Online Quiz Practices

Include language about your exam plans in your syllabus 

Your syllabus should include information about how exams will be administered, including scheduling requirements and whether you’ll be requiring specific software for students to take the exam. 

Here is some sample language you can use:

Your exams in this class will be scheduled on the following dates: Insert dates here

Exams will be available for a 24 hour period beginning at insert time on the scheduled day. However, you will only have insert amount of time, e.g. 60 minutes to complete the exam. That amount of time starts when you begin the exam in Canvas, and ends amount of time later. Once you begin the exam, you cannot stop and re-start later. 

During the exam, you will be required to (insert technical requirements, e.g. have Zoom on, and your microphone and camera on). These exams are closed-book, meaning you cannot use any resources to look up answers -- no internet searches, note sheets, textbooks, people around you, or any other source of answers. 

Contact me at least 48 hours before the exam if you have a Letter of Accommodation which grants you extra time on an exam. 

Do a low-stakes preview

Have students complete a low-stakes preview a week before the exam. This gives students a chance to learn how the quiz tool in Canvas works, and to work out the kinks in any specialized technology you’ve required. 

Run it like the real test will be done, using the same availability time, elapsed time, and surveillance solution (if you do that). Use the same instructional language too. 

Exam scheduling

When scheduling exams, keep in mind that a key reason students take online and hybrid courses is schedule flexibility. There are two kinds of time limits that apply.

• The first is when the exam is available. If the course is online, or the exam is being given during the online portion of a hybrid/virtual course, we recommend making the exam available for at least 24 hours, and preferably 48 hours. Students are taking classes in this mode because they need schedule flexibility. 
• The other time limit is how much elapsed time students will have to complete the test. In Canvas, this time is measured from the moment they start taking the test, and does not stop if they click on another page, or leave the test and come back. Short/tight limits on this are very problematic, but longer limits can help clarify expectations with students. Be clear about how long you expect the exam to take.