Assessment and Academic Integrity

• An informative research review about assessment strategies in online learning.

• Assessment Strategies from Western Washington University - a great general resource on good assessment strategies.

• How do I assess student learning online is another useful resource.

• Get familiar with the concept of authentic assessment, how it works, and types of authentic assessments by visiting the Authentic Assessment Toolbox.

• Consider the pros and cons of alternative assessment by reading this article from BYU.

• Consider an open-book exam or an in-depth case study. Open book exams often consist of complex questions that require critical thinking and analysis and are often very difficult to cheat if designed properly. Case studies are great opportunities to see how well students can apply their knowledge and analyze a real-life scenario. They often require students to do additional research to fully understand all aspects of the situation before being able to craft a response. Both are great options for upper level courses and make it difficult to cheat.

• Allow students to select an alternative option if their internet connectivity is sometimes sketchy. Provide options such as a paper, presentation (live or recorded), creation of a video, demonstration of skills or performance (live or recorded), or a group project - all allow students to demonstrate what they know about the subject matter. Parameters and topics can be clearly spelled out and rubrics define expectations of criteria that will be graded.

• Review this article for designing alternative assessments during COVID-19. It contains numerous suggestions as well as links to resources and how-tos. While most of the tools mentioned are available at Wilkes, a couple may not be but we have a replacement option - just reach out!

• This resource from from UC Berkeley Center for Teaching & Learning provides a great list of Alternatives to Traditional Testing

Learn the basics of how to set up a quiz or exam in D2L in the Resource Bank area of this site. Here are some suggestions for increasing academic integrity within the exam itself.

• Use a question library to randomize quiz questions to make each test unique

• Timed quizzes/exams make it more difficult for students to have enough time to look up questions and still complete the exam

• Here is a useful resource on Best Practices for the Quiz Tool

• Zoom proctoring - Administer exam during a synchronous zoom session, allows faculty members to see students and what they are doing. Like other options, this requires students to have a stable internet connection and a camera. Here is the basic Zoom set-up information.

• Panopto recording - Students take the exam and record themselves using Panopto set up as a video assignment; video is uploaded for faculty to review. Learn how in this guide but OTTL can help with the set-up and proper settings as well. Students must have a webcam or record using their phone on the Panopto app. Be sure to share the student guide with your students.

• Oral exams using Video Assignments in D2L or Panopto - Students provide oral answers to prompts while video is recording, different setting options available depending how the exam is structured. Contact OTTL for more information.

Here are a variety of additional resources to dive deeper into assessment in all its forms. Some are open-access books and reports - links provided.

Boettcher, J. (2011). Evidence of Learning Online: Assessment Beyond the Paper. Campus Technology. 2/23/11.

Conrad, D. and Openo, J. (2018). Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: Engagement and Authenticity. Athabasca University Press.
(You can access the online version here: https://read.aupress.ca/projects/assessment-strategies-for-online-learning - highly recommended!)

Gaytan, J. and McEwan, B. (2007). Effective Online Instructional and Assessment Strategies. The American Journal of Distance Education, 21(3), 117–132.

Gigliotti, G. and Devanas, M. Understanding Assessment Options in Online Courses, Rutgers University Center for Teaching Advancement and Assessment Research.

McClintock, C. and Barr, M. Assessing Learning Outcomes in Online Graduate Education. Available from https://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/AM2012_BarrMcClintock.pdf

Kelly, R. Ed, Assessing Online learning: Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities. Faculty Focus Special Report. Available from https://www.facultyfocus.com/free-reports/assessing-online-learning-strategies-challenges-and-opportunities/

Johnson, S. and Aragon, S. (2003). An Instructional Strategy Framework for Online Learning Environments. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, Volume 2003, Issue 100, Winter 2003.

• What it does? A custom browser that locks down the test environment and prevents students from using any other application, tab or feature (such as screen capture or print) while taking the exam. Great to use in a proctored environment for larger classes when faculty can’t have eyes on everyone. Also an effective general deterrent to many students even in an online environment. Many instructors are using this effectively for low stakes, timed quizzes in online classes. More frequent, brief [reading] quizzes that are simply secured do not allow students enough time to look up answers but are a great check to make to sure they keeping up with the readings.

• Cost? No additional cost. The University has a campus license.

