13 Deployment of Online Exams

Quick links to Exam Resource Webpages

Suggestions for deploying online exams

  • For final exams, use the centrally-scheduled exam time (with appropriate buffer)
    to schedule your online exam; a buffer around the fixed time will help account for connection issues. Note that standard exam slots are 3.5 hours, so you can offer a 2-2.5 hour exam with extra buffer time, perhaps 4 hours. This will provide some leeway to students in other time zones and help avoid overlap with students’ other exams as the schedule has already been built based on course registration.
  • Discover student access needs for your proposed technology:
    internet and equipment availability will vary among students; prior to the exam period, you can survey students and/or test the technology solution you are intending to use to determine its feasibility and any accommodations that might be needed.  A limited amount of equipment may be available to loan to students who can pick up from campus (contact Skylight if you are interested in learning more about what is available).
  • Provide students with all the exam information ahead of time:
    • Date, time, and duration of the exam.
    • Where will they access the exam?
    • What learning technologies will be used?
    • What equipment is required (e.g. laptop, webcam, mic, etc.)?
    • Who should they contact if they experience technical difficulties?
  • Recommendations for students:
    • Verify that you have a stable network connection before starting the exam.
    • Use a wired Internet connection if possible.
    • Close all other applications on the computer that are not required for the exam.
    • Do not use the browser’s back
      and forward
      buttons to navigate an exam.
    • Do not wait until the last minute to submit the exam.
    • Have more than one browser downloaded on your computer. (Refer to
      this page for a list of Canvas supported browsers.)
  • Create a practice exam with a similar format as the actual exam (e.g. exam settings, question types, invigilation method, time limit, etc.) and ask students to complete it beforehand. This allows students to know what to expect and also identify any technical issues early.
  • Offer some guides/documentation to help avoid technical difficulties.
    This can include providing students with guides on the technology and contact info (for you and/or LT support and/or the vendor in some cases) in case something goes wrong.  You also will want a plan for when problems arise (next item).
  • Create a Collaborate Ultra or Zoom session for students to drop in during the exam if they have questions or experience technical difficulties. This allows them to speak to someone immediately and offers a replacement for raising their hands with questions in an in-person exam.  Decide if you want to give students an extra attempt or provide them with more time to account for time lost due to technical issues, and/or provide enough of a buffer for the submission window relative to the test length to allow for these issues.
  • Identify students who have special accommodations (e.g. CfA students) and ensure the exam availability dates and time limit have been adjusted for these students. Contact
    Skylight LT
    if you would like us to review your settings before publishing.

    • Instructions on how to set this up in Canvas Quizzes/Assignments can be found on our
      Canvas FAQs page.
  • Add additional time to your exam to account for the time required to complete integrity pledges, identity checks, scan/upload files, etc. For example, if the exam should take 60 minutes to complete, provide students with an extra 10-15 minutes, if possible.
  • For large enrollment courses, stagger your exam start times (e.g. by section, lab, last name, etc.) by at least five minutes apart to reduce load issues.  Please contact Skylight LT in advance for assistance and recommendations for this staggering process.
  • For exams that have lots of embedded images, provide a PDF of all the images (labelled properly so students know which image corresponds to which question) in the event that the embedded images do not load for the student.
  • Test drive your exam by completing it as a “student”. Contact
    Skylight LT
    if you need assistance with adding additional “test users” to your course or set-up a separate Canvas sandbox site for testing.
  • Check to ensure your grades are not set to automatically release to students after submission or when grading is completed. Otherwise, students will have information about correct answers during the exam.
  • Have a contingency plan in place in the event the learning technology fails. Please share and coordinate your contingency plan with
    Skylight LT
    so we can assist you.

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Skylight Guide to Teaching Online Copyright © by The Skylight Team. All Rights Reserved.

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