GENERAL FORMAT
- In order to limit cheating using external websites and detect plagiarism, all graded assignments (from homework to exams), should be administered/submitted through Blackboard. It is advised to avoid emails to send and request work in Word and PDF formats.
- All graded activities should have clear written and posted descriptions, instructions and deadlines.
- Weekly graded assignments, such as short quizzes, discussion board participation, open-book assignment, graded homework are strongly encouraged. This will allow assessment of students in different ways but also engage them with the material throughout the week and help them study and keep-up with the pace.
- All exams and quizzes should be set-up to:
- be tightly timed
- be completed in one sitting (however it is best to not force completion and allow to stop and resume the test – with the timer still running – to prevent problems linked to technical issues; Auto-Submit should be on to prevent overtime)
- show each question one at a time
- prohibit backtracking
- randomize the questions order
- not show the answers at all after submission; or show the answers only after the entire class has completed the test (keep in mind that students can take screenshots and share them with classmates over several semesters and/or post them on “study” sites). It is best to discuss the overall results and stats with the class during a meeting and/or via a general message to the entire class.
Links
- Guidelines to reduce the risk of cheating in online examinations here
- More about timing tests here
- More about Reports and Essays here
- More about extra credit and bonus points here
- More about grading here
Relevant papers
