BYOD-Exams

Please note:

If you would like to conduct an online exam, please contact the person responsible for exam planning in your department before (!) planning it. The information on this page will help you to estimate the time and resources required for online exams and show you how to do it. The following planning instructions are particularly relevant for you, if a 'paper exam' that has already been planned is to be subsequently rescheduled into an online exam, or if there is no central exam planning in the department.

In this guide you will learn how to conduct a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) exam with your students on campus at the University of Konstanz. In a BYOD scenario, students use their own laptops (or comparable devices) within the university WiFi to take an online exam:

• online exams no longer have to be written in the university's computer labs.
• fewer university devices are needed, there are no overlaps and fewer bottlenecks in bookings
• students have a more familiar environment and better sense of security when using their own computers

BYOD exams are generally written using the Safe Exam Browser (SEB).

• SEB creates a secure exam environment on the student's computer for the duration of the exam.
• only the corresponding exam content can be edited with the device on ILIAS.
• copying of own files on the computer is prevented
• research on the internet is blocked.

1. Planning BYOD exams

For planning and room reservation we recommend this order, which is also followed by the sections in this text:

1. Determine the time needed for the exam
2. Clarify the availability of assisting staff (e.g., student assistants).
3. Check whether your students can meet the minimum technical standards.
4. Decide which rooms you would like to use for your exam
5. Check the availability of the desired rooms and of substitute devices.
6. Reserve the rooms at the room scheduling department.

1.1. Time planning

In addition to scheduling the exam, please also consider other preliminary considerations. Determine the allowed writing time in advance and add extra time for delays, technical problems, compensatory measures, etc. In addition allowed writing time, allocate a buffer of about 15 minutes before and after. This is where the process is explained, replacement devices are handed out, if necessary, note paper is distributed, and students log into the systems. At the end of the allowed riting time, every substitute device has to be collected again.

1.2 Personal support

Clarify the availability of support for your BYOD exam (e.g., assisting staff). You will receive additional personal support from us as follows:

• You always have a personal contact for any topic related to your exam.
• We clarify all questions you might have together with you, regarding your BYOD exam and workin with the Safe Exam Browser
• We support and advise you on all topics concerning the preparation of exams in ILIAS.
• At least one trained member of the e-learning team will be present during your BYOD exam for technical support.
• If you do not have a personal contact yet, please feel free to mail us at digitale-lehre@uni-konstanz.de for general organizational and technical questions, and please write to ilias-support@uni-konstanz.de for ILIAS questions.

1.3. Technical requirements

The private devices of the exam participants must meet certain minimum requirements in order to use the Safe Exam Browser (SEB):

• Windows 8.1 or Mac 10.11 operating system, or higher.
• Screen size of at least 13.5 inches
• Use of the SEB is not possible on devices running Linux, Chrome, or Android
• Devices must have at least 3 hours of battery life for a 120-minute exam
• Devices must be equipped with a working WiFi adapter
• If students are unable to meet these standards, the KIM will provide substitute devices.

Notes on the use of the SEB:

• It is theoretically possible that the operating system can be damaged in the event of a power failure while running the SEB in exam mode.
• Therefore it is very important that students can guarantee the appropriate battery life
• The participants need an entry password to open the SEB and to get to the ILIAS-exams platform.
• Closing the browser can be done either automatically after submitting the exam in ILIAS, or again by an exit password
• These individual access passwords are stored in a start file - we provide this file for your students
• With the start file and the entry password the students can start the SEB

IMPORTANT: Ask your students if their devices can meet the minimum standards for a BYOD exam (see above).

Chromebooks can be used as substitute devices under the following conditions:

• the ILIAS exam environment is used.
• no software other than the SEB is needed on the devices (such as text editors for writing essays, as an upload task in ILIAS).

Inform your students about the SEB program and that an installation is necessary in order write the exam. The installation files can be downloaded directly from our page Installing the Safe Exam Browser. Here your students will also find additional short installation instructions.

1.4 Recommended exam rooms

In general, all rooms with a strong enough WiFi signal are suitable - for larger groups, the lecture halls in the R-building are particularly suitable. For smaller groups, the seminar rooms which you are already using, may also be suitable. Please also check the following overview of suitable rooms for online exams. If you are unsure, please contact us directly (digitale-lehre@uni-konstanz.de).

