University Technology

Online Exams

Online students should be able to complete their courses entirely online (unless noted before course registration) through WIU’s Learning Management System (Western Online), this includes most quizzes and examinations (Some high-stakes exams may still require live proctoring and that should be stated at the time students register for their online courses). Additionally, students participating in face-to-face or alternative learning formats may need the ability to take online examinations to complete course requirements.

Currently, there are multiple options for administering and proctoring fully online examinations through Western Online.

Administering Online Quizzes/Exams in Western Online

The Western Online Quizzes tool enables you to create and manage points-measured assessments consisting of the following question types: True or False, Multiple Choice, Multi-Select, Written Response, Short Answer, Multi-Short Answer, Fill in the Blanks, Matching, Ordering, Arithmetic, and Significant Figures. The system allows for you to set start, end, and due dates as well as time restrictions and multiple attempts for each quiz or exam. Exams can be set to be auto-graded, or you can grade questions and release grades and feedback manually. Review our Online Quizzes and Exam Resources to learn more about creating, administering, and grading online quizzes in Western Online to learn more!

Learn more about Administering Quizzes in our Western Online Quizzes Knowledgebase or by visiting Brightspace Quizzes Help .

Proctoring Online Exams/Quizzes

Western currently offers the following solutions for proctoring online exams and quizzes.

Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor are our primary online proctoring systems. They are automatically deployed as a feature within the Western Online assessment area for all courses at WIU and can be used in all exams for all students.

Learn more about both proctoring solutions by visiting the resources listed below:

Communicating Requirements to Students

Please follow these best practices when communicating online proctored exam requirements to your students.

  1. If you intend to require online proctoring in your course you should list that as a course requirement on your syllabus and include any hardware, software downloads, and network capabilities that the student will need to have.
  2. During the first week of class, survey students to see if there is anyone that does not have the equipment required to use the proctoring system you have chosen. 
  3. During the first week, post an announcement that includes a link to a practice exam that requires the use of the proctoring tool that your students will be using. Ask them to take the exam to ensure that their device is working. Make the exam with unlimited attempts so they can take it as many times as necessary to test their device.

OTL has already created practice exams and tutorials that can be dropped directly into your Western Online courses. If you would like these, contact the OTL team to request that they be added to your course(s).