Online Exams During Covid-19

As many schools throughout the United States continue to provide education online in response to Covid-19, they will eventually need to create and administer online exams.  As they do so, they will need to know how to create online exams and how to ensure exam integrity.

Popular Computer-Based Platforms

There are many computer-based exam platforms, such as ExamSoft, Proctorio, and Respondus.  However, adopting one of these platforms at this time is probably not possible due to the expense, the setup requirements, and the instructor learning curve that is needed.  Another option is Google Forms; many K-12 schools already use Google for exams.  If you have not used a Google Form, you’ll need to create a Google account and use manually create exams.  You’ll need to figure out the grading and access for students as well, and it may not integrate with your online course.  Alternatively, if instructors are using a publisher’s online platform (such as Pearson’s MyMathLab or McGraw-Hill’s Connect), you may be able to set up exams on those platforms without additional expenses or technology integration.

Use Your LMS

Otherwise, create an exam on your school’s learning management system (such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Desire2Learn).  The benefit of doing so is that the online course has many advanced tools for administering exams (including the ability to provide feedback and accommodate students with special needs), and students already have access to the online exam space, so they don’t need to create new accounts or navigate to another website.

If you have not used online exams before, it will take some time to create the exam.  However, many online platforms allow you to upload questions in bulk and to copy exams from one course to another.  The online platform also allows you to use many question types, including Multiple Choice (with one or more correct answers), True-False, Fill-in-the-Blank, Matching, Short Answer or Essay Style, and File Upload (if students are uploading attachments and video files).  You can also attach images and videos as part of the question.  Many question types are graded automatically (you’ll have to grade essay-style questions manually), and you can see detailed reports about student performance.

Ensuring Academic Integrity

If you are used to administering paper-based exams in a face-to-face class, the online platform will feel like there is less exam security, but you can take steps in the design of the exam to promote integrity.  Consider the following:

• Use Different Questions – Create different versions of the same question, and have the LMS select a different version for each student.
• Shuffle the Order of Questions – Use the same question for each student, but present questions in a different order for each student.
• Shuffle Answer Choices – Rearrange answer choices for each student.
• Set a Time Limit – Limit the amount of time students have on the exam so they won’t have time to look up answers.
• Use Open/Due/Close Dates – Restrict availability of exam to a few days to prevent information sharing.  You could even limit availability to the class period.
• Show One Question at a Time and Prevent Backward Navigation – Prevent students from going back and changing their answers.  (However, students with slow internet connection may lose time if there is a lag between each question.)
• Require an Access Code – In order to begin the exam, students will need to enter a code you provide.
• Delay Exam Review – Wait to release correct answers until all students have completed the exam.
• User Higher-Level Questions – If possible, use short answer or problem-based questions instead of multiple choice.  These questions require an original and unique response from each student and answers are more difficult to copy.  (However, be cautious of changing expectations on the exam.  If lectures and course content have focused on the “understanding” and “comprehension” level, students will be unprepared for application-level questions on the exam.)

Monitoring Student Activity

Online exams provide a student activity tracker called an “exam log.”  This log tracks student activity, and it can show if they are using multiple devices or accessing other pages.  While you may not be able to prevent all cheating on online exams, tools like this can help you detect it.

Does your school need help transitioning to the online environment, contact me for consultation and instructional design services.  I have 10 years of experience teaching online on Canvas, Desire2Learn, and Blackboard, and I have experience with ExamSoft computer-based testing.