Why might you want to replace a final objective exam? The reasons can range from practical to pedagogical and may include threats to academic integrity, disparities in students’ access to technology, or discovery of better ways to assess learning. If you typically administer an objective final exam, one way to replace it is with a combination of the suggestions listed in Modifying Objective Exams. Another way is to replace it with a paper or project. Asking students to produce a piece of writing or other media means that each artifact will be unique. Students will also likely deepen their understanding of the subject because they will have to use higher-order thinking to synthesize the content. If you would like to turn your exams into smaller assignments to be completed across the semester, refer to the guidance on Assignments and Facilitating Activities.
Whatever you choose, ensure your syllabus provides the most up-to-date and accurate information articulating how students will be assessed including point values of papers and projects.
Depending on the specifications of your assessment(s), you will collect student work/responses via Canvas Assignments or Canvas Quizzes. Refer to the guidance on choosing between Quizzes and Assignments.
Exam scoring and feedback
- Certain Quiz items will be automatically graded by Canvas: multiple-choice, true/false, fill in the blank, multiple answers, matching, numeric answer, and formula question.
- Essay and file upload items will require manual grading via SpeedGrader.
- Be sure to "Post grades" for the exam once you have completed the scoring of all open-ended items. Scores and feedback will not be available to students until you manually post grades (Canvas article).
Note: If you are creating an exam via Canvas, be sure to select "Classic Quizzes" in the + Quiz pop-up window.
If you believe your exam requires test proctoring, review the current limitations and procedures for setting up a proctored exam with Examity.