Best Practices for Delivering Online Quizzes and Exams
Observing the following best practices will help to ensure the successful delivery of online quizzes and exams to your students.
Create and administer a practice quiz.
To provide an opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the process of accessing and submitting online assessments and to ensure that your desired settings work for students...
- Offer a practice quiz each semester.
- If you are using the Canvas Quizzes or Gradescope tool, include the types of questions you will ask on a real exam or quiz, for example, multiple choice, true/false, essay, etc.
- If you plan to include attached files or images, embedded audio or video, or LaTeX math in your real exam or quiz, include these in the practice quiz as well.
- Use settings similar to those you will use on a real exam or quiz, for example, timed or untimed, hiding or showing feedback to students.
- For students to record audio or video responses, include an essay question in your practice quiz. This will allow students to test their microphone and camera and practice recording. We also recommend allowing multiple submissions for a practice quiz that includes recording media to give students a chance to resolve any technical issues.
DON'T:
Don't assume your students are familiar with taking online tests using the Canvas Quizzes or Gradescope tools!
Important: Students may have browser security settings enabled that prevent them from loading certain types of content, such as embedded media or LaTeX math. Offering a practice test with content similar to what you plan to use in your real exam or quiz can help ensure they will be able to access it.
Request a review of your quiz settings.
Invite the Learning Technology Services (LTS) Support team to review your settings before you publish your exam or quiz to avoid unexpected outcomes. Email LTS Support with the following information and we'll be happy to look it over for you!
- The name of your course site,
- Which assessment tool you are using (Canvas New Quizzes, Classic Quizzes or Gradescope),
- The name of your assessment,
- Any specific settings you would like us to check.
Note: Please send your review request at least 2 business days before publishing your assessment to allow time to review and make changes.
Use the recommended layout setting of one question per page.
The layout setting, One Question at a time, is strongly recommended for the following reasons:
- Students' answers will be saved as they navigate through the test using the Next and Previous buttons. This greatly reduces the risk of losing their answers if they experience an interruption in their internet connectivity or other issues.
- Each page will take less time to load with a single question on it.
Note: Gradescope currently does not support the layout setting of one question per page and will always display all questions on one page. To determine which assessment tool will best meet your needs, please review the following article: What features are specific to Gradescope, Classic Quizzes, and New Quizzes? (opens new window).
Important: Any questions that include file attachments, images, or embedded audio or video files should be placed on their own web page, as having multiple embedded media items on a page may make the page fail to load.
Don't make the exam window too short.
The quality of student internet connections will vary by service provider, time of day, and competing activity on their network. For this reason, we recommend leaving several hours between the Available from and Until (Canvas New Quizzes and Classic Quizzes) or Release Date and Due Date (Gradescope) to allow students to start a test at a time when their internet connection is more stable. If you need to restrict the amount of time allowed to take the test, set a time limit (described below).
Set a time limit.
To restrict the amount of time a student has to complete an exam or quiz, you may enable a time limit in the settings.
Advantages of a time limit:
- A countdown timer displays how much time is left to students during the assessment.
- When the time is up, a student's work in progress will be automatically saved and submitted.
Important: The time remaining is restricted by the latest submission date allowed for the assessment. In Canvas New Quizzes and Classic Quizzes, the Until date restricts the time remaining in an exam or quiz. In Gradescope, if late submissions are not allowed, the Due Date restricts the time remaining, whereas the Late Due Date restricts it if late submissions are allowed.
Make sure accessibility accommodations are in place.
If a student has an accommodation for online assessments, such as a requirement for extra time or alternative text for images, coordinate with the Student Disability Access Center (opens new window) to ensure that everything is set up for the student to take the test.
For steps to configure date or time limit accommodations, see the following resources:
Remind students to observe essential test-taking tips.
BEFORE EVERY EXAM OR QUIZ, REMIND YOUR STUDENTS TO:
- Review and observe the Essential Tips for Taking Online Tests in UVACanvas (opens new window) to avoid technical issues and improve the probability of successful submissions.
- Verify they have a stable network connection before starting an exam or quiz.
- Turn off other network devices such as phones, tablets, video game consoles, etc., or set them in Airplane mode to minimize load on the wireless network while test-taking.
- Shut down all unneeded applications & activities on their computer during a test.
These tips are useful for instructors, too!
WARN YOUR STUDENTS:
- Don't use mobile devices to take tests.
- Don't open multiple browser tabs or windows to the Classic Quizzes, New Quizzes, or Gradescope tool while taking a test! Doing so can cause errors, including lost test answers.
- Don't use the browser's Back or Forward buttons to navigate an online test. Using the browser's navigation can produce unexpected results, including lost answers.
- Don't double-click buttons and links, as this may slow down screen loading time and could produce errors.
- Don't navigate away from a test without saving or submitting your content! A timer on a timed test will NOT pause if you exit the test, so be sure to return to your test as soon as possible if it is timed.
Offering an open resource exam or quiz?
REMEMBER: Students should not have multiple tabs or windows open to the Canvas Quizzes or Gradescope tool! Trying to review feedback from a previous assessment while taking an exam or quiz can cause errors, including lost answers!
INSTEAD, BEFORE STUDENTS START THE NEW TEST: Instruct students to save past feedback as a PDF. You can share the instructions below with your students.
Download a PDF from Canvas Quizzes.
- Select the Grades tab from the Course Navigation Menu.
- Select the name of the quiz.
- Using your web browser's Print function, select Print.
- Choose to print or save the page as a PDF.
- Open the saved PDF, DO NOT open a new window to the previous quiz.
Downloading a PDF from Gradescope:
- Select the Gradescope tool from the Course Navigation Menu.
- From the Gradescope dashboard, select the name of the assignment.
- Using your web browser's Print function, select Print.
- Choose to print or save the page as a PDF.
- Open the saved PDF, DO NOT open a new window to the previous assignment.
Get Help.
Contact the Learning Technology Services (LTS) Team if you have questions or need assistance with Canvas Classic Quizzes, New Quizzes, or Gradescope, and provide the following information:
- The name of your course site.
- Which assessment tool you are using (Canvas New Quizzes, Classic Quizzes or Gradescope).
- The name of your assessment.
- A description of any issues you encountered, along with the date and approximate time when an issue occurred.