Controlling Access to an Exam

Students can't see a test until you choose to show it. You can create all your content ahead of time and choose what you want students to see based on your schedule. Availability conditions can be set based on date, time, and performance on other items in the course gradebook.

Release Conditions  

Determines when the test is or is no longer accessible. Note that these conditions can be set for the whole class and/or for individual students.

• Access Start: Set the start date and time for test availability. The start date is the first date you want the students to see the exam as available.  

• Access End: After the end date, the item will be hidden from students on the course contents page. They will be able to see their grade but not feedback through the gradebook. The advantage of ending access is that it promotes test security, as students cannot access the test to share with others. However, it limits the use of a test as a learning opportunity.

• General Recommendation by the IDEA team: Unless test security is a critical issue for this exam, we recommend limiting access using a submission view (described below) and not using an end access date.

Due Date

This communicates the date the test is due to students and shows the date in the gradebook. Be sure also to set the time. A due date setting still allows late submissions unless you check one of the following boxes. There are two options to prevent late submissions. Note that you will have to exempt students to whom you give permission to make up an exam later.

• Prohibit New Attempts After Due Date: Prevent students from beginning a new attempt after the due date.

• Prohibit Late Submissions: In-progress and saved attempts will auto-submit at the due date, and students cannot start a new attempt.

• General Recommendation by the IDEA team: We recommend selecting "Prohibit Late Submissions" because using only "Prohibit New Attempts" allows students who have begun the exam to keep taking it. This may be acceptable in a short timed exam, but in a longer open-book period, it reduces the effectiveness of the due date.

Prohibit Backtracking

Prevent students from navigating back to earlier test questions. This can help maintain the integrity of the test by ensuring students cannot change their answers based on later questions.

• Use When:

  • You want to ensure that students commit to their answers without the ability to change them based on later questions.

  • The test is designed to assess immediate recall or understanding without second-guessing.

• Avoid When:

  • The test includes questions that build on each other, requiring students to refer back to previous questions.

  • You want to allow students to review and change their answers as part of their test-taking strategy.

  • Preventing backtracking may hinder students' ability to manage their time and focus on their strengths.

Randomize Questions, Answers, and Pages

Randomizes the sequence in which questions, answers, and pages are displayed for each student. This helps to prevent cheating by ensuring each student receives a uniquely ordered test.

• Use When:

  • You are concerned about academic integrity and want to minimize the chances of students sharing answers.

  • The test questions are independent of each other, and the order does not affect the student's ability to answer correctly.

• Avoid When:

  • The questions are sequentially dependent, and changing the order would confuse students.

  • The answers contain references to other choices (e.g., "All of the above"), which would be invalidated by randomization.