In preparation for final exams, here are three approaches to implement exams remotely:
Unproctored, open-book exams
Exams using Blackboard assessment tools
Proctoring exams during a live Zoom session
When choosing an exam format, consider the following:
Technical complexity for students and instructors
Hardware and bandwidth requirements
Accessibility
This option is the least technologically challenging, has the lowest hardware and bandwidth requirements, and is the most accessible, as, generally, the students are simply e-mailing you back their exams. Additionally, it may also be the most pedagogically rich option in that an open-ended series of questions that focus on student discovery and reflection are difficult to cheat/plagiarize on.
You can also create an assignment in Blackboard to collect the material.
You may want to randomize the order of multiple choice and short answer questions, switch to questions that call on higher order thinking skills, or take other steps to guard against temptation and ensure that your students have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
This option is more technologically involved for instructors, as it requires uploading and formatting the test in Blackboard. Blackboard allows for a variety of testing conditions, but the stringency of testing conditions can negatively affect accessibility (for example, disabling backtracking creates an issue for many students).
For accessibility, we strongly recommend that exams within Blackboard be formatted on a single page. This allows students to see the exam in full and plan their time accordingly. From the Office of Disability Services (ODS):
It has been brought to our attention that students are having some difficulties completing online exams for a number of reasons: some are located in different time zones, some are living in conditions that are not conducive to test taking, some have poor internet connectivity and some are having difficulties due to the way that the exams are presented. The first three reasons are self-explanatory, while the fourth may need some explanation. These issues are impacting many students, not just the students registered with ODS.
Many students are stating that navigating an online exam is time consuming, particularly if a student needs to go back to a previous page - it takes time to reload the page and the answers. On a pen and paper exam, students can go back and forth easily and plan their time accordingly since they can see the entire exam before beginning it.
Additional resources on creating tests on Blackboard:
How to Create a Test in Blackboard Learn (YouTube)
Using Item Analysis (YouTube)
This option is the most technologically involved, as it requires specific hardware and bandwidth considerations. It can also create accessibility barriers depending on your students’ needs, depending on the exam conditions (extra time, backtracking, etc.).
Faculty can proctor exams via Zoom. Generally, this involves the students simply having the video conferencing tool running while they take their exam. This methodology allows the instructor to see (as much as possible) that the students are not a) asking others for help, b) leaving the room, c) looking in different directions, etc.
This solution is not perfect, but it does emulate the in-person experience of a proctored exam as much as possible. Additionally, this approach may inhibit unapproved behaviors/ actions during exams. Further, while this practice requires more trust than relying on an external proctoring service, it does cause less stress than such services, which may require additional software, bandwidth, technical proficiency, etc.. Additionally, students may have less of a concern with their faculty monitoring them rather than a stranger or an AI (the latter of which has been known to flag “false positives”).
However, please note: the video conferencing experience is closely tied with the bandwidth you and your students are able to provide versus the bandwidth it requires. Utilizing bandwidth for Zoom, and other websites running at the same time (like Blackboard) may increase the likelihood for slowness in performance or being disconnected. Additionally, if you have students in different time zones, this may not be the best solution for your class.
Both the instructor and the students should use the desktop versions of these services rather than the app on their phones. Additionally, both should be in an area with little to no background noises, free of distractions (if that is possible for the student, of course - otherwise they should mute themselves so as not to distract everyone else).
Both the instructor and the students will need:
a webcam
a microphone
sound output via headset or earbuds
a strong Internet connection
Note:
The student’s computer should have only one display monitor
Students would be expected to set up their webcam so that
they show a wide-view of their work area.
And then have the camera focused on themselves to still see their screen while making it obvious they are not using outside materials or communicating with others.
Note: their individual exams should NOT be readable on the video
Once the students complete the exam, they can take a picture or scan it, then E-mail or add it as an attachment to a Blackboard test that you set up.
Possible apps to use for document scanning with a phone:
If the test is programmed in Blackboard, it is only available to the students in the course.
Instructors can assign a password for online tests or quizzes for added security. The password would still need to be emailed out to the class. Note: this setting was built more for exams in physical spaces such as labs and the password would be on the board or handed out to them; it was a way of making sure the students were present.
The student should set their webcam up in such a way where there is the widest view of themselves feasible, showing (as much as possible) that they are not using outside materials or communicating with others.
Students would be expected to share their screens on demand from the instructor.
Steps Involved
Instructor schedules a meeting in Zoom.
If for an online quiz or test, the instructor can schedule it directly in BB; assign a password; set date and time restrictions; provide instructions for using computer audio-only; and set the session to record automatically (must be set up prior to the meeting).
Instructor and students meet in the session at the scheduled time.
Instructor can ask student(s) to show their Fordham ID.
Instructor should explain expectations, including time limits.
Once the test has begun, the instructor should turn their video off and mute themselves.
Any communication between the instructor and the student should take place in the private chat.
The instructor can ask the student to share their screen at any time.
“To Proctor an Exam in Zoom,” University of Iowa
“Proctoring a Closed-Book Exam in Zoom,” Harvard