In maths external students are asked to complete their exam papers under Zoom invigilation. Zoom focus mode is used which allows not only a view of the student and their immediate surrounds, but also allows for the student’s screen to be shared with staff. Tutors who invigilate the exam check the student’s identity card and their desk and surrounds (e.g. check the room they are in is empty) before the exam begins. Students are also not allowed to wear headphones. Students download a PDF of the exam from Blackboard at a specified time, and are asked to write their responses on paper. They then take a photo of their responses and submit it electronically. Alternatively, they may use an electronic pen and a tablet to write. These strategies increase staff confidence that the student themselves completed the assessment.
Advantages
Zoom invigilation decreases the likelihood of academic misconduct so you can have reasonable confidence that you are assessing the student themselves.
Challenges
It takes time to thoroughly check each students’ student identity card and surroundings via Zoom. In maths typing assessment responses is often not
practical
so students typically handwrite their responses. As a result there could be problems with legibility. But more importantly, the fact that students must submit the task electronically using devices (such as cameras) that are not being observed presents potential opportunities for academic misconduct i.e. another individual could use the student’s login details to upload an assessment response. This risk could be mitigated by having the students complete the assessment solely in one observed application if possible.
Tips for implementation
Make sure that you check the student’s identity card, and their surrounds to ensure there are no notes they can cheat with or people with whom they could collude.
PLEASE NOTE: The academic integrity information displayed on this page is currently under review. Some examples and descriptions were developed before the widespread availability of generative AI tools and may not reflect current approaches to assessment security. When adapting an assessment idea, staff should consider how the design supports authorship, verifies student achievement of learning outcomes, and mitigates inappropriate use of AI and other forms of academic misconduct.
