Online proctoring tools and services have come under scrutiny for privacy invasion, inaccurate monitoring, and unplanned technical issues. The pressure continues for teachers to balance the need to evaluate a student’s performance, knowing that the evaluation process can be stressful. Is there a better way to evaluate students other than scantrons, paper-based tests, and unpopular monitoring tools?
Yes! More teachers are turning away from traditional methods to alternatives such as video exams and quizzes because these assessments can provide many benefits to students that traditional exams cannot.
What is a Video Exam?
This assessment utilizes video technology to prompt the exam question. Some examples are recording yourself asking the exam questions in a familiar classroom setting, or creating a computer screencast and presenting the questions on slides with a voiceover. Another popular method is using a video quiz builder.
Kaltura Quiz Builder
The University's Blackboard learning system has a built-in feature called Kaltura Video Quiz that allows you to create a video exam. Kaltura has numerous functionalities which allow instructors to customize their exams to meet the needs of their course and the students. In addition to providing video recording technology, the instructor has the ability to choose the question types such as true/false, multiple-choice, and short answers. Instructors may also assign independent point values to each question.
Benefits of Using Video Exams
Two key benefits are increasing student engagement with the content and motivation. Video exams require students to engage with the interactive content of the questions being posed in a manner that traditional paper-based examinations cannot. Video and sound provide a multimedia experience that more closely resembles the classroom and daily human interaction thereby reducing stress factors. Students are motivated to develop important listening skills and research correct answers because they will be motivated to seek the correct answer.
Preparing students
To help students prepare for changes in the assessment format, be sure to include a tutorial video for students to preview or have them take a practice test first. This way you reduce potential tech and user errors and maximize student success.
Consider adding a low-stakes video quiz in your course and see how students interact. The trend in video use in higher education is likely to continue in the future as more institutions move towards offering a wider variety in online, flipped, and remote modes and student needs change.
For assistance, the Distance Learning Institute’s instructional design team is available to guide you through the process.
Ron Rodriquez is an instructional designer with the Division of Continuing and International Education's Distance Learning Institute. Ron teaches universal design for learning in the Instructional Design and Technology Certificate program.
