5 Step Process for Opting Into SDS Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Services

Exam Options

Consider whether your exam design will be compatible with computer-based testing methods and technology. SDS offers two formats for computer based testing, Canvas Annotation Exams (Assignments) and Canvas Classic Quizzes. Ultimately, the choice between Canvas Annotation Exams (Assignments) and Canvas Quizzes should be based on the design of the exam. Both Canvas computer-based exam options are outlined below and we have identified which exam design will work best with different types of questions. If your exam design includes the use of more than one question type (e.g., short answer and multiple choice), it may be necessary to consult with Academic Technology Services (ATS) for further guidance on a mixed question design exam.

Types of exam questions supported:

Recommended question types are multiple part, multiple answers, numerical answers, formula, multipart formula, charts, graphs, draw structures, instructor provided scratch paper within the exam; multiple choice and true false questions can be supported if the correct answer can be circled

Requirements for use with CBT:

Students must annotate directly on the uploaded exam using a Microsoft Surface Pro computer with a stylus pen (provided by SDS)
Instructors will upload a PDF of the exam to Canvas assignments
Uploaded PDF file would require that there be one question per page; blank pages (scratch sheets) should be included in PDF file
Exams must be uploaded within 2 hours prior to the exam
Instructors must allow students to have unlimited submission attempts when setting up their exam to accommodate students who may not be able to create annotations and students that need to go back to make changes and/or upload additional pages

Noteworthy Considerations/Features:

There is no access code required for exam access. SDS will publish the exam at the scheduled start time.
Design does not permit timed exam limits within Canvas assignments. Exam time limits must be monitored manually.
Files cannot be deleted from the student’s Canvas files once a file has been uploaded and submitted
Students submit in Canvas electronically straight to the course site.
Some students may find it challenging to use the Surface Pro and stylus provided by SDS

Types of exam questions supported:

Recommended question types are multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blanks, matching, short answer, extended-response essay, blue book responses; formula questions can be supported if it is a simple formula or single variable (please see chart below for more details)

Requirements for use with CBT:

There is an access code required for exam access; instructor will create access codes once the exam is created
The exam time must be set for each student according to their SDS approved accommodation (to be managed by SDS with TA access).
Instructors must build their exam questions individually using the Canvas quiz features; (Refer to the Canvas options for many question types available)
Exams must be published in Canvas within 2 hours prior to the exam; Note: The exam will not be accessible until the scheduled time frame entered by the instructor

Noteworthy Considerations/Features:

Annotation/handwritten work is not allowed
Exam questions can be shuffled
Students can upload files (e.g., scratch paper, blue book responses)
Students will not have the ability to access their uploads after they submit the exam
Allows for item analytics and automatic grading

The table below illustrates the benefits and limitations of each platform.

✔ – Highly recommended format for these question types

* – Format can also support these question types. Consultations with ATS are highly recommended

Question Type	Canvas Annotation Assignment	Canvas Classic Quiz
Multiple Choice Correct answer is selected from a list of provided options	*	✔
Multiple Part Several smaller questions all related to the same topic	✔
True/False Determines if a statement is correct (true) or incorrect (false)	*	✔
Fill In the Blank Has a missing word or phrase that needs to be provided to complete the sentence correctly		✔
Multiple Answers Requires selecting more than one correct option from a list of choices	✔
Matching Pairing items from one column with corresponding items in another column to make correct matches	✔	*
Numerical Answer Numeric value provided as the answer, rather than choosing from options	✔
Formula Specific mathematical or logical formula used to calculate the answer	✔	*
Multipart Formula Involves multiple steps or parts, often requiring the use of different formulas, to arrive at the final answer	✔
Short Answer A brief and concise response to answer the question, without needing to write a long explanation		✔
Extended-Response Essay Requires a detailed and comprehensive answer that explores a topic or question in depth, requiring more than a brief response		✔
Charts Has to interpret or create a visual representation, like a graph or table, to answer the question or display information	✔
Graphs Use of a visual representation, such as a diagram is required to answer the question or present the data	✔
Draw Structures Visual representation of something, like a molecule or diagram, based on the information given in the question	✔
Blue Book Responses Used for extended responses and calculations		✔
Instructor Provided Scratch Paper Within the Exam Blank pages provided within the exam PDF	✔

Pre-Exam

Creating the Exam PDF for Canvas Annotation

Pre-Exam Setup Considerations
- Exams PDFs must be created with 1 question per page, blank sheets must be included in the PDF for use as scratch paper
- It is recommended that instructors upload the exam to their Canvas files before creating the annotation exam in assignments. To add the file, first, navigate to the Files tab and upload the exam PDF file there
- If all students in the course will also take a Canvas annotation exam, it is necessary to upload an additional copy of the exam PDF specifically for students testing with SDS
Canvas Annotation Exam Setup Details
- The exam name should be specific to the type of exam and end with SDS (e.g., Exam 2 SDS, Midterm SDS); Instructors must provide students and SDS with the exam name within 24 hours prior to the scheduled exam date
- Select Online for the submission type; the entry options that should be selected are Student Annotation (upload the exam from your files) and File Uploads (do not restrict upload file types)
- Unlimited submission attempts should be allowed to accommodate students who may need to add additional documents (e.g., scratch paper)
- Complete the Assign section; assign the exam to the specific students scheduled to take the exam with SDS using differentiated assignments; SDS will assign the due date, so please leave it blank.
- Save the assignment, do not Save and Publish; SDS will publish the exam on the scheduled exam date
Uploading Details
- Exams must be uploaded to Assignments within 2 hours prior to the scheduled exam

