Assessment Security!

There are a number of technologies and procedures available to UWF faculty to enhance exam security.

Are these "technologies and procedures" foolproof? Of course not. In most cases we're just helping the honest students remain honest.

At a recent Center for Academic Integrity Conference, there was frequent reference to the "20 - 60 - 20 rule":

• 20% of students will ALWAYS cheat.
• 20% of students will NEVER cheat.
• Our concern is with the middle 60%.
  • Our goal is to encourage as many of this middle 60% towards Academic Integrity as possible.

Many of these tools already exist as a set of eLearning resources.

eLearning Techniques:

• Set the parameters in the Quiz set-up to:
  • Disable the "right-click" (copy and paste) feature.
  • Disable the Paging Function during the quiz.
  • Select the Respondus LockDown Browser (more below).
    
  
  
• Create "Randomly" generated quizzes.
  • This requires that you generate more questions than students will see on the exam.
  • Generally, you need a three-to-one ratio. In other words, if you're going to generate a quiz with 25 questions, you would ideally create a question bank of 75 questions (or more) to draw from. In these days of publishers providing large question banks to accompany their textbooks, this is much easier to accomplish than it initially appears.
    
  
  
• Randomize the response alternatives in your multiple-choice questions.
  • Remember, in those questions (only those questions) where you use responses like the following, you will not be able to use this function.:
    • All of the above.
    • A and B above.
    • etc.
      
      
• Change exams each semester.
  • The frequency of exam updates and changes can be reduced if you are pulling questions randomly from a large question bank.
    
    
• Use proctored exams.

There are a few, somewhat more complicated, features in D2L that can also help:

• Just above the “Disable Right-Click” feature is the “Notification Email” option.
  • If a faculty member puts their email address in this window, they receive an email immediately after an exam is submitted.
  • If they receive two exam submission notices within a few seconds of each other, there could be cause to check further.
  • Faculty could then go into the “student Progress” window and check the IP addresses for the quizzes in this case.
    • If they’re the same, …?
      
      
• On the “Restrictions” tab is the ability to restrict the exam to a specific IP address (computer).
  • While somewhat tedious, a concerned faculty member could set this for each student.
    • This feature can be especially useful for Proctored Exams.
      • Require that the proposed proctor furnish the IP address for the computer the student will use to take the exam.
      • This feature adds an additional layer of security to the exam environment.
        
        
  • Also, on the same tab, in the same area is the ability to password protect access to the exam.
    • Again, tedious, but it could be done for each student for a high-stakes assessment.

So, let's look at some of the additional tools that we can now take advantage of:

• We have procedures to for proctoring exams.
• We now have the Respondus LockDown Browser.
• We have TurnItIn.com.

Then, there's the sometimes overlooked concept of simply telling students to "NOT CHEAT".

• It helps! Try it.
  
  
• More specifically, develop a short statement that briefly explains your position on academic integrity.
  • Make that statement part of every assessment item in your course.
    
    
• Along with the module on academic integrity, it works. Really!

Please feel free to contact John Crane (jcrane@uwf.edu, 473-7239).

Have a great day!

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