Room	Places	Type	Delivery of Chromebook replacement devices by the KIM.	! Note
A600	701	Audimax	locked.
R712	243	Lecture hall Bio/Ch	yes
R711	242	Lecture hall Ph	yes
A701	Lecture Hall	locked
R513	177	lecture hall Math.	yes
R611	168	Lecture hall Ch	yes
M629	150	Lecture hall	yes
A703	Lecture Hall		locked
D434	112	seminar room	no
A704	107	Lecture room	locked
A702	105	Listening room	locked
C336	100	seminar room	no
C425	100	seminar room	no
E404	100	Seminar room	no
G300	100	Seminar room	no
C230	90	Seminar room	no
R512	84	Physics lecture room	yes
R511	79	Bio/Ch lecture hall	yes
P603	69	Lecture hall	ja
M627	68	Exper. Lecture Hall
G309	60	Seminar room	no
C423	54	Seminar room	no
ZT1202	54	Seminar room	no
M628	52	Exper.lecture room	yes
P1138	50	Seminar room	no
D432	48	Seminar room	no
M630	47	Seminar room	no
F426	46	Seminar room	no
G307	46	Seminar room	no
G421	46	Seminar room	no
Y311	46	Seminar room	no
C427	42	Seminar room	no
F429	36	Seminar room	no
D436	34	Seminar room	no
E403	34	Seminar room	no
G308	34	Seminar room	no
D522	32	Seminar room	no
ML630	32	Seminar room	no
D247	30	Seminar room	no
F428	30	Seminar room	no
M901	29	Seminar room	no
G306	28	Seminar room	no
H308	28	Seminar room	no
H309	28	Seminar room	no
M701	28	Seminar room	no
G304	26	Seminar room	no
L829	26	Seminar room	no
F423	24	Seminar room	no
M631	24	Seminar room	yes
P812	24	Seminar room	no
P912	24	Seminar room	no
Z1003	24	Seminar room	no
C426	18	Seminar room	no
D435	18	Seminar room	no
M801	18	Seminar room	no
M1001	18	Seminar room	no
M1101	18	Seminar room	no
G302	16	Seminar room	no
P1012	16	Seminar room	no

1.5. Checking room availability and substitute devices

Here you can check if the rooms you would like to use are available (no registration required!):

Overview of current room occupancy: http://134.34.26.182/roomresrrm/

Once you have found a suitable exam room, notify us of the number of required substitute devices on your exam date, so that the equipment can be reserved for you.

Please submit a reservation request for a BYOD-Exam using this form:
https://www.kim.uni-konstanz.de/services/forschen-und-lehren/e-learning/formular-byod-klausuren/

Please note that we can only deliver the substitute devices (Chromebooks) to the rooms, where a delivery option is explicitly mentioned in the table above (in section 1.4). If you want to use other than these rooms, you will have to organize and carry out the transport of the Chromebooks yourself. For each way with one mobile Chromebook cabinet you should expect about 45 minutes, we will hand them over to you at the entrance of the N-Library.

1.6. Room reservation for your exam

If you cannot or do not want to use the rooms that might already be reserved for you by your department (within the scope of the usual event planning of the departments), please get in touch with your department first. Clarify whether they can reserve the rooms you would like to use for you - or how room reservation requests for online exams are to be registered at your department in future. If this is not currently possible, please reserve the rooms you would like to use directly and send an e-mail to the room scheduling department, after having checked the availability, as described above (section 1.4):

Reservation request : Lehrraumvergabe@uni-konstanz.de

2. Preparing the exam

2.1 Using the ILIAS-exams platform

It is recommended to conduct your BYOD exam in combination with an exam course on the ILIAS-exam server. This is secure in terms of examination regulations and archiving of the examination results. To do this, proceed as follows.

Step 1

• We set up a course on the ILIAS-exams platform for you, after you have informed us about your planned exam.

• Instructions and hints on how to conduct online exams with ILIAS can be found here: https://www.kim.uni-konstanz.de/en/services/research-and-teaching/e-learning/online-exams/

Step 2

• Create your exam on the ILIAS-exams platform - we support you and give advise on creating tasks and exams.

• See also the corresponding instructions: https://www.kim.uni-konstanz.de/en/services/research-and-teaching/e-learning/online-exams/instructions/

• Ideally, you have your exam prepared on the platform four to six weeks before the date of the exam, so that we can carry out a final check for you - i.e. whether the exam is realistically designed in terms of writing time, the overall conception, regarding the use of the question types.

