ampEducator - LMS | Tests Guide (for Admin User)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. How do Tests work in ampEducator?
• 2. Add New Test.
• 3. Edit Test.
• 4. Assign Test to a Course (or Course Template).
• 5. ampEducator Test Security Level, Verify Student, Screen Capture and Video Capture Proctoring.
• 6. Managing Tests
• 7. Managing (Edit) Individual Student Tests
• 8. How do Students Access Tests?
• 9. How do Instructors Mark Tests?

1. How do Tests work in ampEducator?

Tests are part of the Learning Management Software (LMS) features offered within ampEducator. Tests are created in ampEducator under Home / Tests. Tests support a variety of question types can be automatically graded if the question type supports it (ie. multiple choice vs. open answer questions that require instructors to mark). Questions can be added manually or imported using our Import Tools. Once you create a Test it can be added to any Course under the LMS / Tests section. There are many settings that can be applied when you add the Test to the Course, but when you add the Test this automatically creates a unique URL for any Student in the Course they can then use to login to the Student Portal, select the Course / Test section and then click on the URL to launch their own Test based on the settings used:

Tests can be open ended or have specific start and end dates and times. Test can have time limits and individual students can be given extra time for accommodation purposes or rescheduled if they are experiencing technical difficulties. Tests also offer Security settings and Live Proctoring (Screen and WebCam Capture) via our built-in Proctoring Tools or via third party Proctoring Integrations (Smarter Services and MS Secure Assessment). Additional Proctoring Tools may be intergrated if they have a suitable API - contract support@ampeducator.com for more information.

2. Add New Test.

Under Home / Tests / Add New Test. Enter a Name for the Test that can be used for internal reference and a Decription. The Title of your Test will be what the Students will see. These can be edited later. Access to Read or Update the Test can be assigned by User Role and by Location: Click Add to launch the Edit Test section.

3. Edit Test.

Go to Home / Test and Click the Name of the Test to open it to edit or use the pencil icon to the right of the Test Name. You can also Search or Filter (top right) to locate the Test you wish to Edit by Name.

Tests have 2 sections: Details and Design. 

The Test Details section allows you update the Name, Title, Description and Access. In addition to these you can set a Time Limit for the Test in Minutes, Print Page Size and Print PDF Template which allows you to add a Logo or background artwork to the test for each page. In oder to assign the artwork you must first upload the PDF to the Institution Config / PDF Artwork section. Total Points are automatically added as you add Points to questions in the Design section. Points are not required, but using points per question is used to weight the questions overall so using at least 1 point per question if all are equally weighted is important.

The Test Design Section allows you to add Questions to the Test. There are various Question Types and selecting each one will present options and instructions. Questions can be Plain Text or Rich Text (if images or other formatting is required):

As Questions are added you can Preview them or Download a PDF version (which has a summary page added at the beginning of the Test):

4. Assign Test to a Course (or Course Template).

Once the Test Design is completed it can be added to any Course under the LMS Tab or Course Template under the Grading Schema. Course Templates are good to use so that you don't have to add the Test each time to the Course. It will already be there when you Start the Course by selecting the Course Template instead of creating a new Course each time.

Note: For Course Templates if you need to add Content you need to enable LMS Content under the Course Template Details and Click Save. Then the LMS Content Tab will appear - this is NOT required to add Tests to the Course Template Grading under Details.

For Active Courses (Not Course Templates) the LMS tab is always available. Click LMS and then scroll down or use the menu to the right to Click and Jump To Tests and then Click New Test or Add the Test under Grading the same way as you do for Courses Templates:

There are many options available that appear in the modal window that opens when you add Test to a Course:

Adding a Name is required, this may or may not be the same Name as the Test (Template) you select from the available list of Tests under Home / Tests. If you don't see the Test in the list, ensure that you have made it available for the Location assigned to the Course you are trying to add it to.

As you click options additional configurations may appear, ie start and end time, start cut off etc. or if you wish to enable third party Proctoring, you will have to configure your Proctoring Service. ampEducator offers integration to Smarter Services (See Smarter Services Guide) or MS Secure Assessment. ampEducator also offers built-in Proctoring tools - see below.

5. ampEducator Test Security Level, Verify Student, Screen Capture and Video Capture Proctoring.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to check off Proctor Test to use the ampEducator built-in Proctoring Tools. That checkbox is only required when using third party Proctor Services.

Security Level provides you with the ability to track, log and warn (and warn and end test) if the student attempts to move to another browser tab / window or application. All events are logged. Warn Student will just receive a warning and the event will be logged. Warn & End Test Student will receive a warning AND if they ignore the warning the test will be completed automatically.

