Adapting your Final Exams & Assignments  

Thanks Vivie.  There are some great suggestions in there.  Although it would be a bit more work, I like the idea of breaking a final up into smaller sections.

Aaron

I always split up my big exams so that no individual part of it is longer than 90 minutes. I had a student with severe back problems years ago who could not sit for extended periods. She requested breaking up the final into parts. It has gone over very well with students who often can't find a longer, uninterrupted period of time to take an exam!

  Lynn,

I'm going to try that out for my theory classes.

Do you have problems with students saying they had technical issues while taking an exam online?  I used to get this a lot - at least a few students every class.  I now give two attempts, but often include about 10-15% random questions.  It isn't perfect, but if they copy the questions the first attempt and retake the exam at least there will be some variation.  I make the alternate questions the same level of difficulty and they are off the study guide.

Miraculously students stopped having internet issues or hard drive crashes after I started giving two attempts.

Aaron

Good morning Everyone — 

If there is one thing I've really appreciated over the past weeks, it's the increased interchange of ideas. So exciting! All of my exams (written and programmed this past week... 🤯) have actively incorporated quite a lot of your recommendations, especially if they made sense relative to an art history exam:

• Multiple parts: objective exams (happening now) have 4 parts; I even broke essay exam into smaller parts.
• Fewer questions and smaller chunks of time: I actively use Canvas Quiz Statistics (current semesters and past semesters) to calculate and it rarely leads me astray.
• Two attempts 
• Large randomized QBANKS that test basic course knowledge
• Small randomized QBANKS that test learning outcomes 
• Fixed QBANKS that test learning outcomes
• Then, of course, essay and short answers with rubrics placed BEFORE the actual exam.

Really excited to see how it goes. Now if students would follow up on my daily announcements and emails, and stop waiting until last minute to take the exam... 

Have a wonderful day!

Posted by: @Deanna de Azevedo

Now if students would follow up on my daily announcements and emails, and stop waiting until last minute to take the exam...

Good luck on that one!

Edit:  Thanks for the summary of all these great ideas. It is nice to have them all in one place.  

Posted by: @aaron-garner

Posted by: @Deanna de Azevedo

Now if students would follow up on my daily announcements and emails, and stop waiting until last minute to take the exam...

Good luck on that one!

Edit:  Thanks for the summary of all these great ideas. It is nice to have them all in one place.  

Argh...  

P.S. Also checking to see if the Forum shows me as "Logged In"