• Set a password to access your exam on the ILIAS-exams platform

2.2 Practicing procedures and infrastructure mock exam

If you or the participants of your course do not yet have any experience with BYOD exams and the use of the exam ILIAS, we strongly(!) recommend conducting a trial exam:

• Students can familiarize themselves with the installation and use of the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) on their own device and the login process (making sure they know their account name with password). They will learn how to find, start, edit and complete the exam course. Students who have not yet used Klausuren-ILIAS must also complete the profile completion required when logging in to Klausuren-ILIAS for the first time.

Here you can find a guide on how to use Safe Exam Browser for students:
How to write an exam using the Safe Exam Browser

• Teachers should test the function of the selected configuration in the test exam: Please check whether your settings for the availability and access period and the processing time work (including the settings for compensation for disadvantages!). Also test the following as examples
  • all desired question types (note: assignment and arrangement questions do not work on tablets!),
  • the scoring of the answers (especially for multiple-choice questions) and
  • if desired, the functioning of the grading scheme.

Please let us know your preferred date for the mock exam in good time by sending an email to ilias-support@uni-konstanz.de. Please plan and reserve it using the same procedure as for "real" BYOD exams. Due to the limited availability of rooms and devices, no mock exams with Chromebooks (as replacement devices) can take place during the exam period at the end of the semester.

2.3. Inform students about the procedures

Before the start of the exam, inform the students about the procedures and tell them what they need to know in order to take part in your BYOD exam.

Important note:
Here you will find a prepared text template with the information that you can adapt and send to your students

2.4. ILIAS-exam final check

Be sure to have made a final check to your ILIAS exam, to ensure that the test is accessible for the students in ILIAS on the day of the exam. This also includes a check whether all questions and the marking scheme have been entered correctly. We are happy to carry out this final check together with you.

Please use this checklist as a guide for your final check:

Checklist for the final inspection of ILIAS exams

3. Conducting the exam

Provide your students with the start file for your BYOD exam in time before the exam. For this purpose, you can use your existing ILIAS course folder or a mailing list. Advise your students to download the start file and to have it ready on their own devices on the day of the exam.

Security guidelines for BYOD exams

• The use of any other digital device or handheld (phone, smartwatch etc.) must be strictly prohibited.
• A password for the online-test on the ILIAS exam platform must be set.
• The test password must not be announced before the start of the exam.
• The test password may only be announced on site in the exam room.
• Students must not be allowed to leave the exam room before the end of the writing time.

Before the exam begins

• Verify student identites using registration lists, student IDs with photographs - logging into the ILIAS-exams platform with the student account credentials is no proper identity check.

• Inform the students about the procedures before the exam starts.

• Ask students to turn off their phones, set them to flight mode, and tell them to stow them away to their bags.

• To eliminate any chances of phone usage, you should also ask students to move their bags (including phones) to the front or the sides of the room.

• Point out that students should close the screen halfway when they leave the seat during processing, e.g. for going to the toilet.

• Do not tell your students the start password for the SEB and your exam on the ILIAS until they are in the exam room - make it visible in the room (on the board or whiteboard).

Start of the exam

The student...

1. ...opens the SEB with the start file and the entry password, and is directed to the ILIAS-exams platform.
2. ...logs in with firstname.lastname and the account password and gets to the exam
3. ...logs into the exam with the set exam password and starts writing the exam

During the exam

• In case of technical questions or problems, students can and should report immediately at any time.

• Record these cases and log the problem description, type of problem solution, as well as the time of the incident

End of Exam

• Students click on 'End Test' in ILIAS to hand in their exam - thereafter they cannot edit the exam anymore or make any changes to it.

• Only after submitting the exam in ILIAS, students are able to close the SEB via a button and unlock their device.

4. Evaluation, post-exam revision, make-up dates

Please refer to our Guide on how to configure on-campus exams in ILIAS (in German) and the documentation on how to use the ILIAS-exams platform:

https://www.kim.uni-konstanz.de/en/services/research-and-teaching/e-learning/online-exams/instructions/.

In case of any paticipants' objections regarding hardware or software errors after the exam, please contact us immediately so that we can review the case with you.