Switching MCQ exams from closed-book to online: time to re-visit assertion-reason questions?

Abstract

There has been a recent increase in the number of remote online exams within the Faculty of Science, replacing closed-book, in-person assessments. Online exams offer advantages in terms of convenience and accessibility for students, but present challenges around potential collusion and access to AI-enabled resources. Multiple-choice questions (MCQs), such as those deployed within Canvas quizzes, remain popular because they enable broad syllabus coverage and can challenge students’ recall of fundamental factual content. We argue that traditional MCQ exams are perhaps at the greatest risk of being undermined by a shift from in-person to remote format: setting challenging recall-type questions under open-book conditions is in itself a challenge. This session will present a proposed model for running online MCQ exams via Canvas using the wellestablished ‘assertion-reason’ MCQ type. Although originally envisaged as a means to assess understanding at higher levels, it is suggested that they could work equally well in testing elementary understanding in a contemporary environments where factual information is readily accessible online. In addition, it will be shown how native features of Canvas could be used to discourage collusion and address the potential for bias.

Switching MCQ exams from closed-book to online: time to re-visit assertion-reason questions? Powepoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.