Friday, February 28, 2020

Assessment in 2025: Here are 5 Key Features (free download!)

Straight from Stephen's Web OLWeekly:
This report (a very brisk 28 page PDF that feels a lot shorter) outlines five major principles of future assessment (quoted):
  • Authentic—Assessments designed to prepare students for what they do next, using technology they will use in their careers
  • Accessible—Assessments designed with an accessibility-first principle
  • Appropriately automated—A balance found of automated and human marking to deliver maximum benefit to students
  • Continuous—Assessment data used to explore opportunities for continuous assessment to improve the learning experience
  • Secure—Authoring detection and biometric authentication adopted for identification and remote proctoring.
The sections themselves contain some brief discussion of each of the five items and links to companies or projects working on that particular topic. The report sometimes reads as a fairly progressive look at assessment, but the last section (which deals with plagiarism and 'contract cheating') brings us back to earth.
futuristic illustration of person at computer with bright vibes

Thursday, February 27, 2020

ATTN: ONLINERS Respondus Monitor Student Support goes 24/7

illustration of a webcam
From an email from Respondus:
"Last July we introduced live chat support for our Respondus Monitor application. The service was in 'beta' as we ramped up staff and evaluated usage levels. We are removing the 'beta' moniker from the 24/7 student live chat service and formally announcing there will be no additional cost to use it. Institutions with a Respondus Monitor license  ... will have access to it. A few additional details are included below.  
How do students initiate a live chat with Respondus Support?
Most technical issues are encountered during the pre-exam 'Startup Sequence' of Respondus Monitor – which is where the webcam/microphone check occurs. There is already a powerful 'It’s not working' feature in Respondus Monitor that helps students find the right solution. But if students are unable to solve the issue by the last step, a 'Chat now' prompt appears. The live chat functionality can also be accessed through the 'Help Center' in Respondus Monitor.   
Which Respondus products have support available via live chat?
At the current time, 24/7 live chat support is available to students using Respondus Monitor, which is the online proctoring service available for LockDown Browser.   
Is live chat covered by the Terms of Use for Respondus Monitor?
Yes, the current Terms of Use (which is accepted each time a student uses Respondus Monitor) covers the live chat service.   
If you have any questions, please submit a support ticket."