Testing Resources for Faculty
New Remote Proctoring Tool at UAA
Starting in Summer 2024, UAA transitioned to Honorlock for remote proctoring needs. Our contract with RPNow is ending and RPNow will not be available for exams. Faculty will be able to view previous semester recordings through June 15. If you are teaching an online course that uses remote proctoring, plan to incorporate Honorlock into your course. Check the information on the Proctored Exams tab to learn more.
Student Testing Assistance
For help in using Honorlock for remote proctoring, read Honorlock's student testing guidelines, watch the guided tour for students, or contact IT Services. For proctored testing on the Anchorage campus, make an appointment with the Testing Center. If you qualify for testing-related accommodations for students with disabilities, please work with the Disability Support Services (DSS) office.
The UAA Library has laptops that are loaded with the Honorlock software for checkout
by students at the Circulation Desk. Candidates can check these out on a first come
first serve basis 7 days a week. Visit the Library Circlulation desk on the ground
floor for more information. Visit the Proctoring page for more information on test proctoring resources available to students.
Best Practices
Please visit our Assessment page for information and resources on creating effective assessments that focus on learning.
- Multiple, scaffolded low-stakes assessments can demonstrate student achievement equally as well as a few high-stakes assessments. Low-stakes assessments are proven to be less stressful and they allow students to demonstrate improvement over time
- Provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their learning
- Prepare your students for assessments. Give them advance notice of how and when they will be assessed, clear and specific instructions, examples, and clear information (e.g., a rubric) of how you will grade it
- Give students the opportunity to practice a skill and get feedback before it counts towards their grade
- Keep the instructions and test/assignment format simple, so that students can focus
on the content or skills they need to demonstrate. The hard part should be what they’re
learning and showing, not figuring out how do to complete the assessment
If you are converting a course to online, we recommend reconsidering the assessments
to decide what’s essential for measuring learning outcomes and what could or should
be modified for the new environment. Because many UAA students have inconsistent access
to the tools or connectivity for remote proctoring, we encourage you to consider creating
open-book exams or offering a choice of assessments, including a low-tech option.
To help rethink your assessments, review the Alternate Assessment Resource Guide and Alternate Assessment recorded webinar (video, 38:10) to explore alternate ways to assess students.
Academic Integrity
Tell students what academic integrity looks like in your discipline and set clear expectations about when and how they should collaborate, what resources they should use, and when they should complete work independently.
Consider assigning the relevant sections of the UAA Academic Integrity Tutorial. To access the tutorial, log in to Blackboard, go to UAA Academic Integrity Tutorial, then click Enroll. You can also direct students to the UAA/APU Consortium Library academic integrity guide.
If you are interested in creating non-proctored assessments, focus on methods that encourage academic integrity. When designing open-book exams and quizzes, try these approaches:
- Ask questions that apply knowledge (explain, describe, analyze, justify, evaluate, compare…) rather than testing recall. Encourage students to cite course resources. You could also ask scenario-based questions and require short and concrete answers
- Ask students to create and upload a set of their notes for the exam
- Focus on process and problem-solving. When students narrate their thought process or show their work, it gives instructors the opportunity to provide targeted feedback and makes it harder to copy-and-paste an answer. Students can write out their explanation or record audio/video of them working through a question
- Ask students to complete an honor pledge if it’s closed-book
- Allow multiple attempts. These help students learn content, reduce stress levels,
and accommodate for internet connectivity issues
Promote academic integrity. Discuss how and why you have changed the assessment. Make sure your students know what is expected of them. Consider including a statement or question on the UAA Academic Integrity Policy in your exam.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
For assistance providing testing-related accommodations for students with disabilities, please reach out to the Disability Support Services (DSS) office. Due to the technical requirements for accessibility software, it may not always be possible for students with disabilities to use remote proctoring or the Testing Center.
Please do not provide accommodations (e.g., extended time) for students with disabilities without official notice from DSS. See the Blackboard Tests tab for information about deploying DSS-authorized accommodations in that tool.
Blackboard Tests
Blackboard Tests, Surveys and Pools provide a way for instructors to gauge progress, deliver helpful feedback, assess and accommodate learning. Blackboard offers extensive help resources on its Instructor Help page: Tests, Surveys & Pools.
