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An extraordinary effort was made in a very short time by, amongst others, IT, CLT, Scheduling Office and blended leaning coordinators into ensuring that the mid-year exams could proceed despite lock down, switching from mostly paper based to fully online. The preparations included:
- Establishing an extended CLT support team for students and lecturers, to handle the increased volume of support calls,
- Extending the hours where support is available to 22h00 and Saturdays,
- Training lecturers and support staff,
- Preparing training and information documentation on online exams,
- Revising the exam schedule to stagger the starting times by 15 minutes to reduce the impact on the system,
- Allowing 30 minutes extra time for exam submissions to counter any potential technology issues with submitting the assessments,
- Upgrading the SUNLearn infrastructure to cope with the increased load,
- Preparing an Outlook calendar of exam times, for information purposes, for co-coordinating support and for predicting load on the systems, and
- Arranging laptops and data for students without these, who had to learn and write exams remotely.
A big thank you (appreciation) must also be given to the lecturers, who in a very short time had to convert courses and exams to this emergency fully online mode. Almost everybody had to sacrifice their Easter holidays to get ready for teaching and examination during lock down.
The exams have been running smoothly to date, with some of exceptions:
- Several changes had to be made to the way exams were set in SUNLearn, particularly where students experienced problems or the SUNLearn system was placed under extremely heavy load. Many lessons had to be learnt about which methods do not work well. Guidelines had to be updated continuously as we became aware of the impact of practices. Examples are:
- Quiz questions should be set one question per page, to allow more frequent saving (on every change of page)
- Documentation such as example spreadsheets, or documents, may not be encrypted with passwords and the documents may not be set to open in the same window as the assessment. The preferred method is to release the document outside the actual assessment
- Turnitin should not be used where originality cannot be tested, for example in images.
- No changes should be made to assessments once the assessment has started.
- The SUNLearn system experienced very sharp load peaks on three occasions, on 16 and 20 May, as well as on 15 June. These spikes were so sudden that it was impossible to detect them early enough for proactive actions. The provisional findings are that the peaks were caused by SUNLearn assessments which had been set sub-optimally. The findings were then used to improve the guidelines for online assessments.
- Students on occasion had difficulties logging into SUNLearn. The support teams and support documentation have provided temporary workarounds, but a permanent solution has since been developed.
- Students have at times had difficulty in submitting their assessments. The 30 minutes extra time was intended to allow for this, but many students abuse the extra time as writing time and then struggle to submit at the last minute.
- There are indications of fraud during the online exams. This must be further investigated.
- The support infrastructure and teams where not always ready to cope with the volume of support calls. The team has been expanded and priority exam service desk queues have been created.
- Support staff had to work under extreme pressure and at times had to endure abuse from students, and even from parents of the students.
In the bigger picture, we believe the University did well to switch to the emergency fully online mode. We will however not rest on our laurels but strive to further improve the processes and systems.
[ARTICLE BY Johann Kistner and Lianne Keiller]
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Binne ʼn geweldige kort tydperk is ʼn uitsonderlike poging deur, onder andere, IT, SLT, die Skeduleringskantoor en gemengde leer-köordineerders gemaak om te verseker dat die mid-jaar eksamens ten spyte van grendeltyd kan voortgaan deur van papiergebaseerde eksamens tot ten volle aanlyn te verander. Die voorbereidings het die volgende ingesluit:
- Vestiging van ʼn uitgebreide CLT-ondersteuningspan vir studente en dosente om die verhoogde volume ondersteuningsoproepe te kan hanteer.
- Verlengde ure sodat ondersteuning beskikbaar is tot 22h00, sowel as Saterdae.
- Opleiding van dosente en ondersteuningspersoneel.
- Voorbereiding van opleidings- en informasiedokumentasie oor aanlyn-eksamens.
- Hersiening van die eksamenskedule sodoende die begintye met 15 minute te versprei om die impak op die stelsel te verminder.
- 30 minute ekstra tyd vir eksameninhandigings om te kompenseer vir moontlike tegnologiese probleme met die inhandiging van die assesserings.
- OPgradering van die SUNLearn-infrastruktuur om die verhoogde lading te kan hanteer.
- Voorbereiding van ʼn Outlook-kalender vir eksamentye vir inligtingsdoeleindes, koördinering van ondersteuning en om die lading op die stelsel te antisipeer.
- Reël van skootrekenaars en data vir studente wat dit benodig om tuis te leer en eksamens te skryf.
Dankie en waardering vir dosente wat noodgedwonge binne ʼn besondere kort tyd kursusse en eksamens moes aanpas na ʼn 100% aanlyn-formaat. Feitlik almal moes hulle Paasvakansies opoffer om gereed te wees vir onderrig en eksamens gedurende grendeltyd.
Die eksamens het grotendeels glad verloop, met enkele uitsonderings:
- Etlike veranderings moes gemaak word aan die opstelling van eksamens in SUNLearn, spesifiek waar studente probleme ondervind het op die stelsel of die stelsel onder geweldige druk verkeer het. Lesse is geleer oor die metodes wat nie goed werk nie. Riglyne is deurlopend opdateer soos ons bewus geword het van die impak van praktyke. Byvoorbeeld:
- Opname-vrae is gestel sodat slegs een vraag per bladsy wys, sodat daar meer gereeld gesave kon word.
- Dokumentasie soos sigblaaie of dokumente, behoort nie enkripteer te word met wagwoorde nie en dokumente behoort nie oop te maak in dieselfde venster as die assessering nie. Die voorkeur-metode is om die dokument vry te stel buite die assessering self.
- Turnitin behoort nie gebruik te word waar oorspronklikheid nie getoets kan word nie, byvoorbeeld grafika.
- Geen veranderinge aan assesserings moet gemaak word nadat die assessering begin het nie.
- Die SUNLearn-stelsel het skerp ladingspieke by drie geleenthede ondervind – 16 en 20 Mei, sowel as op 15 Junie. Hierdie toenames was so skielik dat dit onmoontlik was om betyds op te tel en proaktiewe aksie te neem. Die voorlopige bevindings wys dat die onverwagse toenames veroorsaak is deur SUNLearn assesserings wat sub-optimaal gestel is. Die bevindinge is daarvolgens gebruik om die riglyne vir aanlyn-assesserings te verbeter.
- Per geleentheid het studente probleme ondervind om aan te teken op SUNLearn. Die ondersteuningspanne en ondersteuningsdokumente het tydelike, alternatiewe werkswyses verskaf, maar intussen is ʼn permanente oplossing ontwikkel.
- By tye het studente gesukkel om hulle toetse in te handig. Die ekstra 30 minute bedoel hiervoor is dikwels deur studente misbruik as ekstra skryftyd en gevolglik het hulle gesukkel om betyds op die nippertjie in te handig.
- Daar is aanduidings van bedrog gedurende aanlyn-eksamens. Dit moet verder ondersoek word.
- Die ondersteuningsinfrastruktuur was nie altyd in staat om die volume van ondersteuningsoproepe te kan hanteer nie. Die span is uitgebrei en prioriteit eksamendienstoonbank-toue is geskep.
- Ondersteuningspersoneel moes onder geweldige druk werk en by tye misbruik van studente en selfs ouers verduur.
Gegewe die groter prentjie, glo ons dat die Universiteit hulle goed van hulle taak gekwyt het met die noodoorskakeling na die aanlyn-platform. Ons sal egter nie op ons laat wag om steeds te poog om die prosesse en stelsels te aanhou verbeter nie.
[ARTIKEL deur Johann Kistner and Lianne Keiller]
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