Evolution of Testing at the U of M
Testing is continuously evolving. New technologies are emerging and an increasing number of instructors are incorporating alternative assessment strategies into their courses. This evolution accelerated rapidly as a result of COVID-19 and the shift to remote instruction.
Prior to the pandemic, the majority of tests at the University were still traditional paper and pencil tests, typically taking the form of written exams, blue books, or Scantron. As the pandemic hit and we shifted to remote instruction, traditional paper exams were no longer practical. Instructors and students had to adapt quickly to alternative testing options.
Exams began to take different forms. Some paper exams were adapted to be taken online as Canvas Quizzes. Many instructors utilized a combination of Zoom, lockdown browsers, and services such as Proctorio to allow for remote proctoring of students. Additionally, technologies such as Gradescope became more popular for grading written exams efficiently. OMS has seen all of these technologies used with great success, often in combination within a given course.
Now that students are returning to the classroom, we are seeing paper exams make a comeback, alongside the full range of powerful testing technologies. OMS is pleased to see instructors taking advantage of all of the great testing options available to them, and we have adapted our service offerings so we can continue to support instructors’ testing needs. OMS now offers the following testing services:
- Scantron exam scanning
- Gradescope and PDF scanning
- Canvas quiz building
- Online exam proctoring (coming soon)
Additional exam services are currently in development.