Forms of examination and designs of examination
Frequently asked questions and answers for you as a teacher/examiner who want to design an examination with digital elements.
How do I set up an examination that covers all the intended learning outcomes?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
It is recommended to arrange the examination so that the students have the opportunity to show mastery of the learning outcomes on several occasions, for example through continuous examination. You can take inspiration from how other courses have chosen to examine in our
Examples of examination solutions
. You can also read more about
how to think when choosing an examination method.
How do I do oral exams when all students can't do the examination at the same time?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
If an examination is given orally, you can, and need to, perform the exam over several days. Early planning and clear communication with the students is important. A tip for easier handling can be to arrange group times, where the students present individually to the examiner and each other.
An alternative is to conduct the oral exam as a video submission, so that students submit at the same time. Video submission for examination .
Is it possible to have an exam with only Pass/Fail on a course with grades A-F?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
It is allowed to have parts of a course where the students can account for different grade levels, for example an exam where the students can only show knowledge for passing the course and not higher grades. It is important, however, that the examination is given in accordance with what is stated in the course plan.
Is it possible to have a home exam that is submitted by email?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
Yes, it is possible, but we recommend that you use Canvas Assignments for submissions. If you have a submission in Canvas, you can connect it to Ouriginal (new name for Urkund) to be able to review the file regarding plagiarism.
What do I do if I want to hand out different versions of the exam to the students?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
There are several different ways to do this depending on examination design and how you plan to distribute the exam. Contact e-learning@kth.se if you need support regarding design of examination, and contact it-support@kth.se if you have technical questions, for example regarding Canvas or Möbius.
I use a question database that I intend to expand and improve before each course round. Can the exam be disclosed as an official document?
(Last reviewed February 21, 2023)
It is possible to invoke confidentiality for examinations that are part of a question bank. The digital exam becomes a public document as soon as the exam is taken, but can be covered by confidentiality if it is standardized. There is support for this in the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (Offentlighets- och sekretesslagen, OSL), ch. 17, § 4: ”Sekretess gäller för uppgift som ingår i eller utgör underlag för kunskapsprov eller psykologiskt prov under en myndighets överinseende, om det kan antas att syftet med provet motverkas om uppgiften röjs” (roughly) ”Secrecy applies to information that is part of or forms the basis for a knowledge test or psychological test under the supervision of an authority, if it can be assumed that the purpose of the test is counteracted if the information is disclosed”
As long as the same exam documents are used, it is possible to invoke confidentiality for the information in these.
The following are not covered by the possibility of invoking confidentiality:
- Database questions that are unique to an examination opportunity, i.e. not standardized.
- Database questions that are not included in the examination, and thus not the basis for the student's grade.