Communicating During the Exam

Students always ask questions during in-person exams: they don’t understand what a question is asking; they find a typo; they want to confirm their calculator is permitted. Even if they don’t ask a question, knowing someone is available reduces their anxiety. Be sure to communicate with students how they will be able to contact you (e.g., email, Teams chat, Brightspace discussion, Collaborate Ultra session, etc.).

Being available during online exams can be difficult depending on the format and timing of the exam, but here are some strategies you may consider employing:

Exam is synchronous (at the same time for everyone – e.g., “Wednesday, April 21 at 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Atlantic”)

Start a Collaborate Ultra session or Teams meeting (whichever you and your students are familiar with) 20-30 minutes before the beginning of the exam. You may have already given students the link to the session/meeting (e.g., as part of the pre-exam quiz, via email, etc.), but also include it in the exam instructions. During the exam, invite students to join you in the session/meeting if they have a question If you have a TA, you could consider having them join you, as well, in case you get several questions at once. Keep in mind students will appreciate quick answers if the exam has a “no-backsies” policy.

Exam is fixed range (e.g., available for 24 hours and students have 3 hours to complete the exam once they start)

This is a more difficult scenario: it’s not feasible for you to be available for 24 hours. In this case, let students know when you’re available (“9:00 am-12:00 pm Atlantic, 2:00 pm-5:00 pm Atlantic, and 7:00 pm-10:00 pm Atlantic”) and encourage them to write the exam during one of those periods. Consider starting a Collaborate Ultra session or Teams meeting (see “Exam is synchronous” above). If you have a TA, you could consider asking them to host one or two of these sessions to distribute the time commitment and/or provide more times.

Take-home exam where students have 24 hours to complete and submit the exam

Monitor your email and Teams chat. Let students know when you’re available to respond (“9:00 am-2:00 pm Atlantic and 7:00 pm-9:00 pm Atlantic”), keeping in mind that students may be writing the exam from different time zones. Consider starting a Collaborate Ultra session or Teams meeting (see “Exam is fixed range” above). If you have a TA, you could consider asking them to host one or two of these sessions to distribute the time commitment and/or provide more times.