My department has all tests 100% remote as well
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Remotely. There is a browser extension or something that forces them to not access anything else during the test.
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Remotely now. There are some fairly privacy-poor proctoring options. The dominant service is the unfortunately named ProctorU.
Some others are working around that by writing less Googleable tests.
The browser extension Marcela means is probably Respondus. It’s decent, but blocking access to everything on the testing computer doesn’t do anything about them using phones. Respondus does have a way for students to be monitored through their webcam, with an AI that looks for suspicious behaviour. But then we’re right back to creepy again.
Most institutions have some version of a creepy option in place now.
ETA in smaller or seminar type courses, there’s also the in-person oral exam, only done in a web meeting. I’ve done that with very small courses.
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That sounds less creepy than what my boyfriend had - his was a remote proctor that could see his screen, or something like that 
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My tests have varied
- We use online proctors. This means that you must have a live mic and a live camera. At the beginning of the test, you use the camera to do a 360 degree scan of your room to show what is in it. You also show your desk, and the computer is locked so you cannot open other tabs. Opening another tab automatically locks you out of the test. A crying toddler bursting into the room ALSO locks you out of your test, because the camera detects them. (In my case, the professor was nice and reset the test.)
- Tests are given online and “closed book”; based on the scores of the members of your class vs. their scores on assignments you suspect most people did not keep the books closed.
- Tests are open book, but time limited. To be able to finish in the time period, you would need mastery of the material. This obviously doesn’t stop you from having someone else take the test for you
- Tests are oral and done in a zoom meeting with the professor.
- Tests are not used, but grades are based on long essays and assignments.
We have people as far away as Guam in our classes, so no, we never have to go in if it is a remote class.
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I’ve done 3-5. I won’t insist students download spy software to college, I just won’t. 2 is useless.
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I liked #4 the best, especially as the professor who conducted it did an amazing job of critiquing, having us apply the critique, doing it again, etc. (This was a negotiations class.)
But I can’t imagine how much time it took him in a class of 75. Well actually, I can- 75 hours.
Open book, short time, seems to be the way most of my classes are going. Also, more reliance on projects and assignments, but even my in person classes were not test heavy. (This degree is an MBA)
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Yeah, that’s not sustainable, especially teaching 4 courses a semester (my usual if I don’t take an overload.)
ETA meant the 75 hours.
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I’d love to find good examples of small business websites (or similar) that include logos or statements that they are:
LGBTQIA+ owned
Safe space for…(LGBT, trans and non-binary…)
My own bio will include pronouns (e.g., FIFoFum (he/him) has…)
Also looking for broader inclusivity language or logos that you’ve seen that you like that don’t look weird (example of weird would be language or pics that shout “Look! I have Black clients! and work with people who have disabilities all the time!”).
This would be for my business website. No need to reinvent the wheel if you’ve seen this done well elsewhere or have done it yourself!
Thanks!
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@Brute Spouse is teaching virtual classes at university - tests are all online (even when class was in person). Using Blackboard as the software.
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Are you doing the EMBA from local university? If so, I did that from 2007-2009 (in person)
I don’t know how it’s handled in the individual case, but many of these options are not disability-compliant.
I haven’t been teaching at the college/university for nearly five years. I shifted exams to online even in the olden days, frequently allowing them to be open book/open note.
You do need to rely on some combination of consequences for cheating (between students), plagiarism check (for cribbing via copy/paste), and knowing how to write an exam that tests actual thinking and learning such that “the answer” isn’t something you CAN ask google, a spouse, or friend to solve for you.
There is also an equity issue in how much time to allot so that anyone with disabilities or challenges with wifi or childcare (or other life issue) has enough time to get whatever they need/are entitled to, while at the same time not giving an additional benefit to someone who chooses to use every hour, day or week you give them on your exam. A word count does some of this lifting, but not all.
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No the PMBA. The E was too expensive and would have required me to work a lot of weird hours to make up for time in class, but I’ve had a few friends do it. The PMBA has been really flexible mix of in person and online (now online) classes, which has worked really well for me, and I liked that I got to pick my electives. Plus, my employer has paid for all of it, since it’s a longer program I could use tuition reimbursement over more years. (I’m super lucky how generous they are…I’ve just paid for books…and taxes on the reimbursement.)
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I attend a major university with a disability specific office. All syllabi have said they work with them and the students for all individual cases that need accomodations.
With the pandemic, professors have been sympathetic to childcare, but before it, childcare would not have been something that gets an accommodation unless you had a really nice professor. And also, pre-pandemuc, if you signed up for an online course, you were expected to have connectivity, or else sign up for an in person class. But perhaps undergraduate expectations would be different than a graduate program.
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All of these can be made accessible - extended time on the time limited tests (#3) is actually the easiest to do. Non-test assignments are probably the best in a situation like mine (where one can’t assume anyone, including the professor, has the connectivity for the web-meeting individual exam at any given time).
The online proctors (#1) were a big issue for accessibility for a long time, but finally some of the big universities have sufficiently pressured ProctorU, at least. Respondus didn’t work from a Mac for a long time (which can be a problem for the vision impaired, since Apple has far and away the best adaptive tech for them). But that’s been fixed in the last couple of years.
Tests as in #2 can work similarly to #3 - screen readers (in most LMS’s now), full alt text on images, extended time.
Oral exams would have to be adapted for nonverbal students, but a webcam and a chat feature could work.
None of these is an out-of-the-box solution, and it requires professors to really think things through, but it can be done. I personally have never worked with a blind/deaf student; that, I think, would be a whole different order of challenge for a professor (or accessibility office; my place has one, but I’m far better at the tech than our one person in that office, so I generally take the lead in designing any new solutions).
Now equity is a whole different set of challenges, and in my area, where connectivity itself is lacking, it’s a real problem. There are a lot of spots in our service area where there’s no broadband or similar speed available at all. I choose my solutions with that in mind (have to, since I live in one of those areas). We have at least used our CARES money to buy enough laptops to check one out to every student who said they needed one.
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My work paid for 70-80% of the EMBA. I argued (successfully) that it wasn’t any more expensive if you factored in the expedited timeline, and the (then) reduced time away from work. It met one day per week, either Friday or Saturday. So instead of a chaotic schedule leaving for one class or another on various days of the week, I was out of the office on average one half day each week (and no summer classes). No thesis required either.
The PMBA classes are all evenings or weekends, so no time away from work. (except the 1 week winter term which most people don’t do, but I’ve successfully lobbied as a “conference” twice). It used to be only about 1/4 of the classes were offered online (it could all be done in person), but the pandemic changed that. Classes aren’t on campus, but in QC, DM, or CR.
Apparently the school actually cut the full time program, just finishing up graduating those enrolled, and started an online one instead, so now many people in the programs aren’t even from the state.
I work for an assessment company that had to go digital for the pandemic. Equity was our biggest issue. We had to make a secure test that required only a few minutes if data…in the end students could actually photograph.their work and submit it. And for the very few students who didn’t have any device access we gave phones or laptops. I think we were sued over braille access though… We only had 8 weeks notice from pandemic to test…we did our best.
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Yep, that sort of thing is nearly impossible to do that fast. Kudos to you for what you did accomplish.
We need to all lobby for access to refreshable Braille displays to really solve that hurdle. That’s equity, too - the cost is just so high.
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I want to respond to you and @fifofum about this but my thoughts and feelings are raw. I feel that ableism is rife in academia and that technology creates as many problems as it solves
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