This guide will help you understand the design considerations when migrating a paper exam to Moodle using the Moodle Quiz Activity. For general guidance see the How to set up a Moodle quiz guide.

Limitations with online exams

There are several limitations you will need to be aware of to inform your decisions when designing your online Moodle quiz.

We have technology called the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) which we recommend is used solely on campus, during invigilated exams Moodle Quiz - Safe Exam Browser with prior testing.

However if you are planning a Moodle Quiz that can be taken outside of this recommendation, you may want to consider designing questions so they do not focus on the recall of facts but rather applying knowledge to scenarios, solving problems, analysing, critiquing, and evaluating.

Please refer to Registry guidance on alternative assessments for any queries about policies and procedures

Editing quiz settings for an online exam

The following section runs through the settings of the quiz you may want to consider if you are setting up a summative quiz.

Description

In the Description, explain clearly what the students have to do, any pre-quiz requirements and so on. For online quizzes, you can use the description box to let them know how the quiz will work, the online quiz rules and time limits and anything that students need to adhere to in terms of timing etc.

Timing

Open the quiz

You can specify times when the quiz is accessible for student to make an attempt. Before the opening time the quiz will be unavailable to students. They will be able to view the quiz introduction but will not be able to view the questions. Ensure the availability times are accurate.

Close the quiz

After the closing time, the students will not be able to start new attempts.

Time limit

By default, quizzes do not have a time limit, so you will need to set one. If you are using multiple choice questions or other automated marking questions, you will need to decide on an appropriate length.

When the time expires (either the timer runs out or the quiz closes.) we recommend leaving the default setting of “open attempts are submitted automatically” as this reflects what would happen in an exam.

Grade

Under the grade section change the number of attempts to 1. If the student accidentally leaves the quiz then they can only continue their previous attempt. Also note that if they do leave the quiz during the exam the timer does not stop.

Layout

Placing Every question on a New page is recommended for exams, as student responses will be saved every time they change page. 

Question Behaviour

Shuffling within the question (i.e. randomising the answers) can also help stop repetition, and predictable patterns. For exams, you will probably want to keep this set to deferred feedback. 

Review Options

For exams, these boxes should all be unchecked so students can't see their attempts or marks.