"The examiner's eyes and ears"
How does it work being an exam supervisor when you have the students on a video link? Ewa Rönndahl, communicator in Södertälje, was one of all the volunteers working as a digital exam supervisor during re-exam week recently.
How doesit work, being a digital exam supervisor?
"I was in my office at campus Södertälje in order to be undisturbed and have access to a big screen. I had a list of the students I was responsible for. We had had a 30 minute long test exam a week before so that the students, examiners and the supervisors would get to know the technology, set the camera right, etc. As an exam supervisor I did an attendance check – they had to show their ID in the camera. I had a script I followed to start the exam, give some instructions, initiated breaks, etc."
What kind of platform was used?
"We used Zoom and it looks like a regular meeting. Everyone is divided into different Zoom rooms and one was mine. The Zoom manager could move between the rooms and help with the technology. The examiner also checked into the various rooms to see how things went and to answer the students’ questions."
How many did you oversee?
"It would have been 15-16 people but only 6 showed up."
How much of each person did you see on the screen, and could you hear them?
"The students would have the phone (= the camera) with Zoom behind them, a little from the side. So I saw each student as well as his computer screen and desk. They wrote the exam by hand and the student then took pictures of their answers and uploaded those in Canvas at the end of the exam. We had all students muteed by default. I could turn on their audio, but then everyone could hear."
How long time did it take?
"I oversaw two exams - math and a physics exam that was 6 and 4 hours long, plus preparation time. The first one was very extensive, we had ten Zoom rooms I think, with a supervisor in each. We had to be logged in about 45 minutes to an hour before the start and the students were able to connect half an hour before."
If you see something improper, what do you do?
"You only note it and report to the examiner who decides on an action afterwards. The supervisor mustn’t discuss with the student, but is only the examiner's eyes and ears."
Did something improper occur?
"Yes, a student used a calculator even though it was not allowed. However, it happened quite openly, the person did not try to hide it, but had probably misunderstood. However, the instructions were very clear on what was allowed."
Text: Anna Gullers