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I want to testFinal state examination/Thesis defenseHolding examinations in Adobe Connect

Holding examinations in Adobe Connect

These instructions complement (but do not replace) the general rules for preparing and holding state examinations with respect to the specific characteristics of Adobe Connect. 

Phase 1: Organizing the examination

Creating a term for the examination

If selecting this tool, it is important to pay attention to the timely reservation of a conference room. This reservation must be made prior to announcing the term for the state exam. For making a reservation, contact the Centre for the Support of E-Learning: tomas.nikl@ruk.cuni.cz. You can use the following room for testing purposes: https://el.lf1.cuni.cz/test/.

After confirming the reservation, you must create and set up in the Adobe Connect environment the parameters for the conference room. By creating a conference room, you secure the space where testing can take place at various times on various days until the meeting organizer closes the conference room. This means that the students ALWAYS log in to one meeting using the SAME link, based on a schedule created in advance. Therefore, you should ensure sufficient time reserves between the individual exams.

In the settings for the meeting, select “Only for registered users or approved guests”: this access allows automatic log-on using a link sent to each user who has access to CAS. The conference organizer, i.e. the host, can also approve anyone who logs on using the link, even without log-on data for CAS.

If you select the option of recording the exam (without the presence of the public), you  can also choose the access : “Only for registered users (guest access is blocked)”. This option ensures that only users with a CAS account can log in to the conference room.

Inspection of the technical conditions

In the invitation to the online meeting, the student must be informed of the general rules (see above) and the following:

  • The student must install Adobe Connect in advance.
  • The student logs in to the created conference room in Adobe Connect with their CAS user account.  

The examiner/administrator (the one who created the room) is the “host” and has the most rights for setting other options. The host may:

  • assign rights to other meeting participants (can change a guest to a speaker or host);
  • turn on video recording or stop/turn off video recording (no other meeting member can manipulate the video);
  • Allow other participants access to the conference room during the meeting (or remove a participant from an exam).

RECORDING: When recorded in Adobe Connect, the recording is automatically saved in the Adobe Connect service (web interface) and made accessible only to the creator of the room. The instructions for turning on the recording can be found here.  

Recording takes place simultaneously in OBS Studio on the local computer of the administrator/examiner to prevent the student or the examiner from intentionally or unintentionally turning off the recording, or possible technical difficulties with the processing of the recording by Adobe Connect.

Phase 2: Commencing the examination

  • The host, i.e. the person who created the meeting, logs in to the conference room via the link.
  • The committee members log in to the conference room via the link (using a CAS account).
  • The host assigns the host right to committee members.
  • According to the schedule set out in advance, the student also logs in to the conference room via the link (using a CAS account).  
  • In the event of recording, the responsible person in the role of host turns on the recording in Adobe Connect and also in OBS Studio on their local computer.
  • In the case of participation of the public, participants who are not committee members will be approved by the host after the initial verification of the student (according to ID card or student card, which does not takes place in the presence of the public).

Phase 3: Holding the distance examination

During the exam, the examiner may also use chat, either in a group where messages are seen by all of the participants in the room (e.g. for asking additional questions) or privately where individuals are selected or subgroups of participants. As a rule, messages are sent to a group chat. For commencing a private chat, we select in the main menu “Panel” – “Chat” – “New Chat” – and the chat opens in a new window where we choose the option of the drop-down triangle (upper right-hand corner) and select  “Start chat with”, where you can select either a group or an individual.

Using the button (see below), you can set a word log-in. You can also send a request for a louder/quieter or faster/slower call.

If there is a need to vote on the results of an exam among the examiners, you may remove the student from the exam, and after voting, invite the student back to the environment. It is possible to use the distribution of users into groups/sections and to separate these sections. Communication then takes place separately. While the student is alone in the group, the hosts are in another group and communicate with each other – the student does not hear or see their communication.

After informing the student of the results, the examiner turns off the recording in Adobe Connect and also the local recording in OBS Studio.

After finishing the exam, the host removes the student from the conference. The room is now prepared for other exams.

Phase 4: After the examination

  • It is recommended to leave a time reserve between the individual testing of students (e.g. 5 to 10 minutes) in order to resolve any technical problems on either side, etc.

Checklist – State final examinations in Adobe Connect

Organization of the state examination

☐ Preparation of the meeting/reservation of terms for the exam in Microsoft Teams and subsequent assigning of the terms for the state final exams.

☐ Informing student of the time of the exam and its preparation in Adobe Connect.

☐  Sending the log-in link to the student.

☐ Sending the instructions for installation.

☐ Agreeing on the time for the test call.

☐ Inspection of the technical parameters.

☐ (In the event of participation of the public, publishing a link for log-in – see the general rules for the state exam.)

Holding the state exam

☐ All committee members and the student logging in to the conference room.

☐ (turning on recording)

☐ Verifying student with an ID card, inspecting the room and technical parameters (+ inspection of application), sharing screen.

☐ (In the event of participation of the public, confirming the exam participants, waiting in lobby.)

☐ Informing about the exam.

☐ After holding the exam, the committee decides on the mark and communicates the result to the student = end of exam.

☐ (Ending recording of the state exam)

After the examination

☐ Saving the recording from OBS Studio.

☐ Saving the recording to ESSS CU.

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