When looking for ways to ensure continuity of instruction, you might wonder whether and how you will need to modify your exams and other assessments for your class. Read below for some final exam testing tips, some alternative formats for assessing student learning, and links to our recorded webinars and other tools that may be helpful as you are moving your class online.

Webinars and Tools for Assessment

• Just in Time, Assessing Student Learning for Online Delivery CTL Webinar (PPT presentation)
• iPedagogy Wheel
• Strategies to use within the Blooms' Taxonomy framework.

Deciding on a Assessment Strategies and Options.

Realistic expectations will help both you and your students.

When circumstances have made it necessary for you to move your course to an online format, it might help to remind students that the situation may require some flexibility on everyone’s part. Let students know that you are considering changes that will help them continue to learn, and that these changes may require some adjustment from instructors, TAs, and students. Communicate with your students early and often about any changes you may make, and reassure students that you are taking into account any unusual external circumstances in assessing their work in the class.

Learning can be demonstrated in many ways.

Multiple-choice exams are a common method of assessing student learning in higher education, and they have many advantages. It might be helpful, however, to think about other assessments we can assign to allow students to demonstrate their learning. Exams tend to be very effective for committing key concepts to memory and for prompting recall, both of which are fundamental to learning; however, assessments that call on students to analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information are also very effective, though they may require more time from instructors to plan and evaluate.

Evaluating course changes for impacts on equity and inclusivity is essential.

Changes made to your teaching should not adversely impact students. When considering a possible change, ask yourself if the change could adversely affect any group of students in your class.

Each assessment method has both pros and cons.

Each of the Final Exam Assessment Options has strengths and weaknesses that you will need to determine and assess based on your instructional context. Here are some best practices to reduce dishonesty in online assessments. Weigh your concerns about integrity of the testing process against the possible impact on students when changing your assessments. You may also want to consider the amount of time you and your TAs will need to modify the assessments and to grade or give feedback on them.

Source: UC Davis Teach On

Dean Op-Ed on giving out exams

ECU Dean Sidorkin’s incomplete list ofassessment options for the exam-lover

Using TopHat for proctored exams.

If you currently use Top Hat, they have enhanced testing to include new remote proctoring functionality, so that faculty can continue to run secure, synchronous tests and exams. They indicate that this remote proctoring solution is available at no additional cost and will:

• Verify students’ identities to ensure that the right students are taking the test
• Monitor student activity live and flag irregular student behaviors using sophisticated artificial intelligence
• Generate an easy-to-understand proctor report for faculty to review