Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - E-Assessment

Fewer teaching, fewer examination cases

Of the total of 5,669 lectures that had been planned for the summer semester 2020, in the short term 4,979 (87%) could be implemented digitally, i.e. mostly as synchronous video conferencing at fixed dates and with preparation/post-processing via Moodle ("virtual classroom teaching"). However, practical exercises (e.g. in sports sciences) and laboratory practicals (e.g. in life sciences) in particular could not be carried out in emergency attendance mode, so that the courses had to be cancelled or postponed.

Due to these cancellations, the total number of examination cases (36,573) also fell by 4,726 compared to the summer semester 2019 (41,299). 52% of these examination cases (19,129) were conducted as closed examinations. In addition, there are other written forms of examination that are shown separately, e.g. take-home examinations, essays, term papers, master's theses, etc.

Moodle becomes an examination platform

In contrast to previous semesters, not only courses but also exams were now processed via the HU-Moodle. This began in May and June with some examinations (602 examination cases) from the 2nd examination period of the winter semester, which had been postponed.

The extensive abandonment of face-to-face examinations ultimately led to 12,784 examination cases in the period from 13 July to 30 October 2020, which were organised via Moodle (35% of the total examination cases in the summer semester). The distribution of Moodle examinations among the faculties with a large number of examination cases is also interesting here:

SLF - Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaftliche Fakultät (Languages, Literature & Humanities); LeWi - Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät (Life Sciences); KSBF - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät (Humanities and Social Sciences); JurFak - Juristische Fakultät (Law); WiWi - Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät (Economics and Business Administration); MatNat - Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät (Mathematics and Natural Sciences)

The overview suggests that for the winter semester 2020/21 there could and probably will be a considerable increase in examination cases in some faculties, which will be conducted with the support of Moodle.

But it is also important to break down by assignment or quiz module, which imply different types of exams. While the Moodle module " Assignment" is preferably used for take-home exams and open-book exams, the Moodle module "Quiz" is mainly used to implement closed-book procedures, i.e. traditional "supervisory exams".