ExamSoft Best Practices

ExamSoft Information

ExamSoft Faculty information

Assessment Guidance

As we move toward all assessments being administered in an unproctored environment the LT unit is providing options and best practices to support the successful delivery of the assessment, completion, and review, while minimizing the risks of assessment integrity. The recommendations will not completely mitigate all risks but given the current situation these are our recommendations.

The setup of a proctored and unproctored assessment are very similar. Both allow for secure, lock-down settings and the process of setup, download, generation of a password, and submission are similar. Recommendations for increasing the protection of academic integrity of the assessments are below. We recognize that students will be completing these assessments in an environment out of our control.

The LT office is ready and willing to offer guidance and assist with any of the items below:

  • Add or edit wording in all communications on the expectations for the assessment (i.e. open resource or not, not allowing others to assist, etc.)
  • Change the assessment questions to align with an open resource (open-book) assessment
  • Change the assessment questions to be more difficult (i.e fill in the blank)
  • Decrease the number of items and duration of the assessment
  • Prohibit backtracking (as they do on the NCLEX-RN and other exams)
    • The option to “Require Answer” is recommended in ensure students do not skip questions
  • Create two versions of the assessment and send them out to different groups of students
  • Randomize both the items and the answer/attractive distractors
  • Assess the objective using an alternative to ExamSoft or in conjunction with it (i.e. short answer assignment, web conferencing discussion, student recorded content).
  • If your assessment will be asynchronous , schedule a time where your assessment passwords will be visible in the ExamSoft button of the course Blackboard site. The passwords should be timed to be viewable only during the assessment’s scheduled time. Use Blackboard settings to open and close the visibility of the ExamSoft passwords.

NOTE - if you wish to update an exam where the assessment has been scheduled and students have begun to download it, a new assessment will need to be built with the newly updated settings. LT is happy to set this up for you.

Options for Exam Review

  • Immediate Review (Only available if “Secure” option is selected): Faculty can choose to allow review of the assessment immediately after completion of the assessment, or at a later date (delayed review). If this option is selected, the review time limit should be set.
  • If Non-Secure is selected: Then the option to "Release Results” will be available. Release results should be used for specific students at time. You will need to “un-release” results when the review time has ended. Have this option only available for a narrow window to review only incorrect answers.
  • Do not allow students to review individual assessments but present a summary of trends or questions missed by many students via Webex or Collaborate. (Preferred)
  • Set up an online review via Webex or Collaborate and review all items. (not recommended)
  • Have students set up a time to meet with you individually (via phone, Webex or Collaborate) to discuss their individual assessments. Request that student turn on camera, in order to be visible to you.

Resources