Creating a Canvas Quizzes Exam

Pre-Exam Setup Considerations
- Choose Classic Quizzes as quiz engine
Canvas Quizzes Exam Details
- The exam name should be specific to the type of exam and end with SDS (e.g., Exam 2 SDS, Midterm SDS); instructors must provide students and SDS with the exam name within 24 hours prior to the scheduled exam date
- No changes need to be made to Quiz Type or Assignment Group
- Instructors can select to Shuffle Answers if that option is preferred
- Instructors do not need to enter the exam time limit, SDS will enter the exam time limit
- Instructors must create an access code; SDS will disable the access code after each testing session
- Complete the Assign section; assign the specific exam to the students scheduled to take the exam with SDS using differentiated assignments
Exam Question Creation
- Be sure to Update Question after each before adding a new question
- For questions requiring Blue Book responses, the question type would be File Upload Question
Saving and Publishing Exam Questions
- If all students in the course will be taking a Canvas Quizzes exam it is necessary to make a duplicate copy of the exam specifically for students testing with SDS; for students testing with SDS be sure that the name of the exam ends with SDS
- Be sure to preview the exam as a student before publishing
- Exam must be published in Canvas within 2 hours prior to the exam; Note: The exam will not be accessible until the scheduled time frame entered by the instructor

Instructors Pre-Exam Checklist for Canvas Annotation Exam

Enroll proctor@uchicago.edu as a TA in the course
Create PDFs with one question per page, include additional blank pages within the PDF for use of scratch paper
Complete the Details section
Upload the exam to Assignments
Save exam (do not publish)

Instructors Pre-Exam Checklist for Canvas Quizzes Exam

Enroll proctor@uchicago.edu as a TA in the course
Choose Classic Quizzes as quiz engine
Complete the Details section
Create exam questions
Save and Publish the exam

During Exam

Check-In

Students complete a check-in process with Proctor 1 outside the exam room; proctor verifies student’s identification approved accommodations and confirm the start/end time
Student enters the testing room, student gives Proctor 2 their student information sheet to receive their assigned seat, a Microsoft Surface Pro device, a stylus pen, login instructions

Accessing the Exam

Students log in to their Canvas account using a two factor authentication
Students select the course and locate the exam in assignments; instructor should provide the student and SDS with the exam name within 24 hours prior to the exam

During Testing

The proctor will monitor students’ time; proctor will notify the student when it is time to stop the exam
Additional scratch paper is collected once the student has completed the exam
All communication between the proctor and the instructor would take place via proctor@uchicago.edu

Submitting the Exam

Students submit the exam by clicking submit; if there are issues with uploading, the student will notify the proctor, the proctor will assist the student with uploading. Uploading/submitting the exam is not counted against their accommodation time

Check-In

Students complete a check-in process with Proctor 1 outside the exam room; proctor verifies student’s identification approved accommodations and confirm the start/end time
Upon entering the exam room, students will give Proctor 2 their student information sheet to receive their assigned seat, a Microsoft Surface Pro device, a stylus pen, login instructions, and a guide sheet on annotating using the stylus pen

Accessing the Exam

Students log in to their Canvas account using two factor authentication
Students select the course and locate the exam in quizzes
Students enter access code and start the exam at the official start time; access code will only work for the duration of the scheduled exam time; access codes are disabled by SDS after the completion of each testing session that the exam is administered

During Testing

Proctors will monitor each students’ time and the exam room; breaks during the exam will be noted (e.g., quantity, stop/start times) and monitored by the proctor.
Student submits the exam; the exam automatically submits once the allotted time has expired

Submitting the Exam

Students submit the exam by clicking the submit button; if there are issues with uploading additional documents, SDS will scan and upload documents to UChicago Box within 48 hours of the exam. Uploading additional documents does not count against exam time
The exam access code and additional documents (scratch paper) are collected once the student has completed the exam; the access code is disabled once student has completed

Post Exam

Proctors record each students’ exam submission time
SDS will report any technical issues to the instructor via proctor@uchicago.edu
Instructors will receive notification from SDS via email once the exam has been completed
If there are additional exam page submissions (e.g., additional scratch paper) that were not included in the Canvas exam upload, the SDS proctor will scan and upload the page(s) into an UChicago Box folder that will be assigned to each instructor’s course
Instructors will receive notification via email once the exam has been completed
SDS will notify instructors of student no-shows via email; students that will require a different exam time must obtain written approval from the instructor to reschedule an exam

Proctors record each students’ exam submission time
SDS will disable the exam access code to secure the exam
SDS will report any technical issues to the instructor via proctor@uchicago.edu
If there are additional exam page student exam submissions (e.g., additional scratch paper) that were not unable to be included with the Canvas exam upload, the SDS proctor will scan and upload the page(s) into an UChicago Box folder that will be assigned to each instructor’s course
Instructors will receive notification via email once the exam has been completed
SDS will notify instructors of student no-shows via email; students that will require a different exam time must obtain written approval from the instructor to reschedule an exam.

Opt-In to SDS Proctoring

Student Disabilities Services (SDS) is committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students. SDS provides a range of testing services to support instructors in accommodating students with disabilities. These services are designed to facilitate a level playing field and promote access for every student. All SDS testing services will occur in person, unless otherwise specified.

If instructors are unable to implement testing accommodations, SDS may be able to help. Instructors may “opt-in” to SDS Testing Services. To opt-in, please complete this form to help SDS plan for the upcoming quarter.