Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

A University Strategy for

Delivering Online Assessment

Dr Richard ParsonsDirector of the Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee

r.parsons@dundee.ac.uk

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

University of Dundee More than 10 years substantial

experience of online assessments Blackboard clients – Academic

Suite (virtually 100% modules) Delivering up to 3500 formative

assessment sessions a day with QM Perception

Delivering 50+ summative exams a year with QM Perception

Range of online assessment activities recognised

Blackboard Server Configuration

Summer 2006 –

Bb upgrade 6.3 to 7.1 on Unix,

QM application from 3.4 to 4.1,

Bb - QM bridge software (twice),

QM repositories for assessments,

Blackboard building block deployments and upgrades,

Solaris and Oracle database upgrades,

Annual module rollovers,

Enhanced PDP programmes,

Medical School curriculum map integration,

University restructuring configuration changes

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Online Assessment SystemAssessment

hardware design & deployme

nt

Staff and

student educatio

n

Central assessment support

Assessment software design &

deployment

Learning systems

integration

Clear policy and procedure

s

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

The Hardest Task

Remains writing quality questions Staff time is precious Students are more critical than ever before Assessments to be aligned Questions need to be prepared ahead of

time Quality runs to feedback, distracters,

variety, depth, currency Authoring Q within the software is

secondary

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Staff and Student Education For 4 years at Dundee we

have run an Online Assessment course, online

Covers technical and pedagogical aspects

5 weeks long, 3 to 6 hours a week.

Formally accredited by our Education Faculty (10 SC)

Building a bank of staff skills

Most students need little guidance

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Examples of Assessment Strategies

15 Q from pool of 100, max mark taken (Genetics) Take assessment first, then repeat in an open

fashion. Mark taken from first run. (Medicine) 10 numerical questions, each from a pool of 50

randomly generated Q (Life Sciences) Student revision – students invited to compose 2 Q

each with FB, all compiled automatically, checked & made available for open assessment (Env Sci)

Open assessment, one submission only (Law) Summative (range of departments)

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Quality Hardware and Systems Central servers built & maintained by ITS LC involved in system design Three servers, one formative, one summative,

one shared repository HP BL20p Blades Dual Pentium 3400 MHz 6GB

RAM, dual NIC backplane. Databases

Formative on Oracle Unix serverSummative on Oracle Unix serverShared on Oracle Unix server

LC Administrator

Local Author (Staff)

Local Author (Staff)

Local Author (Staff)

QMP V4.2 CAA-02

Production Formative Repository

Blackboard 7.1

My Dundee

Participant

Participant

Participant

Participant

Participant

University of Dundee

Questionmark Perception V4 Systems Model

Oracle 10GQMP V4

Authoring Manager

QMP V4 Authoring Manager

QMP V4 Authoring Manager

QMP V4.2 CAA-01

Production Exam Repository

Oracle 10G Oracle 10G

QMP V4.2 CAA-03

DevelopmentRepository

Oracle 10G

Participant

Participant

David Walker, University of Dundee

QM / Bb integration

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Clear Policy and Procedures Central online assessment system required

clear guidance Prepared draft Policy and Procedures Generally follows BS7988:2002 Developed for about a year, inc. consultation Passed at University Senate Excellent for ensuring quality Runs to 17 pages Additional documentation for Online

Assessment system administrators

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Summative Procedures

Assessment must be tested Assessment loaded to both servers,

scheduled on one Central staff attend examinations Use special ”exam” accounts Use Perception Secure Browser Candidates complete Examination

Attendance form Immediately after the exam a

backup of results is taken Use two way radios or mobiles No system is fullproof, 99% success

target ?

