Online Exam Brainstorming - updated

R O T C U R T S N I : E R N E O M F I O A L N C O S I I N D I P D O E S E A H -B T H S I C R S I A E TH S E R T O N S I THIS LESSONS LEARNED FROM UN-PROCTORED, ONLINE EXAMS From Spring 2020 Doyle Dodd Dodd@ou.edu School of Industrial and Systems Engineering August 14, 2020 Caution These are just suggestions and recommendations based on lessons I learned last semester (Sample size = me) Do not take any of this as the absolute best way to do/not online exams types of student • Most students would never cheat • A few students will always opt to cheat given any opportunity • …Even if cheating means doing 200% more work • Some students will opt to cheat if: They are unprepared and Opportunity is given Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t give extra time for a “much more challenging than usual” exam • Hold normal-difficulty online exam during regular class time • This gives dishonest students more time to use Chegg or talk to each other • 15 of 80 students used very incorrect Chegg solution on my exam in Spring Randa Shehab disagrees with this: “From what I u nderstand, time pressure can lead to cheating.” Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t require your students to buy a webcam, set up a surveillance zone, and be monitored during online exams • I have no idea • Trust your students? • Maybe it anyway? • There is no way this works without incident for large classes • Adds extra stress to students who just want to take an exam Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t use the exact same Canvas Quiz for each student • Pre-populate Canvas’s “Question Bank” feature • “What’s the answer to question #8?” • Canvas Quizzes can be set up to choose X questions from “Chapter Bank,” presented in random order • Here is a starter guide to Canvas Question Banks Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t give the exact same question to each student • Use “Formula Question” type Canvas Quizzes • “What’s the answer to question #8?” • Each student gets the same question, but with different values being input • Same solution procedure • Different final answers Formula Questions: Formula Questions: Formula Questions: Nearly impossible 10 Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t allow students to submit answers without showing work • Set up a separate “File Upload” assignment • “What’s the answer to question #8?” • “File Upload” question types • Students upload a very clear picture of their hand-written calculations • “No work shown = no grade” 11 Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t allow students to submit answers without showing work • Set up a separate “File Upload” assignment • “What’s the answer to question #8?” • Due 30 minutes after close of Exam 12 Don’t this: Instead, this: • Don’t forget to remind students that you are a relentless cheaterdetecting machine • Post a menacing picture of your face along with an academic integrity pledge • Set up as “text entry” question type to enter their name and date 13 14 After the exam: • Don’t forget to search for your questions on Chegg (and CourseHero – a new one to me) • Type your question text into the search bar to see if you have a hit • Free to search • $10/month to see specific post from your search query 15 Chegg / CourseHero: • Alert Academic Misconduct if you find any of your exam questions on Chegg or CourseHero • Chegg will work with Academic Misconduct to remove your exam questions • Take a screen capture of the question before it disappears • Chegg will reveal account information (email addresses) of the person who posted and responded to the exam question • Not always super helpful, unless… 16 Chegg: • If each student received a unique Formula Question it becomes very easy to identify which student posted the question… 17 Conclusion Instead, this: • Un-proctored online exams are the worst • Integrated, semester-long project-based evaluation of student performance and comprehension • Exams/Finals should be worth minimal amounts of points during online semesters 18 ... Conclusion Instead, this: • Un-proctored online exams are the worst • Integrated, semester-long project-based evaluation of student performance and comprehension • Exams/Finals should be worth... Instead, this: • Don’t give extra time for a “much more challenging than usual” exam • Hold normal-difficulty online exam during regular class time • This gives dishonest students more time to use... Don’t require your students to buy a webcam, set up a surveillance zone, and be monitored during online exams • I have no idea • Trust your students? • Maybe it anyway? • There is no way this works