Last Updated: November 28, 2023

Teaching and Learning with Technology is supporting NYU Brightspace: Respondus (Main Article) and the Remote Proctoring Tool available in NYU Brightspace, by request, to support you and your students. For more information on this tool, go to the LockDown Browser and Remote Proctoring Tool section below.

Testing and Assessments Options

Tip: For the best experience, please view this table on a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

I want to give... I can use...
An exam with multiple question types The NYU Survey Service (Qualtrics) to create a test with page breaks between questions to save students' work as they go
A pre-test or quiz untimed A Google Form to ask questions asynchronously
The NYU Survey Service (Qualtrics)
*Paper-based exams Gradescope (Video) (Article)
* Exams that require text and non-text responses e.g. math, formulas, equations, drawing, charts, graphs, etc.
A take-home/open-book exam, not proctored The Assignments tool in NYU Brightspace presents instructions and attachments. Submissions are uploaded via the Assignments tool.
A large scale, high-stakes exam with proctoring An e-Proctoring Tool: Respondus LockDown Browser, Automated Proctoring Tool, See note*
A secured assessment A LockDown Browser and Remote Proctoring Tool is available across NYU and upon request after a brief consultation with your school instructional technologists.
Consider limiting your use of remote proctoring to only those situations where it is absolutely necessary, determined during your consultation.

*Please check with your school instructional technologists to confirm which services are recommended for testing and assessment. Several NYU schools have e-proctoring tools which are used for high-stakes, monitored exams. These services are digitally monitored or overseen by a person monitoring remotely or proctored at a testing center.

LockDown Browser and Remote Proctoring Tool

LockDown Browser and the Remote Proctoring Tool are available to faculty and students through NYU Brightspace. The Remote Proctoring Tool allows faculty, course site administrators, and TAs to create recorded proctoring or NYU Zoom-based proctoring sessions for NYU Brightspace quizzes. For more information about LockDown Browser and Remote Proctoring Tool, please refer to NYU ServiceLink, or schedule a consultation with the NYU Digital Studio.

Examples of NYU Schools’ Assessment Approaches

We have collected some approaches being used across NYU to encourage ideas and support faculty in assessment decisions, especially under time-constraints and the new reality of remote instruction.

Tip: For the best experience, please view this table on a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.

School Remote Assessment Methods
College of Dentistry All high stakes examinations at the College of Dentistry are delivered through ExamSoft in both modalities, in-person and remote. When remote, students must certify their identity using ExamID, an add-on app that scans their faces and a photo ID. At the beginning of all academic programs, students must sign the school’s honor code.
College of Global Public Health GPH conducts very limited high-stakes assessments. When needed, the options considered are:
take-home exams, delaying exams to a future date, or open-book exam with available faculty over an NYU Zoom call.
Resources:
Narrative Assessments (Papers, presentations, etc..)
Faculty of Arts and Sciences FAS divisions (including Liberal Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences) use a combination of honor-code based best practices and technology solutions to address the design of assessments during remote instruction. Decisions are made on the division and department level; consult your academic dean, DUS, or DGS for options.
Liberal Studies Remote Assessment Guidance
FAS Remote Assessment Resources
Rory Meyers College of Nursing Nursing is using its own assessment delivery system.
Resources:
NYU Meyers Support Site
NYU Shanghai Shanghai uses a combination of different assessment approaches base on different disciplines and scenarios. Approaches include but not limited to Brightspace Quizzes, Gradescope, Respondus lockdown browser, open-book assessments.
Resources: NYU Shanghai Online Teaching & Assessments Guide
School of Law During remote instruction, all classes will conduct take-home exams, (except seminar papers, clinical courses, etc.) In a few cases where Proctor U, the online proctoring tool is used, it will be determined if all exams will also remain in the take-home format. Faculty may vote on a pass/fail option.
Resources: Take-Home Exams
Silver School of Social Work Silver doesn’t conduct any high-stakes assessments. During remote instruction, take-home exams will be conducted at specific times with accommodations given as needed.
Resources:
Narrative Assessments, Quizzes and Tests through Google forms or NYU Qualtrics
Stern School of Business Stern uses a combination of these approaches:
take-home exams, delaying exams to a future date, or open-book exam with available faculty over an NYU Zoom call.
Resources:
Learning Science Lab/Remote Teaching
Tandon School of Engineering Tandon is focused on assessment design choices that minimize the need for proctoring tools while considering staff proctoring, take-home exams (with honor code), oral exams, and Gradescope.
Resources:
Guidance for Tandon Faculty and Assessment Options for
Exams, Projects, and Research Papers

Wagner Graduate School of Public Service Wagner uses a combination of approaches that minimize the need for proctoring that include alternative assessment methods and technology, timed written essay exams, and Pearson MyStatLab for statistics courses. For small groups, Wagner staff use NYU Zoom to proctor tests.
Resources:
N/A

Faculty Choices, Student Integrity, and Technology

Faculty choices are at the center of remote instruction assessment, especially an unplanned one. Assessment validates the academic compact between instructors and learners. An abrupt shift to remote instruction gives us the opportunity to return to the fundamentals and reiterate our values and practices. This document synthesizes ideas from several sources into a set of actionable procedures that combine the three central components of remote assessment: faculty choices, student integrity and technology to guide assessment decisions for remote instruction. Please see Academic Integrity for Students at NYU.