Using Numbas for final exams

Abstract

Numbas has been widely used across the University for a number of years, but only recently has the software been used extensively for final assessment. Whilst some of the increased use of Numbas for exams was planned, for example in Engineering’s Flexible Stage 1, the move to online assessment in the spring of 2020 dramatically accelerated interest in finding a solution for running numerate assessments online. This presentation will present our experiences using Numbas, including for pass-fail assessments in 2020, and timed assessments such as “4 in 24 hour” exams, which were used for all stage 1 modules in maths and physics in 2020/21. The recording will highlight some of the recent developments to make administration of exams easier, for example access changes for extra time students and automatic re-marking.

Looking to the future, the recording will cover how Numbas will interact with Inspira and look at some of the formats emerging, for example hybrid Numbas assessments where some work is marked offline.