Tips for adapting assessment for distance learning

Regardless of the emergency situation, it is important to understand how well the students have learnt and acquired the learning outcomes. As the content, volume and form of several courses has changed, it may also be necessary to also review the assessment of the course. If it is necessary to make changes in the assessment, the changes should be coordinated with students as soon as possible. The changes should also be recorded in the SIS. To change the form of assessment from graded to pass/fail assessment, you have to submit a proposal made in consultation with the programme director; the change will be entered in the SIS by Office of Academic Affairs.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Review the plans made at the beginning of the semester
   1. If the course in its content and form is, irrespective of the emergency situation, quite similar to what it was before (fully e-course or a course with extensive online support), it can be assessed as planned. 
   2. The assessment may take place in the planned form and no changes are needed (e.g. essay, project, electronic test).
   3. If these forms of assessment are not suitable, think whether formal rearrangements are enough (bringing a test paper into the online environment) or more substantive changes are needed (for example, changing the problem setting or type of questions).
   4. Check that the summative assessments and intermediate tasks are in balance. To support students’ learning, it may be reasonable to distribute assignments over time. Make a clear system how many points students can get from interim assignments, and negotiate it with students.
   5. Ensure that assessments are not accumulated to the end of semester. If you change the method and time of assessment, it is important that you consult with the programme director who will see that the schedule of assessment in different courses is reasonable.
2. If changes are necessary…
   1. If major changes are needed, first of all think of the learning outcomes. What is the most important that the student has to obtain (knowledge, skills, attitudes)? Consider the activities and assignments that would show the acquisition of the learning outcomes. 
   2. If you have already reduced the planned volume of studies, consider which part of the course should definitely be tested and what assignment would be the best for testing.
   3. Instead of a classical test paper, other assessment methods can be used in distance learning: for example, case analysis and problem-solving tasks (incl. justification, references to learning materials); making a study aid or a short lecture (e.g. 3 min) on a specific topic; an essay or a short paper; a critical analysis of a scientific article or research report; students prepare questions about the materials; group work / group project (with report).
3. How to plan the duration of an online test or exam?
   1. Taking an online exam may take the students more time (for example, adaptation to the technological environment, reading from the screen, and therefore, also reading the assignment online take more time).
   2. To better plan the exam duration, it is best to take the test yourself. The time you as a teacher spend on the test should be multiplied by the coefficient 1.5.
   3. When you set a time limit to an exam, consider that reproducing factual knowledge takes less time than discussions, analysis, case studies.
   4. It is possible to adjust the time for answering by specifying the recommended length of answers to open-ended questions (approximate maximum number of words).
   5. Before an important exam giving a test exam with similar technical requirements is recommended. The test exam may be short, consisting of just a few questions. It helps everyone to try out and ensure that the system works.
4. In the case of distance learning, the teachers’ burden of providing feedback is likely to increase. How to give feedback efficiently?
   1. If you use the Moodle assignment or workshop activity for testing, you can use the marking guide or rubrics (see instructions, question 3). Create simple and clear assessment criteria with a scale. This way, instead of writing lengthy feedback, you can just tick the suitable boxes.
   2. Give audio feedback (with audio or video recording). For example, in Moodle forums, feedback to assignments, etc., where the Moodle text editor is used for giving feedback, you can record up to two-minute feedback in audio or video and present it to learners. It is also possible to use recording in Panopto to give feedback. Panopto allows recording of comments and assessments.
   3. Set a task for students to give feedback to a fellow student (for example, using the given marking guide). Ask students to justify their reasoning and assessment when giving feedback. This also makes it possible to assess the student who gives feedback.
   4. Specify the recommended length of answers to open-ended questions (approximate number of words), so you can avoid getting overly long answers. You can switch on the word count in Moodle forum, and the word limit can be set in the assignment.
   5. If the course is large and you give feedback to the whole course, there is a risk that students may not be able to associate the feedback with their individual work. When you give general feedback to students, also ask everyone to find comments about their own work in the feedback.
5. How can you ensure that learners do not use external help while taking the test in distance learning?
   1. As teachers-lecturers we cannot ensure it, but we can trust the students and design the assignments in such a way that there is no point in using outside help. A well designed assessment task is a good opportunity to learn. Read about technical solutions and rules for identification of students below (No. 6).
   2. Instead of testing the knowledge of facts, you should test understanding and application of knowledge. Ask students to explain their answers and reasoning (you may ask them to (audio) record and present the answers in Moodle, for example in a forum or using the assignment resource or the test, as an answer to essay-like question).
   3. Use an open test for assessment (permitting the use of any materials) – prepare questions that require students to think more thoroughly (for example, compare, explain the reasons for this phenomenon).
   4. Set a time limit for answers.
   5. Prepare a larger test question bank or versions of the same assignment with different source data, and divide questions to students randomly.
   6. Before the exam, ask students to take a so-called oath of honesty (for example: I will answer the questions without using outside help/ I will answer the questions entirely on my own, using only the materials and resources permitted by the teacher).
6. Use of technical solutions to evaluate student performance in tests and exams
   1. If it is important to ascertain the identity of a learner during the exam, various technical solutions can be used.
   2. One method of checking the exam is to video record the exam: both the screen and the student.
   3. In this case, you should inform the student (ask the student’s informed consent) and if the student refuses consent, offer a possibility to take a face-to-face exam.
   4. The student can record the exam, using, for example, the following computer programs:
      1. Screen-o-matic – enables to record the screen and the webcam video at the same time; record up to 15-minute videos with the free version
      2. Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) – enables to record the screen and the webcam video at the same time
      3. QuickTime Player (MacOS) – enables to record either the screen or the webcam video
      4. Panopto – enables to capture both the screen and the webcam video, the recording is saved in the UT server, in the Panopto folder of the course, subfolder Assignments. Only the learner and the teacher can access the recorded videos. See instructions.
   5. Students can save the files on their computer and later upload them to the UT server and make them available for the teacher. This can be done by means of OneDrive, which each student has the right to use. The student may delete the recording later. Alternatively, it is possible to use the ownCloud server that is offered by the UT and works similarly. Detailed instructions for using OneDrive and ownCloud are available on the Helpdesk page.
   6. The data recorded for identification, i.e. the videos, may be preserved no longer than until the end of the academic year. It is important to ensure technical readiness and a person responsible for deleting the data. If necessary, IT Helpdesk can help you.
   7. The Urkund plagiarism checking system can be used for plagiarism detection in exam assignments.
   8. See also Frequently asked questions on video recordings of exams and assignments.
7. Organising of thesis defences during emergency situation
   1. Thesis defences may be held either with up to ten people present in the room, or online. For defences that are held in the physical room, the same measures apply as those applicable to face-to-face studies after 18 May.
   2. In the case of virtual defences, due to personal data protection requirements, only applications approved by Information Technology Office must be used. The permitted video transmission applications are BigBlueButton, Teams and Zoom. When the session is recorded it is important to ensure that the recordings are saved in storage locations under the control of the university. If you will record with Teams make sure that the recording is not available in Stream to all UT members.
   3. In order to record the defence meeting and to transmit or publish the recording, it is necessary to ask the student’s written consent. The responsibility to prove the student’s consent lies with the person who further processes the video recording (views, transmits or discloses the recording).
   4. The recording is not stored longer than until the end of the academic year; the person who recorded the video is responsible for deleting the recording.
   5. Technical advice and support is provided by IT Helpdesk.

RECOMMENDATIONS BY ASSESSMENT METHODS

Tips for online assessment (easy-to-read methods and principles): https://www.teachology.ca/knowledgebase/how-do-i-assess-student-learning-online