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Center for Integrated Professional Development

Best Practices for Online Exams

Administering exams online through Canvas can be an effective way to assess student learning. Whether you are giving a quick quiz or a high-stakes exam, this guide provides an overview of some best practices to help ensure a successful experience for both you and your students.

Why Online Exams?

Online exams can be valuable for both in-person and fully online courses. When designed well and fully utilizing the features in Canvas, there are many benefits for instructors and students.

Benefits of Online Exams (Regardless of Course Modality)

Quicker grading and feedback:

Many question types in Canvas can be automatically graded, allowing instructors to simply review results. Students can receive timely feedback and review their answers/results quickly.

Variety of question types:

Canvas supports a wide range of question formats. Instructors can move beyond multiple-choice or true/false questions to include essays, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and even video or audio responses.

Flexible access:

Online exams make it easier to offer make-up tests and accommodate students who require extended or adjusted access.

Reduced exam anxiety:

Timed, in-person exams can increase stress for some students, potentially affecting performance. Online exams allow students to complete exams in a more comfortable environment, which may help reduce anxiety.

Designing Your Online Exam

As you transition from in-person exams to online formats, you will find greater success by adapting your materials to better suit the online environment.

Focus on Your Learning Outcomes

Ask yourself the following questions when adapting in-person quizzes or developing new assessments:

  • What outcomes must be assessed?
  • Which outcomes have already been assessed in other ways?
  • Are there any outcomes that would be better addressed later in the course?

Also, determine what constitutes acceptable evidence of learning. Once these details are clarified, you will have a better idea of what to include in the exam.

Is a traditional exam the best way to assess learning?

In many instances, a student's ability to take a test may not fully reflect their understanding of the course material or the real-world circumstances in which they will apply that knowledge. Consider the following alternative strategies to better capture student learning:

  • Series of quizzes: Offer low-stakes opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery and provide ongoing insight into their understanding. Frequent quizzing can reinforce learning. Consider randomizing questions to reduce the likelihood of cheating.
  • Student-developed quiz questions: Having students write quiz questions builds and demonstrates students' understanding of the material. This can also be structured as a collaborative group activity.
  • Open-book, take-home assessments: Common in many disciplines, open book assessments typically involve more conceptual or applied questions that cannot be easily looked up. Open-book assessments can promote learning and do not necessarily lead to higher scores. Some students may not consult materials, while others benefit from reviewing content during the test.
  • Fact sheet: Ask students to create a one-page fact sheet on a topic, requiring them to select relevant facts and explain them clearly and concisely.
  • Essay exams: Use Canvas Assignments for essay responses. If you have several essay questions, consider creating separate assignments or allowing students to select which question to answer. In general, application-based, or open-ended questions require students to engage on a deeper level and are more resistant to outside assistance (e.g., AI tools or quick searches).

Prioritize Access and Accessibility

Consider how and where students access and take the exam. External exam monitoring software, like Respondus Lockdown Browser, may hinder students' ability to take the exam in ways unrelated to academic integrity. Rather than turning to proctoring tools, use the methods listed above to revise your exams so they better assess understanding through application of content rather than knowledge-based questions that can be answered with a quick search engine query.

If your exam includes diagrams or charts, remember that not all students have access to the tools needed to scan or photograph such documents. Consider alternative formats and ensure all materials are accessible to all students.

To ensure your exams are accessible for students, explore this guide on building accessible quizzes in Canvas.

Discuss Expectations for How to Take the Quiz

Be transparent with students about what level of outside support they can use on the exam. Ensure they are aware of any time limits or restrictions you have in the quiz settings. The more clearly students understand your expectations, the better prepared they will be to meet them.

If you are concerned about academic integrity, consider including a question at the beginning of the exam that is worth no points where students agree with the course or university’s academic integrity policy. While only symbolic, this can dissuade students from engaging in academic dishonesty.

Worried about AI Use?

CIPD offers resources to help you determine how and when to allow AI to use in ways that support student learning, promote student literacy with AI, and ensure that students are honest and transparent in its use.

Find a Strategy That Works for Your Courses

While we can provide guidance and best practices, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for online exams. Consider your students' needs, course learning objectives, modality and meeting schedule, and your availability as the instructor. After each exam, take note of trends in scores, any issues that arose, and feedback from students. As you plan for future exams, make adjustments that will help you better assess student learning.

Explore More Online Resources

Resources

Davis, B. G. (2009). Tools for Teaching (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Kurz, L. (2020, March 18). Handling exams when your course unexpectedly moves online. Center for Innovative Teaching at Indiana University Bloomington. https://blogs.iu.edu/citl/2020/03/13/exams-online/#.XpUC2Jl7nIV.

Rutgers, University Academic Affairs (2025). “Remote Proctoring: Recommendations for Faculty.” https://academicaffairs.rutgers.edu/remote-proctoring

Ohio State University. Strategies and Tools for Academic Integrity in Online Environments. https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/teaching-topics/strategies-tools-academic-integrity.