A description of what exam modules are, including the different types of exam modules available.
What is an exam module?
Most exams are currently being delivered online utilising Turnitin, Questionmark, Blackboard Assignment, Blackboard Test, Möbius, or a combination of these systems.
Exam modules were created to standardise the way students access their online class tests and exams in My Dundee. These exam modules are provided with pre-populated basic instructions and guidance for students including how to access support during their online exams.
Where possible, the exam modules also contain a practice exam or submission point to allow students to familiarise themselves with the software/tool being used for the exam. It also gives the students the opportunity to try out any device they might use for the exam and ensure they can successfully submit. Having the practice available irons out many potential problems before exam day and hopefully provides a bit of reassurance for students.
Are exam modules mandatory?
As outlined in the approved Policy and Guidelines for Remote Online Exams (2021/22), My Dundee exam modules will be created for all exams timetabled in an official exam diet in 21/22 except where third party tools make this unfeasible. CTIL are unable to offer support to programme teams choosing to adopt individual or ad hoc approaches to organising and delivering exams in 21/22 and will not take responsibility for these.
Types of exam module
At present, we have five different types of exam modules:
Turnitin
Turnitin will be used as a submission point for text-based exams (like short answer questions or essays). Turnitin will generate a similarity report that can be accessed by instructors.
The Turnitin exam module in My Dundee will contain relevant instructions and guidance for students, practice and live submission points and information for students on how to access support during their exams.
It will be the responsibility of the module leader/School to:
- Add any relevant exam specific information.
- Adjust the Exam Submission Point settings as necessary, including the due date and post date.
- Upload the exam paper and edit the release conditions.
- Release the module to students.
- Contact the students to inform them of the exam process.
More information and guidance on each of the above points will be provided in the Turnitin exam module.
Blackboard (Tests and Assignments)
Blackboard Tests can be used where you want to create computer marked multiple choice style questions, or tutor marked short answer style questions (or a combination of both) within Blackboard and students have to complete the exam within Blackboard. This will usually be a shorter, time-limited exam which makes use of the ‘Time limit’ functionality.
Blackboard Assignments can be used where you want to upload a pre-prepared exam paper (e.g. a Word file) and will require the student to prepare their answer offline in a document (e.g. a Word file) then upload their final answer. This is likely to be used for tutor marked exams which have a longer duration of exam window (e.g. 8 or 23 hours). This submission point can be used for a variety of different file types (not just text based exams).
The Blackboard exam module in My Dundee will contain relevant instructions and guidance for students, practice and live submission points (for Blackboard Tests and Assignments) and information for students on how to access support during their exams.
It will be the responsibility of the module leader/School to:
- Add any relevant exam specific information.
- Decide which option suits the requirement of the exam and make it available to students (Blackboard Assignment or Blackboard Test).
- Adjust the Exam/Exam Submission Point settings as necessary, including the due date and number of submissions.
- Create the questions / upload the exam paper and edit the release conditions.
- Release the module to students.
- Contact the students to inform them of the exam process.
More information and guidance on each of the above points will be provided in the Blackboard exam module.
Möbius
Möbius can be used for specialist STEM assessments.
The Möbius exam module in My Dundee will contain relevant instructions and guidance for students and information for students on how to access support during their exams.
It will be the responsibility of the module leader/School to:
- Add any relevant exam specific information.
- Create and link to a practice Möbius test.
- Create and link to the correct Möbius exam.
- Edit the release conditions.
- Release the module to students.
- Contact the students to inform them of the exam process.
More information and guidance on each of the above points will be provided in the Möbius exam module.
Questionmark
Questionmark can be used for multiple choice and other automatically marked advanced question types.
The Questionmark exam module in My Dundee will contain relevant instructions and guidance for students, links to a practice test and live exam, and information for students on how to access support during their exams.
It will be the responsibility of the module leader/School to:
- Add any relevant exam specific information.
- Edit the release conditions.
- Release the module to students.
- Contact the students to inform them of the exam process.
More information and guidance on each of the above points will be provided in the Questionmark exam module.
Custom
A Custom exam module will be required where students will need to undertake more than one of the exam types listed above. The Custom exam module in My Dundee will contain the instructions and guidance for Turnitin, Blackboard Tests / Assignments, Möbius and Questionmark exams and information for students on how to access support during their exams.
It will be the responsibility of the module leader/School to:
- Add any relevant exam specific information.
- Make the relevant support materials available to students depending on the type of exams they have to undertake.
- Adjust the Exam Submission Point settings as necessary (for any Turnitin and Blackboard Assignments).
- Upload the exam paper and edit the release conditions (for any Turnitin and Blackboard Assignments).
- Create and link to the correct Möbius practice test and exam (if applicable).
- Edit the release conditions.
- Release the module to students.
- Contact the students to inform them of the exam process.
More information and guidance on each of the above points will be provided in the Custom exam module.
Requesting an exam module
To manage the request process and ensure we get accurate data for your exam requirements, we ask that you complete the CTIL – Online Exam Request form for every Questionmark exam and any ad hoc class tests/exams that have not been registered as taking place during the official University exam diet. The form can be used to request modules individually or in bulk:
- Turnitin, Blackboard, Möbius and Custom (excluding Questionmark) exam modules can be registered in bulk. Fill in the form once for each exam type e.g. once for your Turnitin exams, once for all your BB exams etc.
- Exams involving Questionmark are managed through a different process as they have specific requirements. As such you will need to fill the form in once for every exam done this way. You can view our Managed Exams – Questionmark guide for further details on the process of setting up a Questionmark exam.
The form will submit a Help4U ticket assigned to CTIL. The information provided will then be checked and passed to our colleagues in UoD IT to start the exam module creation process.
Please view the SEM2 2021/22 Exam Process for specific information on how CTIL will manage the request/creation of exam modules taking place in the Semester 2 official University exam diet.
Enrolment and handover to Schools
Your School will be notified once your exam modules have been created. Student enrolments will be taken from SITS (including EDP students where possible), and staff enrolments will be cloned from the existing class module. If students are added to a module in SITS after an exam module has been created, they would not automatically be added to the exam module in My Dundee, this would have to be done manually. If you have specific needs around enrolment, you can edit the enrolment after you receive the exam module.
You can view a list of responsibilities for configuring the exam modules on our Online Exam Process guide.
References
Approved Policy and Guidelines for Remote Online Exams