U of GH CourseLink Quizzes for Final Exams: The Dos and Don'ts
Please review the following tips to ensure that your final exam is set up correctly in the Quiz tool in CourseLink. You may also want to familiarize yourself with the information provided to students on the Online Exam Information web page.
Please contact CourseLink Support if you have any questions.
Dos
Do Check the Exam Availability Settings
The availability window of your exam should be one hour prior to the exam date and time posted on the exam schedule; for example, if your exam is on December 15 at 3:20 p.m., the Start Date should be December 15 at 2:20 p.m. and the End Date should be December 15 at 3:20 p.m. Students will be able to access the exam during that window and will have two hours to complete the exam from when they enter the exam environment. Students will be unable to start the exam after the window is closed and will be required to contact CourseLink Support. CourseLink staff can let students back into an exam, provided they have only left the exam for a short period of time, typically within five minutes of leaving the exam.
Do Check the Timing of Your Exam
The time should be "Enforced", and all exams should be 120 minutes in length. You may add a 5-minute grace period if you prefer. Select prevent students from making further changes, after the grace period has ended.
Accessibility Accommodations
Students requiring additional time for the final exam should be set up under the Special Access section in the Restrictions tab of the assessment. Under the Type of Access, ensure that you enter the students under Allow selected users special access to this quiz.
The Accommodations Tool can also be used to grant learners accommodations through the Classlist tool, and video instructions for how to grant Special Access to a user for a quiz are also available.
If Using Respondus for Your Exam
- Please ensure that you have this enabled on your exam. It is important to insert a practice test in the Quizzes tool in CourseLink. This will allow students to test the functionality of the exam software in advance of the final exam date. The practice test should be set to unlimited attempts with access extended to the end of the deferred exam period. More information about Respondus setup can be found on the Remote Teaching & Learning website, and step-by-step Respondus instructions are also available to assist with setup.
- Select Allow students to take this exam with an iPad as an option under the LockDown Browser Advanced settings.
- The University of Guelph continues to work with Respondus on reported bugs in the Chromebook version. In alignment with the recommendation that students use Windows or Mac versions until Respondus releases a fix, the use of Chromebooks in Respondus has been disabled.
- OpenEd has a limited number of laptops available through the CTS Loaner Laptop Service. Please direct students to contact CourseLink Support (courselink@uoguelph.ca) if they require support.
Do Post a Course Announcement
Post a reminder for students in the course announcements to review the Online Exam Information as soon as possible. Students should also be reminded to write down the CourseLink Support phone number prior to starting the exam. The LockDown Browser will prevent them from accessing other websites and having this information will expedite support in the event of technical difficulties.
We have provided downloadable CourseLink Announcement messages below. These Word documents can be copied and pasted into a new CourseLink Announcement on your course site:
Don'ts
Do Not Select 'Hide from Users' or make 'Hidden'.
Students will not be able to see the link to start the exam if this is selected. Depending on your quiz layout settings, you will see either of the images below indicating this has been selected.
Do Not Select 'Has Due Date' Under the Quiz Restrictions
This is an unnecessary setting that could be confusing for students. Please set the Start Date and End Date values instead.
Do Not Put a Password on Your Exam
The exam is already secure within CourseLink and this is an unnecessary step that will complicate the process for students.
OpenEd is available to provide assistance seven days a week for instructors who have specific questions or require additional support. CourseLink Support will be available during the scheduled exam time for students. While an exam is in progress, students and instructors should call (not email) CourseLink Support for immediate assistance.
Contact CourseLink Support
Phone: 519-824-4120 ext. 56939
Toll Free: 1-866-275-1478 (Canada and USA)
Email: courselink@uoguelph.ca
Visit the Remote Teaching & Learning website for more information.