Best Practices for Exams Administered in Canvas

Exam Security

Canvas can provide a secure testing experience when information is properly protected in advance of the exam.

If your exam will contain any files (images, documents, etc.) you should keep them secure by Scheduling Student Availability of the files before adding them to an exam. To do this:

1. Go to the Files area of your Canvas course
2. Create a folder for your exam files
3. From the main Files menu, click on the green “published” icon for your newly created folder (to the right of the folder name) to change the folder to be only available within the window of your exam administration
4. Upload all files containing exam content to that folder – the files will inherit the date restriction of the folder, thus protecting your exam content until the start of the exam
5. Create the exam in Quizzes using the files uploaded to the date protected folder

CANVAS GUIDE FOR RESTRICTING FILES AND FOLDERS IN CANVAS

Do not upload any exam solutions or answer keys to Canvas until after the exam administration.

Once your exam is created with an availability window (in the exam settings), you should publish the exam well before the exam start time so students can see when the exam will be available to them.  

If you need any guidance from the Teaching & Learning Technologies team about how to ensure the security of your exams in Canvas, feel free to request a consultation with one of our Learning Engineers.

Accommodated Administration Settings

When adding testing accommodations for students with ANU-approved time accommodations, be sure to update your Canvas quiz in the TWO places where timing adjustments must be made:

1. Quiz Moderation (adds additional time to a student’s administration)
   1. Once the quiz has been published, go to the main settings page for the quiz. In the upper right corner, click on “Moderate This Quiz”
   2. Within the quiz moderation page, find the student who is eligible for extended time. Select the pencil icon to edit the student’s settings on the exam and indicate the ADDITIONAL time the student should receive (not the total testing time) to meet the student’s accommodation and click save
2. Availability Window (makes the assessment available long enough for the student to use their time)
   1. On the quiz settings page, select Edit (top of page)
   2. At the bottom of the quiz settings is the “Assign” area – click “+ Add” to create an additional assignment for the quiz
   3. Adjust the availability window and/or deadline to ensure the student(s) with accommodation will have access to the quiz for the full length of their testing time

More information on testing accommodations and the settings in Canvas to meet accommodations is available on the Accessible NU website.

Communication to Students

Make sure your students know the plan for your exam administration well in advance with as much detail as you can share. Even if you talk about the logistics for the exam during class, it’s a good idea to post an Announcement to Canvas with all the details about your exam. Consider including:

• Date and time of the exam
• Format or question types students can expect
• Topics to be covered
• When students with accommodations or alternate testing plans can expect to hear about their administration details
• Academic integrity expectations including allowable resources or materials during the exam
• Plans for how student should communicate with instructors if questions arise during the exam

Need help with Canvas? Send us a message at canvas@northwestern.edu and a member of the Teaching & Learning Technologies team will be in touch.