• Pros - Enhanced security for a large group of students in a proctored situation where the proctor might not be able to see every screen all the time. Simple deterrent to possible “might-be” cheaters. Prevents the simple ‘print and share’ forms of cheating. Completely integrated into D2L for simple set-up. Perfect for quick (5-10 minute) low stakes online quizzes to provide just enough security to deter cheating.

• Cons - Students can still use another device to look up material, take pics of question pages, text with other students if too much time is allotted to complete the quiz/exam. Not compatible with Chromebooks or mobile phones. Can be allowed on ipad with additional setting option.

• How to set it up - Get started and learn more by visiting the Lockdown Browser Resources page. Be sure to grab the student guide for Brightspace and put it in your course to help students with the set-up.

• What it does? Works in conjunction with Lockdown Browser to complete test security. Activates a student’s webcam to record him/her and the environment and uses AI to identify “risky” behaviors that faculty can later review in the recorded video. A full report with timestamp flags and recording is available for each student means you only need to review the recordings of those students with flags and not every student.

• Cost? The University has purchased 1000 seats (seat=one student per course). We will monitor usage and add seats as needed

• Pros - Provides identity option to ensure the student in the course is the one taking the test; provides a recording to review if have questionable results such as dubious test scores or a flagged report; provides faculty with more evidence to have a conversation with students and/or make a decision about dishonesty. Completely integrated into D2L for simple set-up. 'Auto-launches' meaning no scheduling or additional registration by the student. Full compliance on student privacy and security policies/regulations. Live chat support for students even during exams.

• Cons - Requires a stable internet connection and a webcam that not all students may have; students may feel uncomfortable being recorded or feel it is an invasion of privacy; may cause anxiety for some students; is not necessarily an inclusive approach to assessment.

How to set it up - Specific set-up information and additional resources (training videos, student and instructor guides, etc.) can be found on the Respondus Monitor website. Again, grab the guides for Brightspace from the instructor and student areas for initial set-up info while there.

• What it does? RPNow is video proctoring service that records video and audio of the student taking the exam that is then analyzed by certified proctors who complete a multi-tiered proctoring review process. It is best used for high-stakes exams because of the additional cost to the student.

• Cost? $15 per exam

• Pros - RPNow captures all desktop screen activity, not just the webcam. Certified proctors review results. Integrated with D2L allowing faculty to manage RPNow settings and information directly within the LMS. Uses a flexible Cloud model to store data.

• Cons - Requires a stable internet connection; additional cost to students; may cause anxiety for some students; students may feel uncomfortable being recorded or feel it is an invasion of privacy; is not necessarily an inclusive approach to assessment.

• How to set it up - Contact OTTL to get started then visit these additional resources - the instructor guide and the primary student website are good places to start but be sure to ask OTTL for the RP Now University link. We don't post it because it has resources strictly for instructors that students should not be able to access.

• *Important Note - If you elect to utilize this tool, you must notify students in advance that there will be an additional fee for proctoring services. Ideally, this would happen prior to the start of the semester so students can make an informed decision about enrolling. Review the notes in the intro about the process for notification.

• What it does? Reviews written assignments against their internal database to compare student work and create an originality report/score that can be used to identify possible plagiarism. Turnitin is most effective as a teaching tool to help students learn about how to properly cite their work, but can be helpful to identify intentional dishonesty as well. It is a helpful supplement to the work you already do as an instructor. Instructors still must read student papers and evaluate the citations made (or not) by the student against the report.

• Cost? No additional cost, but the university has a limited number of licenses.

• Pros - Works seamlessly through D2L, no outside sites to visit or accounts to set up; provides useful information that can be used to educate students about proper citations and academic honesty; provides the ability to streamline student feedback by using the Feedback Studio component; can be a good deterrent to many would-be cheaters

• Cons - May not catch purchased custom written papers; reports can be misinterpreted by students; there may be missing database sources that are not in the TII library. Philosophical arguments against it suggest it can send the wrong message to students - we don't trust you and some believe it exploits students and their work by charging institutions to “access” other student papers for comparison, among others.

• How to set it up - First, contact OTTL to have Turnitin added to your course then follow these instructions for adding Turnitin to individual assignments. Take time to learn about the many settings and features of the service from their instructor resource site.