Verify Student requests the Student to provide Valid ID and a picture via web capture before they start the Test.

Additionally, we now offer Screen Capture and Video Capture Proctoring. These are more advanced features that require the Student to authorize ampEducator to access their Webcam and/or Screen Capture to record events that occur while they are taking the Test.

Screen Capture allows you to select Random and/or Security Events:

Selecting Random means that every 10 minutes there is a 1/4 chance it will record the screen for 10 seconds (ie. Randomly). Selecting Security Events means that whenever the focus is lost screen capture begins and then ends 2 seconds after focus is gained. Capture will cut off after 10 seconds so that you don't end up recording 10 useless minutes of the student doing something that they have already done.

The Student will be asked to allow Screen Share Access and if they don't enable this the Test will inform them of the Error and return them to the Screen Share Permission once they click OK - they will not be able to take the Test unless they enable Screen Capture:

Video Capture works similar to Screen Capture where you select the type of capture you'd like either Random or Anomaly or both:

Anomaly includes three different types, no face, multiple face and gaze. The Student is always aware of the recording as a live stream of what they are doing is presented to them in the top right-hand corner of the Test screen at all times during the Test. If ampEducator detects any of the types it will begin recording the event otherwise it will not record the live stream as there is no point in recording Students that are not doing anything wrong - this saves you potentially Terabytes of video data cost that no one will ever review.

6. Managing Tests

Each Test becomes a Grading Schema Type in the Course and to Delete a Test you need to Delete the Grading Schema Type. Be careful not to do this if Students have already taken Tests as this will delete their results.

Once Added the Test will have options to the right as Icons, Edit, Email Test Links, Test Statistics and Print Test.

a. Edit

If you need to change settings for the Test you can do this here. When editing Tests only Pending Tests will be updated. Any Test in Progress or Completed will not be updated. If you wish to change the Grading or Delete a Test, this is done under Details / Grading. Note: Delete will delete any Student Test results associated with the Test.

b. Email Test Links

You can email the test links to Students using this feature.

c. Test Statistics

This will show an Overview of the Test, Average % Distribution and By Question.

d. Print Test

If you need to Print a Blank Test (for whatever reason) you can do this here which generates and downloads a PDF to your computer.

7. Managing (Edit) Individual Student Tests

A Test will appear for each enrolled Student in the Course Automatically - expand the [+] to see the list of Student Tests and options to the right. If you mouse over the Icons they will display what the Icon does including Mark Student Test, Reset and Reschedule, View Security Log and Print Test.

a. Mark Student Test

Here is where Instructors can access the Test and Mark it. They can also review the Verify Student Image and ID supplied by the Student, see if there are any Security Flags and review them as well as Override the Final Mark if required such as pet or child entering the room by mistake.

Instructors can filter on Questions and Sections and update marks accordingly:

b. Reset and Reschedule

There are times that Students may need a Test in Progress Extended, Reset or Rescheduled. You may also need to change the Test time for a single Student for Accommodations (more time) that you are observing for them for whatever reason. Changing the parameters here only affects the Student Test and not the others in the Course.

c. View Security Log

Students are Flagged if ampEducator detects any issues with the settings you select for the Test. Click on the View Security Log Icon to the right of the Student who has Flagged Events to review them:

This launches a model window that allows to filter on the Types (the ones in Italic have video events):

d. Print Test.

This generates and downloads the Test with the Student Test Results as a PDF.

8. How do Students Access Tests?

Using the icons to the right you can review/mark the Test, Reschedule or View the Security Log. There are also options to Edit the Test overall, Email Test Links to Students and View Grade Distributions. If you are not sure you can hover your mouse over the Icon to reveal what it does:

Students can login to the Student Portal and access their Course which will automatically have the link for Test and / or use the Email that you send to them to access the test:

Student Test Email Example:

Clicking on Link launches the Test Window and the Student can confirm to Start:

Note: Test Proctoring - If you have enabled Test Proctoring this will launch once the Student Clicks Start. Otherwise the Student will start the Test based on your settings:

Once completed, the Test will lock and the results will be accessible based on your settings:

9. How do Instructors Mark Tests?

The instructor will be able to access results immediately in the Course under LMS / Tests and click on the Mark Test icon to the right of the Student Name. They can take actions such as Mark Test Questions (if not auto-marked), reschedule, comment etc. and update the results to the overall Course Grading as well as Override Final Mark with Reasons and Comments.