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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/

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Preparing for Online Exams

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.

There are many types of online tests

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

Multiple-choice exams

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.

Strategie for student prep

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.

Multiple-choice exam with multiple versions

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.

Strategie for student prep

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.

Short-answer test

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.

Strategie for student prep

Learn the terminology, facts, and concepts to be better equipped to apply them in cases and short answers. Short-answer testing may also be used by instructors. This means that they likely taught the course using case studies. You should practice applying concepts so you can review the examples and cases given to you. Actively participate in exercises, examples, and cases in class. They are meant to help you pass the test. To help you understand the concepts you have learned, you might consider joining a