In this Issue: Final Assessments…yes, already.
-
- DEU Digest reader feedback
- Administering Written Exams via Canvas
- “New Quizzes” Gradebook issue resolved in Canvas
- Helpful final assessment ideas from Teaching Plus podcasts
- USask recommended options for remote end of term exams and assessments
- DEU support and contact information
DEU Digest reader feedback
The Instructional Design team at the Distance Education Unit would like to invite you to share your feedback and comments on our weekly DEU Digest. This short survey should only take a minute or so, but will help us curate more relevant content and deliver it in ways that work for you in the future. Thank-you to all who have reached out already with kind words and helpful suggestions. We appreciate the communication immensely.
Complete the short DEU Digest Reader Feedback Survey
Administering Written Exams via Canvas
The Canvas Assignments tool can be used for replicating a “take-home” style of exam, or a written exam, in an online or remote course setting.
This blog post will discuss how to decide if this is the right approach for your course, how to set it up in Canvas, and offer some details for administering it to ensure a smooth launch come exam time.
Find out more about administering written exams via Canvas
Photo by Jeswin Thomas from Pexels
“New Quizzes” Gradebook issue resolved in Canvas
From the Move To Canvas team:
Faculty using the beta version of New Quizzes (rather than Classic Quizzes) have reported an issue where New Quizzes was not transferring data to the Canvas Gradebook. Canvas reports this issue has now been resolved and data has not been lost. We’d like to thank everyone who reported the issue to Canvas Help, as it assisted USask in seeing the issue early and working directly with Canvas to ensure it was resolved expediently. If the problem is not resolved for you, please add additional commentary with your Canvas ticket or a related ticket at USask so we can be certain it is addressed. We will continue to monitor tickets to Canvas closely.
As a reminder to everyone, Classic Quizzes continues to be recommended by the Move To Canvas team at USask, as it is fully operational. When New Quizzes reaches that level of functionality, it will become the major tool in our Canvas instance. While some of the tools in New Quizzes are very helpful, we anticipate there may be other issues with it while it is under development. Faculty should consider both the features and the reliability of the beta when they make the choice about which tool is best for their courses.
Helpful final assessment ideas from the University of Alberta’s Teaching Plus podcasts
Academic Integrity in Online Teaching Environments: What do instructors need to know?
-
- In this episode, Dr. Roger Graves and Ellen Watson, Senior Educational Developer, discuss how instructors might promote academic integrity (and prevent
infractions) in their courses while teaching online.
- In this episode, Dr. Roger Graves and Ellen Watson, Senior Educational Developer, discuss how instructors might promote academic integrity (and prevent
Oral Exams in Undergraduate Courses
-
- In moving to online learning spaces, oral examinations are an option many are curious about exploring. In this episode, Dr. Brian Rempel, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Ingrid Urberg, Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies, and Dr. Shauna Wilton, Associate Professor of Social Sciences, all share their experiences using oral examinations in their courses and offer advice to those wanting to explore using oral exams in their courses.
USask recommended options for remote end of term exams and assessments
On-campus exams and finals with in-person monitoring will not take place this Fall term. It will, therefore, be necessary to adapt traditional exams to new formats while considering efficiency, academic integrity, accessibility/bandwidth limitations, evidence-informed assessment practice, and the technological tools needed. TLSE have published guidelines on Final Exams and Course Assessment that outline these considerations, as well as options and supports available to instructors.
For example, changing your final exam to a final assignment is a proven way to address these concerns. See Open Book Assessment Option 1: An Assignment for more resources that can help you reimagine your final exam as a final project.
For more information on planning your courses for remote 2020/2021 terms, on the USask Remote Teaching web pages, see step 2. c) Plan for Assessment and Provision of Feedback and the comprehensive guide for adapting your assessment strategies for remote teaching.