Watch our Blackboard Testing playlist (3 videos, 14:10 total) to get started:
- Importing Test Questions
Importing Existing Test Questions
- If you have downloaded a ZIP folder from a textbook publisher, use the software provided by the publisher to import the questions into Blackboard pools, then use the "reuse question" option when creating your Blackboard test (e.g., Pearson TestGen example)
- If you have test questions in a document, you have three choices:
- Follow this tutorial, Converting Paper Tests to Blackboard (video, 9:21), to use a test generator to upload questions to Blackboard
- Manually create questions by copying and pasting them into the Blackboard test one by one. Be sure to remove any formatting clues by using the remove formatting tool (looks like an eraser) in the text editing box
- Follow the Blackboard Upload Test Questions instructions to write questions offline in a text file and upload it into tests,
surveys, and question pools
- Accommodating Individual Students
Accommodating Individual Students
- Blackboard makes it easy to accommodate individual students by extending limits for timed assessments, changing due dates, or allowing retakes for students with connectivity issues. To do this, add students or a group in the test availability exceptions
- If you have questions about how best to accommodate students, contact the Disability Support Services staff at 907-786-4530 or email: uaa_dss@alaska.edu
Proctored Exams
UAA uses Honorlock for remote proctoring now, and RPNow is not available for remote
proctoring anymore. If you want to assign proctored exams for your course, you need
to fill out the Honorlock registration form.
This form starts the process to arrange proctored exams for students, no matter how or where they will be taking the exam. Please note that courses that meet entirely on campus are expected to proctor any exams during the course meeting time and its designated Final Examination period.
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Online Courses
Online Courses
If you want to use proctored exams in your course (all UAA campuses), Honorlock is the default service. If you are unfamiliar with this service, the Instructional Design team can help support you and answer any questions you may have. You can also email our Instructional Designer team at uaa_design@alaska.edu.
If an Anchorage-area student does not have an Honorlock-capable setup, please direct them to the Consortium Library, where they can check out a laptop and use one of the quiet areas/study rooms for testing.
The Testing Center will be available for students who are unable to use Honorlock, but please go through the Honorlock registration form to coordinate the exam, rather than contacting the Testing Center directly. Students taking online courses who are unable to use online proctoring can schedule an appointment with the UAA Testing Center to take their exam in a face to face setting.
- On Campus Courses
On Campus Courses
If you are teaching a course that meets on campus, you are expected to proctor any exams during that course meeting time and its designated Final Examination period. If you are not using the final exam time for an exam, please plan to use that time for a regular class meeting, in order to meet credit-hour requirements.
- Remote Proctoring (Honorlock)
Remote Proctoring with Honorlock
Remote proctoring is an integral tool for our institution, and we want to ensure that any proctoring tool we use is high quality, user-friendly, and secure. Honorlock is widely regarded as one of the best remote proctoring tools, and it should make the remote proctoring process better for both students and faculty. To learn more about how Honorlock works, take a look at this short video overview or follow their Guided Tour for Students.
If you'd like to use proctored exams in your course, you need to fill out the Faculty Request Form. You should be registering to use Honorlock every semester you use it. This ensures that you will receive the most up-to-date information regarding this tool.
Features
- Blackboard Integration: Honorlock seamlessly integrates into Blackboard, making it easy for you to set up and manage proctored exams within your courses.
- Student Experience: Honorlock's user-friendly interface and flexible scheduling options prioritize the convenience and comfort of our students, ensuring a positive testing experience.
- Security and Privacy: Honorlock employs advanced AI technology to monitor exams for any suspicious activity while prioritizing student privacy and data security.
- Honorlock 24/7 Support: Honorlock's remote proctoring services and support are on-demand, which means exams can be taken anytime, day or night, no scheduling required; and live support (from a person) is available if needed.
- Protect Exam Questions: Honorlock’s unique technology finds leaked test content on the internet automatically and gives admins the option to send one-click content takedown requests.
- Accessible for All: Minimal system requirements, support for low bandwidth, accessibility technologies, and individual accommodations ensures fair and accessible test-taking
Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 10, macOS 10.13+, Chrome OS
- Browser: Google Chrome (93+)
- Internet Speed: 1.5 Mbps download, 750 Kbps upload
How Do I Use Honorlock?
If you are planning to use remote proctoring for your online courses, please see our guide to using Honorlock in Blackboard Original and Honorlock in Blackboard Ultra. Our Instructional Designers are committed to providing all the support you need during this process.
If you have any questions about remote proctoring or need help with Honorlock, please reach out to Dan Norton, Instructional Designer, by email at djnorton@alaska.edu or schedule an appointment on our Instructional Design appointment calendar.
UAA Testing Center
The UAA Testing Center is available for online students who are unable to take their proctored exams virtually. All testing is by appointment only and can be made by using the Register Blast scheduler. There is no additional cost to students for use of this service.
Students with questions about proctored tests should contact the UAA Testing Center at 907-786-4525 or by email at uaa_testingcenter@alaska.edu.
Faculty Development & Instructional Support
Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence, Academic Innovations & eLearning, and Center
for Community Engagement and Learning
Library 213 • 907-786-4496 • uaa_cafe@alaska.edu • Monday – Friday, 8 a.m – 5 p.m.