The transition from face-to-face learning to online classes is proving to be a challenging one. It challenges the learning curve of many teachers who are new to the entire online system of teaching. Assigning homework and activities is one thing, but assigning and conducting online exams is an entirely different story.
Face-to-face examinations require close supervision from proctors. Teachers and school administrations had to improvise how to translate the supervision through online means. Aside from this transition, the time requirement, and other constraints, face-to-face exams are also challenging to migrate online.
To help you in the process, here are easy and foolproof methods on how to assign online exams for your students.
Ways How to Assign Online Exams for Students
1. Use School Management Software
An all-in-one school management software includes a feature specifically for assigning periodic examinations. In these types of software, like GoSchooler, teachers can easily upload the document and set a deadline for it. Once the student opens the questionnaire, the timer for the deadline will start running until it ends.
As highlighted in the screenshot above, managing and assigning online exams is made easier with these several features. You can even construct your exam using GoSchooler.
The use of this software will standardize the exam-taking process. It sets the exam period and restricts the number of takes.
In fact, other learning management software can even restrict the user’s internet access. Take note that the restriction will only take place during the exam period. Once the exam is opened, the student cannot open another tab on the device. If another page or site is opened, this action will directly submit the exam regardless of its status. This measure is used to prevent instances of cheating.
School management software lets you schedule these exams beforehand. Similar to how face-to-face classes have fixed schedules for periodic examinations, online courses can follow the same scheme but in more flexible scheduling. There should be longer time intervals between exams to check if there will be no technical difficulties during the actual exam.
2. Give Randomized Exam Questionnaires
It is a common practice for face-to-face exams to have two separate sets for a single exam. This is another measure to lessen the instances of cheating. Teachers will randomize and mix the questions in one set. The other set will have the same questions but in a different format. This method is easy to translate online.
Despite not having the students sit next to each other, the ease of online communication can serve as a problem. One student may have access to several devices at once, which they can use to talk with their classmates and search for the answers. Randomizing the test questions for each student will make sure that they will have a hard time even if they try to cheat.
Tracking the answer key for each type of questionnaire is easy with modern technology, such as Excel or Google Sheets. You just need to take extra steps in assigning twin codes for the questionnaire and answer sheet to track them easily.
Whether online or offline, randomized exam questions help curb instances of cheating.
3. Conduct Practice Tests
Before you assign the actual exam, cultivate the practice of conducting practice tests beforehand. A practice test is the trial or beta version of the final exam. This method will help pinpoint the possible glitches and other technical problems that the examinees might encounter during the actual exam.
On the other hand, giving out practice tests will help the students familiarize themselves with navigating the online exam tool. Even if the examinees are well-acquainted with all sorts of digital tools.
No one wants to encounter technical problems during exams, especially on timed and single-take ones. So, if you plan on including media files, such as short video and audio clips, make sure that they are supported during the practice test. Faulty materials can affect the students’ concentration and performance.
Conducting these tests will also measure if the estimated time allotment is enough. Going through the process of creating a practice test may take more time than usual, but this measure will assure that the entire examination will follow through without a hitch. Creating one practice test will also suffice for other subjects.
4. Continue to Vary Question Types
One disadvantage in conducting the exams online might tempt teachers to focus on essay-type questions, entirely neglecting the other types of questions. Although this decision may be borne out of the willingness to avoid cheating incidents, this will significantly amplify the test takers’ fatigue.
Similar to the test construction of offline exams, use different types of exam questions to test the students’ knowledge effectively. Use a mix of memory recall and analysis questions to juggle their memory and understanding. In this manner, even if the exam is entirely online, there are still glaring similarities with the face-to-face ones.
On the other side, these types of exams are easier to assess. Answer keys are easier to prepare. It is also easy to go through and understand the answers to the essay questions because the items are not too much to bear.
Using a variety of exam questions also increases the effectiveness of test questionnaires. It raises its validity that the exam actually measures what it aims to. More than that, your students will find it hard to predict how the upcoming exams will go. Your exams will keenly accurate how well your students understood and comprehended all the lessons.
Final Takeaways
Some challenges that arise from fully migrating to online classes are somehow unexpected. The instances that were not difficult before are now considered as challenging tasks for both teachers and students. Assigning exams is one of those instances. Conducting and overseeing online exams today require so much effort from both sides that can somehow affect the performance of each.
We compiled a list of how online examinations can mimic the ease of conducting face-to-face tests. Investing in effective school management or learning management system is one of the most efficient ways to conduct seamless exams.