Dear colleagues,

We write to share information about assessment and proctoring options, Winter Session and spring semester course preparation, and supporting accessible course content.

Assessment Options and Proctoring Pilot

Learning assessment options for fall semester courses are described in detail on the Assessment webpage of the Keep on Teaching website. One of these options is an online proctoring service called Proctorio. UM recently signed a contract with this service and is piloting Proctorio this semester. Proctorio works within the Moodle quiz tool, and instructors who wish to participate in the pilot must complete a required training beforehand. 

Using an online proctoring tool comes with benefits as well as challenges. We want you to have a clear understanding of how it works. Please keep the following in mind as you consider participating in the Proctorio pilot this fall:

• The University has a limited number of student licenses available (for approximately 10-15% of the student body) for fall semester. After reviewing the results of this pilot, the University might be able to get new licenses for the rest of the academic year. Implementation in a course will be on a first come, first served basis and only after an instructor has completed the required training.
• These licenses are recommended for use in testing situations where an instructor feels online proctoring is absolutely necessary, such as high-stakes testing. Since licenses are student-specific, please consider the frequency and longevity of student use as you request student licenses.
• Online proctoring is a fairly intrusive option for testing. Consider other steps you can take to reduce cheating by means that are already available, such as specific settings in Moodle quizzes/tests. Also consider alternative assessments rather than traditional tests and exams.
• Proctorio only works within the Moodle quiz tool, so your quizzes/tests must be built into Moodle. It also requires the use of Chrome (with a special extension) as the browser.
• You may encounter student resistance, and even refusal, to take an exam that is proctored by an online program. Be prepared to address these issues and make accommodations to the extent possible.
• The Office of the Provost supports the use of online proctoring, but this is an individual faculty decision and an instructional choice. Online proctoring can be a deterrent used to reduce cheating, but it does not prevent cheating completely.

Please review the Keep on Teaching website to explore assessment options other than Proctorio, review Proctorio’s features, and take an online self-paced training to learn how to use it. It is important to follow these steps to gather the information you need to make an informed decision. The required Proctorio training should take about 60-90 minutes. You can stop the training at any time if you decide not to pursue the Proctorio option.

Winter Session and Spring Course Preparation

We are already halfway through the fall semester and want to thank everyone for their continued efforts to meet the needs of our students as we adapt to constantly changing circumstances. As you know, we are offering Winter Session between fall and spring semesters to help students get ahead, catch up, and stay on track. We have an impressive list of course offerings for this 3-week session. If you are teaching a Winter Session course, now is the time to start preparing the course for the shortened schedule so it is fully ready to go on day one, Monday, Nov. 30. 

UMOnline is offering a live Cohort for Course Development starting Friday, Oct. 9. This cohort is particularly recommended for those teaching Winter Session courses, but any instructor is welcome to join. The cohort will run from 1-3 p.m. for two Fridays, Oct. 9 and 16, via Zoom. Sign up for the Cohort for Course Development on the IT Short Course website. Alternately, an online and self-paced version of the course development is available for self-enrollment in Moodle: UMOnline Course Development Tutorial.

Moodle shells for all Winter Session and spring semester courses will be available Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.

Supporting Accessible Course Content

Please ensure all components of your courses are accessible and usable by all students. These include publisher integrations, documents, videos, and websites. These digital resources often need to be remediated for accessibility as an accommodation for students with disabilities. Please be proactive to ensure all digital resources are accessible from the onset. This enables all students, with and without disabilities, to participate fully in the course. Accessibility solutions often benefit all students.

UM’s Accessible Technology Services (ATS) reviews software for accessibility compliance before approving it for purchase, acquisition, or use. Software includes desktop applications, mobile applications, web applications, and Moodle (LTI) integrations for online publisher content.

If you are considering purchasing, acquiring, or using a particular piece of software or third-party publisher materials for your courses, please complete an EIT Accessibility Evaluation Request form as soon as possible. Providing this information four to six weeks in advance of use will allow ATS time to review your selections and confirm that they meet our accessibility compliance requirements. The review process may take up to two weeks to complete, depending on workload, vendor response, and the testing process itself. Please direct your questions to ATS.

By working with ATS and UMOnline’s instructional design team, faculty and students can look forward to a rewarding teaching and learning experience as we move forward into Winter Session and spring semester.

We hope that you will be able to take advantage of these resources and opportunities.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Nancy Clouse, Senior Instructional Designer/Instructional Design Manager (Interim), UMOnline

Maricel Lawrence, Executive Director, UMOnline

Nathan Lindsay, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs