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I am teaching high school math. My students are generally hardworking and competent. Class sizes are about 35.

We were recently forced online due to the pandemic, and I have been searching for a way to give online quizzes that minimizes cheating. I have an idea, and I would like to ask other math educators if you think it would work well, or how it might be improved.

  1. At the beginning of the 45 minute lesson, the teacher gives the students the quiz, which has two questions: a regular question worth 5 marks, and a bonus question worth 1 extra mark.
  2. The students can work out their solution(s) on scratch paper (which will not be seen by the teacher).
  3. Before the end of the lesson, they must make and upload a video in which they solve the regular question, explaining each step through writing and speaking. To make the video, they can use the online platform, or phone camera while writing on paper/pad. At the beginning of the video, they must show their face, and the screen/paper must show the question and nothing else. The recommended time length is roughly five minutes.
  4. Optional: Before the end of the lesson, they may also make a similar video in response to the bonus question.

Example quiz:

Solve $\sin{x}=\sin{4x}, 0<x<\pi$.
Bonus: Show that the areas of the four regions enclosed by a circle and two intersecting lines, can be in any ratio.

I would try to set questions that are not easy to find online.

If a student cheats and gets help from another student or from the internet, they still have to attain at least some level of understanding of the question and solution, in order to make a convincing video. So if they neglect their exercises, it will be difficult to cheat and get away with it.

The videos will be scored based on the correctness and clarity of the written and verbal explanations. Students will be shown a demo video, to give them a better idea of what is expected.

The students will be given the usual rules about academic honesty (no collaboration, no internet searches, etc.).

I did not see this idea of a video quiz mentioned in related questions such as What are the best practices for giving online tests?

UPDATE: I did my first video quiz with my students, and I was quite pleased. An unexpected benefit is that it really helps keep the teacher "in touch" with the students. A few students misunderstood the instructions: they wrote out the solution, then started filming and just kept the camera on their paper while talking about what they had written, without writing anything during the video.

Dan
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    That sounds great, except for the amount of work it will cause the teacher grading it. – Sue VanHattum Nov 27 '22 at 16:40
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    @SueVanHattum Fair point. For a low-stakes assessment like a quiz, I think the teacher can watch enough of the video to get a sense of whether or not the student knows what they're talking about, then skip ahead a few times to see if the solution is valid. When teachers mark a normal written math quiz (again, low stakes), they often just look to see if the final answer is correct, and then quickly spot-check the working, as opposed to meticulously checking every step. For major assessments (of any style), marking will require more time, as it should. – Dan Nov 27 '22 at 22:33
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    Where I live, students were not required to turn their cameras on during remote learning, so I don't know if you'd be able to make them show their faces. I wouldn't like having to do that, especially if they have to upload to a website that then owns the video. If it's sent to the instructor directly that's a little different. – Thierry Nov 29 '22 at 14:59
  • @Thierry I have heard of schools that are not allowed to require students to turn on their cameras. Fortunately, my school is not one of those school. – Dan Nov 29 '22 at 15:03
  • What is wrong about asking three or five students at the end of the lesson to present their solution and answer follow-up questions? – Rusty Core Dec 01 '22 at 01:12
  • @RustyCore I guess there's nothing wrong with that (except the last few student might seem like they're just parroting earlier students, whether that's true or not), but I want to get a response from every student in the class, not just three or five. – Dan Dec 01 '22 at 03:00
  • Is the whole lesson for the students to make the video? And how do you plan on following up with students who didn't answer the question well? – Adam Rubinson Dec 08 '22 at 13:34
  • @AdamRubinson Yes, the students have the whole lesson to work out their solution and make the video. As far as following up, in the next lesson I go over the questions with the class, discuss common mistakes, etc. – Dan Dec 08 '22 at 13:54

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