Purpose
Use this document to examine ways to structure your D2L quiz and exam to minimize unauthorized collaboration. This tutorial assumes questions have already been created within D2L
Topics
- Considerations
- Question Order
- Option 1 – Randomize all questions
- Option 2 – Randomize some (not all) questions
- Move Questions to Random Section
- Sections and Question Pools
- One Question Per Page
Considerations
D2L has the functionality to offer multiple question types, such as multiple choice, short answer, true/false, matching, etc. and it is free. However, it has only a few security options to discourage cheating.
To level the playing field among all students, many faculty are choosing to make exams open book.
Changing assessment is an option if you are uncomfortable with exams in an unproctored setting. Create more short answer, essay, or creative work. However, please consider how students may feel about major changes in course expectations, especially if new assignments will increase workload.
Honor codes (academic honesty agreements) can also be used and have been shown to be effective in courses that have previously established an environment of trust.
It will take longer for students to take an exam online than in person on paper. Instructors should consider decreasing the length of exams to avoid assessments longer than the class period.
More secure online options are available, however they would require additional funds. (e.g. we have a service called Remote Proctor Now. However it costs $15 per student per exam). The additional technical learning curves and requirements also need to be considered. The university is recommending instructors do not choose this option unless absolutely necessary.
Question Order
You can randomize the order of questions and if using multiple choice, the order of the answers. There are two ways to randomize a quiz.
Option 1 – Randomize all questions
Log into d2l.msu.edu
Click on Quizzes from the Assessments Tab in the navigation bar or from the Course Admin list
Choose the Quiz you want to edit
After you have added questions to the quiz, choose “Shuffle questions at the quiz level” on the “Properties” Tab.
Direct Link: Quizzes – Shuffle Questions opens in new window
Option 2 – Randomize some (not all) questions
If you have some questions that you do not want to randomize, you need to create sections within the quiz. Click on “Add / Edit Questions” in the “Properties” tab.
Then choose “Add” and “Section”
Title your section (for example, “Random” and hide the titles from students). Choose “Shuffle questions in this section” to randomize questions.
Move Questions to Random Section
Once your new Random Section has been created, you will need to move your questions into your Section folder. After you save the new Section, you should be taken back to the question editing window. If not, click on “Add / Edit Questions” in the “Properties” tab in the Quiz.
Your page should look similar to the image below. All your previously written questions and at the bottom, your new Random Section.
When you hover over a question, 8 little dots will appear on the left side
Drag and drop the question into the Random Section folder by clicking on those 8 dots.
The questions should move below the Section folder and be indented
If the questions are not indented, like question 5 in the image below, they are not actually within the Random Section folder. Those questions are going to appear in the exam after the Section folder questions.
NOTE: If you have questions that you do NOT want randomized, those questions should remain outside of your Random Section folder.
Click on “Back to Settings for Online Exam” in the top bar to return to the “Properties” tab
This gives another view of your question layout. Again, all questions that are indented below your Random Section folder will be randomized. Any questions not indented below the Section folder will not be randomized and will appear to students in the order they are listed.
Sections and Question Pools
The next video shows how to create sections in the Question Library and then draw from them to create question pools in Quizzes. Use question pools to deliver a unique quiz for each user and increase assessment integrity.
One Question Per Page
To prevent cheating, you can structure the quiz to have one question per page. When this is combined with random question order and a time limit, it makes unauthorized collaboration more difficult.
On the “Properties Tab”, Type in “1” in the “Questions per page” box and hit apply. You should notice lines appear between questions and the page number increases.
If you want to keep 2 (or more) questions on the same page (for example, if questions are related to one another), click on the small triangle between the page numbers. This should not be done for questions in a Random Section.
It is also possible to restrict backward movement through an exam. However, it’s often best to not use this feature. This is because sometimes a piece of one question may trigger understanding of a different question, and it’s beneficial to give the opportunity to students to go back. If students try to work together, the amount of time it takes to find the same question by going back and forth usually eats up the test taking time because moving between questions is not quick. It’s also possible to compare student activity log if there is a concern.