Information to communicate to students
As an examiner, you are responsible for ensuring that students receive information about the examination form and how the examination will be conducted well before the exam. Below you will find information about what to inform about before an examination.
It is recommended that you as an examiner give the following information to students before any examinations, as well as specifically for digital examinations with Zoom.
Note that when examinations are conducted remotely, it is extra important to inform the students in writing well in advance, as any questions are harder to answer at the start of the exam. The information needs to be adapted to the specific course and to the particular examination.
It is equally important to share the same information with invigilators, meeting hosts and participating colleagues so that they can carry out their tasks correctly.
Inform about
Examination details
- Course code
- Course name
- Date and starting time for the exam
- Link to the examination room in Canvas, if applicable
- Examiner's name, phone number and email address
The design of the exam
Inform about the writing time for the exam and if there is extra time planned for the students to upload their files. If the exam is divided into several parts, inform about how long the writing time is for each of the parts and when each solution shall be handed in.
Example: "The exam is divided into three parts, 80 minutes per part. After each part, you have 10 minutes to upload your handwritten answer.
Part 1 begins 8:00 (hand-in 9:20-9:30)
Part 2 begins 9:45 (hand-in 10:55-11:05)
Part 3 begins 11:20 (hand-in 12:40-12:50)"
Inform students with compensatory support from Funka
Keep in mind that students with compensatory support may have extended writing time, writing in a separate room or other forms of support. On the student web, you can read more about information to students with compensatory support . Inform the students in question about what applies specifically to your course's examination.
What format should the exam be written in?
- In a room on campus, on paper or in a computer room with the possibility to add paper?
- Digitally directly on your computer or digitally in a specific form?
- What file formats are allowed (pdf, xlsx, doc, docx, other)?
- Written on paper, photographed with a mobile camera and uploaded?
Example: "The exam can be written where you choose. You write your answers on paper and then photograph them with your mobile camera and upload them. The solutions must be handwritten. You scan/photograph your solutions, put them in a file with the solutions right-facing so that they can be read on the screen without rotating the photos. Non-handwritten solutions will not be assessed."
How are technical difficulties handled?
If the examination involves any type of technology, inform the students about how any technical difficulties will be handled.
Example: "If you as a student have technical difficulties, remain calm, and inform the invigilator. With approval from the invigilator, try logging in again, then try to switch computers. If the problem is not solved within 5 minutes, the invigilator will contact the examiner or teacher on duty. They will get help from IT support and decide if you will get extended time.
If there are technical difficulties for many students, the examiner or teacher on duty will be contacted by the invigilator. The examiner will then decide how the problem will be handled."
How should the exam be submitted? and in what file format?
For digital upload in Canvas, you can set which digital formats that are allowed. Inform students in advance about what is allowed. Choose the file types that suit your exam and in which you can make assessment notes. If you do not want to change programs while you are working with the assessment, only allow one file format. If you plan to use SpeedGrader, pdf is recommended.
Example: "You submit your answers in “Assignments” in Canvas. Permitted file format: pdf. Other file formats will not be possible to submit."
When handwritten solutions are to be scanned by the students, there are Instructions for students handing in handwritten exams in Canvas on the Student Web
What should the file be named?
Inform about how you want the students to name their submission file.
Example: "The file MUST be named: Surname_First name_YYYYMMDDXXXX.pdf (or .docx or .xlsx, depending on the file format), where YYYYMMDDXXXX is your personal identity number, for example, Hitchcock_Alfred_189908131234.pdf."
Student's conclusion of the exam
When can the examinee submit the exam at the earliest if the exam is not divided into several parts and, if the exam is in Zoom, also leave the Zoom session?
Example: "You can submit the exam at the earliest one hour before the exam ends. Students that are finished and have uploaded their answers before the time is up should communicate this via chat. The meeting host gives the student permission to leave Zoom."
Inform about the code of conduct
If a code of conduct will be used, inform the students how to show their examiner that they have read and consent to the code of conduct.
Example: "In order to access the examination assignments in Canvas, you need to accept the academic code of conduct in the quiz."
In generated examination rooms in Canvas, there is a quiz with a proposed code of conduct. Read more about Code of conduct for examination .
How do students contact the teacher during the exam?
