Types of online exams

Three approaches to online exams are available as an alternative to in-person exams.

AI invigilated exam

ProcturU is a cloud based service employed by UTS to prevent cheating in online exams and ensure the identity of the person undertaking the exam. Used in conjunction with quiz-based exams only, this AI invigilation can monitor the materials and tools students access on their computer and in their physical environment via a webcam and microphone. Any incidents identified by the AI can then be reviewed via a video recording to determine if the occurrence was a breach of the examination rules.

Refer to the Timed LMS exam section below for a description of the LMS quiz component of the online assessment. Turnitin cannot be used in conjunction with ProctorU.

Identification

To ensure that the person sitting the exam is the student that is being assessed, each student must display a government issued photo ID in order to sit the exam.

Open or closed

It is possible to set up an exam with ProctorU that is open book, restricted open book or closed book. It is recommended to use a restricted open book approach where specific digital materials are ‘whitelisted’ (allowed) rather than allowing students to refer to books or paper notes as any action that draws the students attention from the screen of their device may cause a false flag incident to be recorded.

Duration and availability

A window of availability is allowed for each exam, defining when the student may begin and when they must have finished the exam. The duration of the online exam cannot be longer than 2 hours but a maximum of 90 minutes is recommended. The availability time for the exam must be longer than the exam duration and we recommend tending towards longer availability periods so that any technical issues that may arise on the day (e.g. Internet connectivity) or students with time differences can be accommodated more easily. For a 60 minute exam a 2 hour window of availability is recommended and for a 90 minute exam an minimum of 3 hours availability.

Timed LMS exam

This online exam option makes use of the Quiz feature available in the Learning Management System (LMS) you are using. Students will need to complete the exam in one sitting withing the exam duration. Students are not required to prove their identity in the process. While this approach suits essay style questions it cannot be used in conjunction with Turnitin. This approach suits the use of ProctorU as described above.

Open book

This approach does not make use of any sort of invigilation and therefore is not suitable for closed or restricted book exams.

Timing

Similar to the AI invigilated exam the quiz must be set up to have a window of availability longer than the intended length of the exam, an availability window twice the length of the exam duration is recommended. An exam duration (writing time) of 90 minutes or less is recommended, no timed exam may be longer than 2 hours.

Take-home exam

This approach makes use of standard assessment tools offered by the LMS you are using. By releasing the exam at a specific time and date either manually or via LMS settings, students then have a limited period of time in which to complete. Turnitin can be used in conjunction with this approach.

Open book and offline

This model does not offer any sort of invigilation. Students log into the LMS to access their exam, can log off while completing, and then need to log on to submit within the allowed time frame.

Timing and word count

The examination period will be defined by when the assessment is made available to students, and when it closes. We recommended that the assessment be made available for 24 hrs or at least 6 hrs at a minimum. Students must be advised as to the amount of time (writing time) that the exam is designed to take. Including a word or page limit in the instructions is essential to ensure students understand what is expected.