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Self & Peer Assessment Bb Building Block

Assessments are added and edited by the instructors in any course

One or more questions, each with one or more marking criteria Marking criteria as discrete values or range Feedback provided as score and text if required Students automatically allocated to mark peers (1 to many) Peer assessments are assigned automatically Self assessment is an option Marks and reports are visible to the Instructor All marks can be downloaded for analysis in excel Moderated results automatically passed to Bb Gradebook Exercise text is available for download and online plagiarism

checks Questions and criteria are stored for reuse and exchange

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

The Dundee My PDP resources

Each student can prepare an online portfolio based on templates, culminating in prioritised action points and an enhanced CV. Portfolios can be shared online.

Online resource to support PDP; timetabled induction sessions; scope

for faculty tailoring. Available for free under license.

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Mobile Campus Map

Java game-based map Rich links with key campus

information Single download Popular with students

www.dundee.ac.uk/mobilemap

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Additional Online Assessment Self & Peer Framework for plagiarism advice and

management Procedures for online submission Discussion board assessments ePortfolio assessment rubrics and tools Classroom/personal response systems Business intelligence activities Overall framework of OA support at Dundee

Student

This is nice and privateI am getting real feedback hereDo I know the answers?Can I learn from this?I am at home in this online environment

Distance Student

Is my technology compatible?Is my connection reliable?Is this a replacement for F2F?

Lecturer

Are my questions too simple?Is this technology reliable?Do the students find it tedious?Where can we obtain challenging questions?Are these assessments aligned with our learning outcomes?

Online Assessment Officer

Are all assessments up-to-date and correctly available?Is the server-client functionality all compatible?Will the next examination run smoothly?Are the staff education programmes ready?

IT Server Administrator

Is the server fully patched, reliable and secure?Is the OA software functioning correctly and reliablyDo we have monitoring and is it working?Are the logging and backup procedures working correctly?

eLearning Manager

Are the staffing levels correct?Is our software choice appropriate?Are the server specifications correct to cope with the expected load?Are staff education procedures in place?

IT Desktop Administrator

Does the desktop software operate correctly?Are the “exam accounts” secure and available?Are the PCs well maintained and reliable?

Examinations Officer

Are these results 100% reliable?secure?Do our procedures represent the best possible practice?

College Officer

Can we book an IT suite for 240 students on Wednesday the 25th?Two students have additional requirements.Will the results transfer directly to the SRS?

Individual concerns within an online assessment world

Traditional Lecturer

Who can electronically author my questions?Can we use textbook questions?Is this assessment driving learning?

Timetabling Officer

Can the proposed exams be fitted into the best rooms?Are assessments receiving appropriate prioritisation?

Richard Parsons, University of Dundee

Procedural

Technical

OA policy and procedures

Student and staff training

Examination practices

Room booking procedures

Student personal PCs

University student desktop

Question creation

OA application software & support

Technical database considerations

Operating system & web server

Hardware & infrastructure

Network

Question/assessment repositories

Elements Each addressed by a tasked individual(s) within a supported team, and each element able to cope with growth and changes

Revisit annually?

The entire operation has limited inertia, limited history, sustainable staffing, space, budget.

Represents a framework

ZZ + AA

XX + WW

Academic staff + XX + WW

College staff

Web guidance + VV

BB + CC

Academic staff + XX + WW

XX + WW

DD + EE

XX + WW

FF + GG

XX + HH

HH + II

Actors

13 specialist staff + academics & college staff

Richard Parsons, University of Dundee

Sept.

Dec.

March

June

Summer upgrade window

Testing & tuning

Modules begin

Annual framework

meeting

Mid semester window

Online exams

Online resit exams

Online exams

OA staff education module

The Annual Cycle of Online Assessment

•Growth may occur each year

•Changes are made to the systems

•A framework allows the process to be sustained

Richard Parsons, University of Dundee

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023

Summary

Dundee has an institutional online assessment & some elements of a strategic framework

Software, hardware, P&P, staffing, integration and education. 13 specialist staff.

Secure and reliable, but straightforward to use for students and staff

Let the academics create the Qs to stimulate learning

Costs are neither insignificant or astronomical

Learning CentreUniversity of Dundee Richard Parsons 20 April 2023