How do students contact the examiner during an ongoing examination? Inform about how the examiner and others will circulate. How many times? Roughly around what times?
Example for an exam on campus: “A teacher on duty will twice during the exam visit the room and answer any questions.”
Example for a longer digital examination: "Questions about the examination assignment are answered by the examiner at 9, 12 and 15 every day in the examination room's discussion form. If you wish to ask questions anonymously to other students, you can also email your question to the examiner. If your question may be relevant to more students, the examiner will publish the question in the discussion forum."
Alternatively for a longer digital examination: “Questions regarding the examination assignment will be answered by the examiner XX at 12:00-13:00 on Zoom. Questions regarding the examination will only be answered at this time." (Do not forget to provide a link to the Zoom room where the teacher will answer questions.).
Example for an examination with Zoom: “The examiner will be available for questions in the Zoom room at the beginning of each part. Raise your hand or write in the chat if you have any questions. Questions to the examiner need to be of a general type (e.g. clarification of an assignment) and you will be able to ask your question to the examiner in a breakout room created by the meeting host for you and the examiner.”
Alternatively for an examination with Zoom: “Sometime during the examination, you as a student will be invited to a breakout room to show your ID and your ongoing work so that the teacher or examiner can follow your progress.” Complete the information with grading criteria for the meeting, the students need information about what is expected of them during the meeting as well as what happens if they do not pass the oral part of the examination.
What about bathroom visits?
Example: "Notify the meeting host/invigilator if you need to use the bathroom. Notify the meeting host when you are back."
Or: "Bathroom visits are not allowed during the writing time. You can use the bathroom during the scheduled break."
Anonymous assessment
Anonymous assessment is a method to achieve a more fair and unbiased examination. Anonymous assessment helps you as a teacher to reduce the risk of your preconceived notions affecting the assessment, providing reassurance for both teachers and students. Therefore, if anonymous assessment is applied, it is advisable to inform students about it.
Read more about anonymous assessment at KTH on the page Anonymous assessment .
Inform your students whether you will be contacting them during the assessment
Let the students know if you intend to call them when assessing the exams. Encourage them to update their phone number in Ladok, or announce the time that the students are expected to be able to answer a Zoom call for additional questions about their solutions. A recommendation is to arrange bookable meeting times in advance for when students are expected to be available by phone or Zoom.
Other things to inform the students about when the examination is remote
- You should take the exam in a calm, isolated, and well-lit spot.
- You should sit alone.
- A stable internet connection is required.
- Make sure all your units are connected to a power outlet during the examination
- You must have the required hardware necessary for a real-time digital examination (such as a web camera, microphone, etc.).
- A plagiarism check will be performed on all text that is handed in.
Practice session
The recommendation is to carry out a compulsory practice opportunity for the students where they can test the entire process for the exam. The practice session can be done in the form of a partial exam, i.e. as a mini exam, or be purely for practice.
For a digital examination, the students need to test to submit in the correct format, for example photographing and checking that the solutions are visible and that they can be uploaded (high-resolution image files may be too large). At this time, students can also be informed about how the camera should be aimed and test their equipment.
Questions before the exam
Example: "On day time, I will be available directly after the lectures, or on Zoom between 13:00-14:00 to answer questions about how the examination in Canvas is meant to work on Monday." (Don't forget to add a link to the Zoom room where the teacher will be answering questions).
For examination with Zoom, inform about
That the student must have access to Zoom via KTH login
The most common problem with exams using Zoom is that students cannot log in at the time of the exam. It is therefore important to create an exercise opportunity or to ask the students to try to log in to Zoom before the exam day so that IT support can help them gain access if needed.
Access to Zoom is assigned to the students account before each exam separately. Before each exam, the students must test logging in to Zoom with their KTH user account.
Zoom settings för the examinees
As a student, you should have the following settings:
- Turn off the virtual background
- Turn off the microphone
- Turn the webcam on
- Make sure that the sound (on your computer) is on
The group chat should only be used to ask questions to the examiner, teacher, or meeting host.
How the student should set up their mobile camera at exams with Zoom presence
Give instructions on the monitoring. How do you want the camera to be set up? What do you want to be seen in the picture?
Student web
Students can also find information on the Student web, where there is information about: