Special Case: E-Exams@Home
University examinations that are taken in electronic form or via electronic communication (e.g., Zoom) are considered e-exams@home at the University of Wuppertal and are classified as ‘Digital Examinations’. These are subject to specific requirements and conditions to be eligible as substitutes for in-person teaching and on-site examinations. In contrast, e-exams@uni are classified as ‘Electronic Examinations’ (!), not digital ones.
Are digital examinations unrestrictedly allowed starting from the summer semester 2024?
The University Digital Ordinance (HDVO) came into force on 1 April 2024. The Rectorate executed a guideline for the implementation of the HDVO (Digitisation Guideline) on 23 January 2024 (Official Announcement 3/24). The Digitisation Guideline permits faculty boards to replace in-person teaching and on-site examinations with digital teaching and digital examinations, provided the format is suitable for the respective course or examination, particularly from a didactic perspective.
- Handout (accessible only via the university network or VPN) for faculties on implementing the Digitisation Guideline
FAQs | Format: E-Exam@Home
Many steps in planning and conducting an e-exam@home are similar to those of an e-exam@uni. Booking e-exam rooms, creating exam questions in LPLUS, maintaining contact with the e-exam team, receiving technical support during the exam, and adhering to deadlines remain unchanged.
However, differences exist, particularly concerning the technical requirements that students must fulfil, such as having a desktop PC or laptop with a camera and microphone. The entire exam is also accompanied by a Zoom meeting, which is used for identity verification at the start, the distribution of the exam link and invigilation. Technical support is provided via phone by the e-exam team.
Given the altered circumstances, it is also advisable to critically examine the design of exam questions and possibly shift to higher taxonomic levels. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate to contact us.
A member of the e-exam team will set up a modified Zoom meeting for your e-exams@home. You yourself will be assigned the role of a co-host. All relevant details will be sent to you via email at the start of the exam period. The meeting serves as the central communication channel and enables invigilation.
If you, as the responsible examiner, are conducting multiple e-exams@home in the same semester, only one meeting will be created for all these exams.
At the start of the exam period, you will receive all relevant details about the Zoom meeting. You can then forward these details to your students along with a link to the ‘Information for Students’ section.
The Zoom meeting itself will include a waiting room to regulate entry as needed. The link to the actual exam will then be distributed via the Zoom chat at the start time. The login process is the same as for e-exams@uni.
If connection interruptions occur during the exam that are not the direct responsibility of the examinee, the e-exam team will work with the examinee to ensure that the exam can be resumed. Technical support is provided via phone. The relevant numbers will be shared with the students at the start of the Zoom meeting via chat, with the request to write them down on paper.
As invigilators, you will ultimately decide whether the exam was interrupted due to significant external factors and whether it may be resumed.
