-choice quizzes by using the SMS on mobile phones. In the provision of these tests, after coding the questions with a key, some SMS messages were sent to the student along with the answers of the questions, which were steganography in an image. The student, after receiving and answering the questions, receives his grade at the client-side and then the grade and student answers are hidden in an SMS picture message and sent back to the instructor. Also, the location of student and the time that he took the exam are sent to the instructor by another SMS to prevent the possibility of any cheating. Moreover, the correct answers of the questions are destroyed within the image after they are extracted from image so as to eliminate the possibility of any cheating. The instructor also, after receiving the image and extracting the grade, records the student’s grade. Moreover, the instructor can find any cheating by comparing students locations, times they took the exam and their answers. Because of using the steganography method in sending the answers and grades, and also sending the student’s location and time of quiz, this method is highly secure and the possibility of cheating in the exam is reduced. This method was implemented with the J2ME language on a Nokia 3250 mobile phone.