Colloquia may also be organized remotely, i.e. an oral exam that takes place in the form of group testing or a discussion. The instructor verifies not only the knowledge of students, but also their ability to interact with others.
Test preparations
With distance exams, there must be increased emphasis on communication with students, not only in terms of supplying sufficient advance notice when announcing terms, but also the method of technical support for exams. It is advisable to take the following steps before starting an exam:
- Set the term and manner of organizing the exam and inform students in advance;
- Check the technical conditions prior to beginning the exam.
Term and manner of holding the state exam
Students register for the exam in SIS based on the terms announced by the examiner. It is important when students register for a specific term that they are already aware that the exam is remote and that they know what tool is to be used for the exam. Students must also be informed of what they will need for the exam (technical equipment, Internet connection, etc.).
The Instructor creates an online meeting in the selected tool. When selecting a tool, they should also consider the capacity and possibilities of the tool. i.e. reserving the room on time in Adobe Connect or the number of cameras seen at one time.
The instructor sends the log-in link to students by e-mail at the students’ addresses provided in SIS and informs them of the required information for holding the state exam (or provides instructions for installing the tool).
For this form, we select a number of students that the videoconference platform can handle without serious technical problems (ideally 3 to 4 students).
Inspection of the technical conditions
Before starting the exam, the following steps should be carried out with the participants of the exam:
- Install the videoconference software, ideally on more than one device (laptop, telephone);
- Before testing, check the functions and make sure the software is updated (so that it does not start updating when you start the videoconference);
- Check the microphone and headphones (headphones are preferred over speakers because they produce less feedback noise which would interfere with the quality of the audio transmission); or check the Bluetooth connection for the headphones, etc.;
- Check software controls, the switching of windows, opening the chat window for troubleshooting, feedback, etc.
Note that with this form of exam, all students in the colloquium should be connected with a camera, which could cause technical problems. If a student does not have the proper technical equipment (e.g. a laptop with a video camera, microphone and speakers, an Internet connection), you can contact the Carolina Centre to borrow equipment centrumcarolina@cuni.cz (however, the capacities of the Carolina Centre are limited).
Starting the exam and testing procedures
- The examiner verifies that all exam participants are connected and requests that the students turn on their microphone and video camera.
- The examiner explains the basic rules for communication, e.g. “When you are not speaking, turn off your microphone.”
- At the beginning of the exam, the examiner also informs the students of the rules and conditions in the event of being disconnected, which can be set by the faculty rules.
The instructor tests the students:
- The instructor asks questions orally which the “called on” student answers orally;
- The instructor may call on another student to respond to a specific question, either via chat or orally;
- An open discussion may also take place (moderated by the instructor) where the participants take turns speaking (after logging in and being called on);
- Other options for testing could be:
- An individual presentation – One student presents the results of their work;
- A group presentation – All students present in turn the results of their work.
The examiner provides the results of the exam for the students in SIS.
