If you\u2019re under pressure to reconfigure quizzes, tests,\nexams and other assignments because of time pressure or or lack of access to\nphysical settings (such as during a pandemic), this is a good opportunity to\nrevisit principles and practices that might help you through this situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As always, the focus should be on supporting students to\nhave a good learning experience over the duration of any semester, and when it\ncomes to assessment, considering the assessment formats that will really\nprovide evidence of student learning. \nOnline exams are clearly not the only answer…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. In the digital age, an online test is, de facto, open book or collaborative.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Students have smart phones and are in contact with peers all\nthe time, so this is not something you\u2019ll be able to \u201ccontrol\u201d with any\nconfidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s true that you can use the tools of VIULearn to limit\ntest time with the goal of making it more difficult for students to cheat, but\nit\u2019s a slippery slope. Be careful that prevention of cheating does not become\nthe driver of your on-line quizzes and tests. Also, adding time constraints\nwill put certain students at a great disadvantage, and will falsify the results.\nIf you\u2019re worried about cheating, look for alternative ways to assess learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Invigilation is not needed if the test is well-conceived.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The need for invigilation usually occurs when the test\nformat (e.g., multiple choice, short answer) creates an increased risk of\ncopying among students. This is often accompanied by the issue of low-level\ntesting, in which students are lured into simply finding a correct answer\u2014with\nany means available\u2014rather than having to think for themselves to respond to a\nspecific situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When invigilation is not an option (as in online courses)\nconsider asking questions where students have to reason for themselves, and\nthen use fewer questions. These can be open-ended questions, but they don\u2019t\nnecessarily need to require page-long answers. A couple of sentences or a short\nparagraph might be enough, if the prompt is well crafted, for you to measure\nthe quality of their thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Short tests are fine\u2014and often superior to long tests.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A test is at best a sampling of evidence for learning, not\nfull-blown, irrefutable proof. While a long, comprehensive test covering every\nnook and cranny of content might feel more valid than a short one, it\u2019s\nprobably not. Students who have prepared sufficiently tend to do consistently\nwell on all questions. Giving them fewer questions does not tell you any less\nabout their learning, as long as the fewer questions are truly representative\nof the types of learning you want to test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Adopt alternative, digital-friendly formats for more authentic assessment.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you accept that an invigilated exam using short answer questions is no longer practical in the Age of the Coronavirus, what are your options? Short essays are always reliable. Asking students to create graphic representations, or make short videos to demonstrate their learning can be energizing for students, and allow them to exercise their creativity. Blogs and Digital Portfolios<\/a> containing an organized collection of evidence are often more effective ways to measure student learning than traditional tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s time to think hard about anything students could do,\nself-directed, to show you that they have met the goals of the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Consider real-time tests.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a small number of students, why not test\nstudents briefly, one-by-one, over the phone, or using a chat or Zoom? This can\nbe done in as little as 5-10 minutes per student\u2014although you have the option\nof spending more time with each student if your roster is small and you want to\nuse the test to probe student thinking more fully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also give students the option of responding to\nquestion prompts in the medium of their choice. Some will prefer to respond by\nan email; others will prefer to have a face-to-face meeting; others might be OK\nwith a phone call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. It\u2019s the type of question that establishes the validity of a test, not the number of questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A 50- or 100-question test of low-level learning (e.g.,\nrecognition, recall of definitions, simple re-statements of information) is\nlikely to be less valid for a post-secondary course than a single question that\naims at students\u2019 ability to put certain concepts to use in situational\nthinking. Especially at the end of the course, a small number of well-conceived\nquestions might be sufficient\u2014if those questions require students to think\nanalytically and critically while using course content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have no choice but to use on-line testing, the following three suggestions apply. Additional information on creating and managing online assessments can be found in CIEL\u2019s help pages for VIULearn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Distribute different questions to different students, to reduce likelihood of cheating.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n