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Managed Assessment & Exams - Staff

Remote online exams

What are remote online exams?

Most formal exams or class tests (not being run as coursework) are delivered as invigilated exams in person on campus. Where an invigilated exam is not required, exams can be delivered through My Dundee as a remote online exam.

Remote online exams may either be a:

  • Tutor marked assessment (TMA) submitted via Turnitin or as a Blackboard Assignment
  • Computer marked assessment (CMA) completed via Questionmark OnDemand (QMOD), Blackboard Tests or Möbius. Some may however be created by and/or delivered via third party publishers such as Pearson, or external assessment platforms.

Educational Development have created exam modules to standardise the way students access their remote online exams in My Dundee. These exam modules are provided with pre-populated basic instructions and guidance for students including how to access support during their online exams. Please view our guide on My Dundee exam modules for further information on what they are and how they are setup.

Remote online exam process

As per the approved Policy and Guidelines for Remote Online Exams:

  1. Educational Development will use the information gathered by Examinations Office to create the standardised exam modules in My Dundee.
  2. My Dundee exam modules will be created for all remote online exams timetabled in the official exam diet, except where third party tools make this unfeasible.
  3. If you have exams that are not scheduled to be delivered within the University official exam diet, but you would still like to make use of the My Dundee exam modules, you should complete the Remote Online Exam Request form.
  4. Educational Development and colleagues in Digital and Technology Services (DTS) will create the requested exam module(s) from one of our standard templates: Turnitin, Blackboard (Assignment/Test), Möbius and Custom. These templates include basic guidance for Instructors and Students, as well as generic instances of the practice and live exam activities.
  5. Once the exam modules have been created and the enrolments loaded, Educational Development will inform Schools. At this point, it becomes the School’s responsibility to configure and check the exam modules appropriately before releasing them to their students. Full instructions on how to do this will be available in the exam module.
  6. Once the exam module has been released, students will have access to their instructions and the practice exam. The live exam should be set (by the School) to release automatically at the appropriate date/time.
  7. Educational Development will support staff and students through Help4U.

Responsibilities

Educational Development & DTS:

  • Create and update the exam module templates
  • Create all requested exam modules in My Dundee
  • Copy student enrolments from SITS (including EDP students where possible), and copy staff enrolments from the live module
  • Aid staff encountering problems setting-up their exam module (conditional availability, due/post-date etc)
  • Aid students encountering issues with their practice submission/test
  • Provide help to students having technical issues with their live exam (during normal working hours)

Module leader/School:

  • Ensure that all data requested by the Examinations Office is supplied and in the correct format as this will speed up the process
  • Complete the Remote Online Exam Request form for any class tests/exams that have not been registered as taking place during the exam diet (i.e. any ad-hoc exams that take place out-with official exam diets)
  • Once you have been notified that an exam module has been created:
    • Ensure it is the correct type of exam module and the student/staff enrolments are as expected
    • Follow the information provided in the “How to prepare this exam module (Instructors only)” section of the exam module. This will step you through how to:
      • Add any relevant module specific information
      • Configure the practice exam section
      • Configure the live exam section including adjusting the exam settings, uploading the exam paper(s) (where necessary), adding the correct questions (where necessary) and adding any release conditions
      • Review the release conditions for each section
    • Once ready, release the module to students.
    • Communicate with students to inform them of the exam process, including where to access the exam and what they are expected to do. Encourage students to check they have access to the exam module, read through all instructions and complete the practice exam process prior to the day of the exam.

Examinations Office (Registry) will be responsible for the creation of the exam timetable, therefore Schools should refer to Registry for timetabling information that will enable them to complete the configuration of their exams. Please contact Registry for information and questions relating to the timetable.

Support

Preparation of Remote Online Exams

  • Any issues experienced while preparing exam modules should be submitted to Help4U.
  • Educational Development will handle queries about the use of My Dundee and attached assessment tools, Digital and Technology Services (DTS) may be able to answer more general ICT queries.
  • Students should speak to their module leaders/Schools if they have any questions in advance of the exams.

 

Practice Online Exams

  • A link to an Online Exam Troubleshooting form for students to report any technical issues encountered when attempting their practice exam has been added to all exam modules. This is to ensure that all data required to respond quickly to an issue is gathered.
  • It is important that students are encouraged to access and use the practice exam(s) and are given sufficient time prior to an exam to do this.

 

Live Online Exams

  • Students and staff can access the Help4U self-service portal during an exam to report any issues they may be experiencing.
  • A link to an Online Exam Troubleshooting form has been added to all exam modules to allow students to report any technical issues encountered when attempting their remote online exam. This is to ensure that all data required to respond quickly to an issue is gathered.
  • Educational Development will be available for support during normal office hours: 09:00 – 17:00