This is a genius idea. As this article describes, a teacher started selling advertising space on his tests. To think of all the money I could have made.
Not only that, this is a great idea for an HR Department. Of course, I can see an employment lawyer asking to place an ad at the bottom of a test.
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It is a basic principle of testing, that one tries to eliminate distractions such that the testee can deliver optimum performance. This is why examination rooms are quiet, and people are expected to enter and leave them quietly.
In this instance, the “sponsor” basically stuck their name at the bottom of almost every page that the student sees throughout the year. One doesn’t have to take too many psych courses to know that “habituation” will work its magic on humans just as surely as it does on rats. So, the ad does not constitute a distraction in this particular instance. One might harbour some concerns over the manner in which the association between a private sector enterprise, and a public sector institution, conveys a certain subtext that is a little disquieting, but as distractions go, this one is negligible simply because of the way in which it just happened to be implemented.
Setting that aside, though, I would have both ethical and measurement concerns about placement of ads on exams. It’s not too hard to imagine a time/context in which a student might legitimately appeal a grade because of the distraction posed by ad placements, whether to themselves or to other students. Remember, the advertisor may not be content to simply say the name of the product/establishment, but may desire to do what all advertisors do, and that is make their product/service memorable. How does the educational institution set and consistently enforce guidelines on content, ad size, placement, etc.? How do they impose a “cannot be funny” restriction? Should the size or presentation/formatting of any examination material on a standard 8.5 x 11″ sheet be compromised by making space for an ad? How would you feel if your child had to take a math test where a complex question was divided over several pages to make room for an ad, impairing their ability to “see” the whole problem in their head?
So, if you ask me, I’ll let this one slip through, but I’m not keen on the rest of the wedge that seems hot on the heels of this thin edge.