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Friday, March 29, 2024 6:07:31 PM

Preparing to Take Online Exams

1 year ago
#49588 Quote
Both instructors and students have had to adjust to teaching and learning differently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As with everything else, exam season is changing at VIU. Technically, most exams this fall will be some type of take-home exam. VIU has listed all timed exams on the exam schedule. You might however be given more time to complete the test. Your instructors will provide all the details.

Along with the timed exams listed on the exam schedule we expect many other non-timed, take home exams to be given out during class and due back the week after. The instructors will provide all the details including the deadlines for submitting exams to them. This means that you may need to take more than one exam on the same day. Time management skills are essential.

You will find out what types of tests you might encounter this year. How you can prepare. Also, you'll find some general tips that will help you prepare for success in exam season.

Here are some examples of the different tests your instructors may use this semester to assess your learning and some preparation strategies.

An instructor might decide to conduct online tests as they would in class. This will allow for collaboration (peers talking with peers and sharing their best answer for peer review). They recognize that this type collaboration is a very effective learning strategy. Some students will learn while taking the test, and they will also benefit from everyone's preparation.

Make friends with the other students, study together and plan to take your test together. Your instructor will assume you have your books open. This may lead to a time limit for the test. This means that you won't have the time to search for all the answers. So prepare well by memorizing pertinent vocabulary and facts. You also need to know how to quickly access information if you aren't sure what you learned. Microsoft OneNote allows you to quickly create tags for key words to help you find relevant information in your notes. You can also follow the tips for exam preparation on this Learning Matters website.

An instructor may decide to take online tests as they would normally. However, they will create a bank of questions using VIULearn. This is a work-intensive process. The students get their own sub-sets of questions and collaboration is reduced. While it is still possible for students and teachers to discuss and answer questions in the same room, or virtually from home, this would mean that they will have answered all questions on both the test they were assigned and thus completed twice as much work.

Make a commitment to each other and pick at least one study friend. If you're studying with someone else and learning from them, you learn more and have a deeper understanding of the material. You can also socialize more when you work with someone to study. Loneliness in virtual learning can decrease if there is at least one friend. Trent University offers some tips on how to study for open-book online exams.

Instructors may set exams in which answers can't be found online. Short-answer tests for critical thinking or problem-solving are a great way to do this. Short-answer tests are used to ensure that students practice critical thinking.

Related article from CollegeBasics: https://www.collegebasics.com/blog/how-to-get-the-best-online-exam-help/

Related Resources:    
Online Exams: 5 Benefits
Online Exams: Five Advantages
Online Exams 5 Advantages
Preparing for Online Exams
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1 year ago
#1708552 Quote
Online classes or exams never scared me because I am well familiar with this platform.  I bought dissertation methodology services from an online platform; I know all about online mechanics and all, so I don’t get overwhelmed by it. I agree an issue can arise because of networking problems during the online class but that can be fixed.
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