At the end of every academic year, students’ knowledge and skills related to course materials are evaluated. So, every student has to clear some examinations and assessments to be promoted to the next standard. The mode of the examination has changed in the last year due to COVID-19. Now, most of the institutes are conducting online examinations. Due to online examinations, schools need a proper exam management system.
Many teachers are reluctant to take exams because, with online exams, academic integrity may compromise. Although there are virtual proctoring technologies available but not every school can afford that. There are ways other than virtual proctoring for credible exam conducting. Teachers can create examinations in a way, so the students can’t cheat and have to answer themselves.
Here are a few credible exams conducting strategies that school teachers can use:
Questions Requiring High-order Mental Functioning
Teachers can create questions that require students’ explanations. Don’t ask students to respond to questions that are in their textbooks. Because students may copy from books. Moreover, don’t create questions that can be answered easily by searching on Google.
Instead of the textbook-based or web-based questions, ask students to analyze, create, or explain. Additionally, add questions that require synthesis, analysis, and evaluation. As these questions need an authentic demonstration of their knowledge of content, they can’t ask others or search on Google.
Use Different Types of Questions
Instead of giving true-false or multiple-choice questions to school students, give them open-ended questions. In true-false or multiple-choice questions, students may cheat and give the same response that will decrease exam integrity. Click this link for business writing course from Global Speech.
Give students open-ended questions that require students’ own knowledge of concepts. Because chances of asking friends or cheating are less with open-ended questions as it is difficult to give the same response. Additionally, in open-ended questions, students will have to support their narrative by giving specific details.
Give Reminder of Integrity Polices
Another strategy for credible exam conducting is to orient students with academic integrity policies of the school. You can explain exam guidelines through audio or video clips and should also review integrity policies. The consequences of not following the guidelines should also be made clear before examinations.
It might be possible that students deter cheating behavior after listening about integrity policies and the consequences of cheating by their instructors. Play the recording on the school’s page on and off before exams begin.
Get Academic Integrity Contract Signed By Students
First, send students videos related to academic integrity. Then ask them to sign a contract paper electronically. In this contract paper, write everything that comes under cheating and what action teachers or schools can take if someone breaks the laws.
You can provide the link to this contract paper on the school’s website. It would be an assignment for students to upload the signed contract before the exams.
Restrict Examination Time
As the on-campus examination has specifically designated slots for testing, online exams should also have restricted examination times. Additionally, you can either ask your students living in different time zone to take the test at the same time.
Moreover, teachers can also make 2 to 3 different sets of exam tests so, students living in different time zones can start at different times. Although, online exams are open-book exam, but for credible exam conducting give a limited time. So, only students who know the answer can attempt the question.
Avoid Using Textbook Verbatim
Usually, teachers find it easier to use complementary test banks for exams. But due to online examination students may get access to answer keys of those textbooks. Therefore, for credible exams conducting make sure you take questions in text banks only to get inspiration. You can ask the same question but in a different way.
All these strategies are really useful to maintain the integrity of exams for school students.
