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Successfully Delivering Secure Online Exams at Scale
The document outlines an initiative by Newcastle University to implement large-scale online summative exams, focusing on enhancing assessment and feedback for students and staff. It details the processes, technical aspects, benefits, and challenges of the project, including the involvement of various departments and tools used to facilitate online exams. Future developments include integrating multimedia, using tablets for shorter exams, and expanding delivery to international locations.
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Successfully Delivering Secure Online Exams at Scale
- 1. Successfully Delivering Large ScaleOnline Summative Exams Ashley Wright Development Officer Quality in Learning & Teaching Newcastle University
- 2. OVERVIEW • Background • Processes •Technical aspects • Progress to date • Benefits • Issues • Future developments • Q and A
- 3. BACKGROUND UTLC funded projectin 2007 – Online Assessment and Feedback (OLAF) Aims: • Improvement in student and staff experiences in the areas of assessment and feedback highlighted by the NSS • Develop a product/service which would deliver high stakes summative assessment in a secure online environment
- 4. PROCESSES • Swim lanediagram….highlights the nature of this service 4 parties involved: • Customer/staff • QuILT (Quality in Learning & Teaching) • Exams Office • ISS (Information Systems & Services)
- 5. PROCESSES Creating online exams- https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/olafaq/ • Directly in Blackboard/re-used with modifications (easiest option) • Convert from Word using Respondus – site wide licence. Upload/download directly to Bb via Respondus
- 6. TECHNICAL ASPECTS • Around1400 PCs on campus located in clusters (Herschel largest with ~ 150) - http://m.ncl.ac.uk/iss/#clusfree • Reboot cluster and login with generic user account • WE mode replaced with FireFox Portable in Kiosk mode, disabling ALT keys • Page generated looking for today start date and OLAF in the title
- 7. TECHNICAL ASPECTS • Nextstep is login screen – altered using extension in FireFox • Open test in a new window so there is no left menu • The important parts which change for each assessment are the course_assessment_id and the course_id, these are the pk1 values in the database for the relevant exam.
- 8. TECHNICAL ASPECTS • Invigilatorsin charge during the exam sitting • Next step is for students to enter the exam password • Password reset after 30 mins by Exams Office to one contained on Yubikey
- 9. TECHNICAL ASPECTS • Questionspresented one at a time, timers not set, force completion not set, unlimited multiple attempts • Encouraged to view Question Completion Status
- 10. TECHNICAL ASPECTS Submission Pagealtered – cannot view results This To that
- 11. TECHNICAL ASPECTS • KEY- Checker page created by ISS to manage exam volume • Direct links into the relevant test. • Red colour highlights a potential issue • Info is gathered by a PHP web server connecting directly to the Blackboard database • Could be developed into a building block?
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- 13. BENEFITS • Staff timesaved in terms of marking alternative assessments (10 mins per sitting ~90000 mins in Jan 2014) • Reuse existing assessments, with modifications • Paper! • Staff and student familiarity • Robust and confident in the performance of Bb
- 14. ISSUES • Should itbe titled OLA? • Limitations on q types/-ve marking, layout, random blocks • Randomisation – id of Qs – specific sections • Cluster spaces limited and technical glitches • Save and Submit on final Q • Forgotten login details by students!
- 15. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS • Incorporatetext entry • Use Tablets (exams of <= 1 hour) • Multimedia (view/listen and answer questions based upon this) • Non Newcastle campus delivery, e.g Singapore, Malaysia…a n other location • What are Bb planning next?
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- 17. Q & A Thanksfor listening! ashley.wright@ncl.ac.uk @ashleyhwright