[LON-CAPA-users] Can the Timer NOT be displayed for a timed activity?

Mills, Douglas G dmills at illinois.edu
Thu Feb 14 11:20:41 EST 2019


HI All,

I know that the DONE button is optional but feel like I have a vague recollection (mistaken or otherwise?) that maybe it's possible not to display the countdown timer on a timed activity?

That's my simple question. Read the lengthy stuff below if you're wondering why we'd want to do that...

Why, you may wonder, would we want to do that. We're looking into delivering exams via Lon-Capa in a testing center that was designed for a homegrown system where they have their own way of dealing with exam logistics. One of their approaches is to give the Proctors the last word over when students stop working, so in case there is a technology issue, for example, the proctor can add 5 minutes or whatever to a given student's exam time. These proctors will not have access to the settings for our exams, so if we are to be compatilble with this approach, we will need to allow some buffer on our Lon-Capa time limits -- maybe 60 minutes for a 50 minute exam period. The concern though is that perhaps this causes confusion for students when a proctor tells the group in the room that time is up yet they see 10 minutes remaining on the Lon-Capa countdown timer. Hence an interest in not displaying that timer.

Which raises the question of why have a timer at all?  The timer serves as the best option for setting up blocking events so that other content in the course is not available once the timer is launched for the exam.  Yes, it's possible to set up a timer based on a specified timeframe -- no access to other course content between 5 and 7pm on Tuesday, but the model of this testing facility is that students schedule themselves in for an exam over a three-day period, so we can't block all other content for three days; thus the reason for having a timer.

Thanks as always,

Doug

Douglas Mills
Director of Instructional Technology
Department of Chemistry
University of Illinois

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