Rebuilding a course to reduce cheating. Issue with Timer
Dec 13, 2020
A course that we ran this term had 60-plus minutes of video segments and knowledge check questions being completed in as little as 1 minute by some students. Marks were earned by achieving 100% on Knowledge Check questions. We removed both Print and Review functionality to make it harder to cheat, but that didn't help.
The course has been rebuilt (after some very interesting pedagogical conversations) using the "compliance approach." Instead of quiz results, students must complete all slides to earn marks. Navigation is restricted, the video player is hidden, the seekbar is locked, Next is inactive until the video completes. An advantage for the honest students is that Review is back -- a feature they really like.
I've been testing with a focus group. Not being able to see the video timing was the huge negative to the students -- not the restricted navigation. I've added the time of video segment in the outline and built a slide-specific timer (video lengths vary throughout the module). Everything is working well on the different slides, except when the student decides to go back and review a completed section. On a revisit, the video player and seekbar are active making the timer unnecessary. The timer appears and starts counting. On a revisit, my goal is that the timer does not appear, the student can see the time in the video player. Any suggestions to not activate/hide the timer on a revisit?
Link: https://360.articulate.com/review/content/aed7f360-dad4-4895-a032-6888b9a5868b/review
Screenshots and a Storyline file attached.
Many thanks, Susan
10 Replies
Hi, Susan,
To me, the simplest solution is this:
The video controls show the full length of the video, as well as the progression of time:
Otherwise, if you want to keep your timer but only on the first visit, then set that object to Hidden when the media completes.
Judy,
Thanks, but it is not the video timer, I'm already doing what you suggest. It is the timer I created so the students could keep track of the time but not use it to advance to the next screen. If a student revisits the slide, it appears. See image 3.
Hi Susan! Sorry that's happening! I'm not seeing the story file, but I have a guess. Have you tried adding a trigger to your custom timer to change its state to hidden when the media ends or whichever matches the trigger to make the NEXT button function? Another option is to place a shape over the timer near the end of the timeline. That way, when they revisit, the shape will cover up that custom timer you built.
Sarah,
Thanks for jumping in. I actually have all of that working well. My issue is when the student revisits the segment. At that point they can use the video bar and the seekbar, so the timer is redundant. It can also be out of synch (a few seconds) with the video player. My goal is to have the timer hidden on a revisit.
Hi Susan! Thanks for sharing the story file. If I understand correctly, you want the custom timer you built to not be visible on revisit. If that's the case, all you need is a white box over the timer. Change the state to Hidden. Then add a trigger to change the state of the white box to Normal when the media ends. I went ahead and updated the story file with those changes. Now when the learner revisits, the custom timer is no longer visible. See the attached story file. Also here's a screenshot for reference. I hope that helps! Please let me know if there's anything I'm missing.
Sarah,
Thank you! I don't see the attachment. Please resend.
I work with universities. I think there is an opportunity for Articulate to
show how your products support academic integrity. Could we have a chat
about this?
Susan
Hey Susan! Here's the attachment. I added EDITED to the name so you can differentiate which file has been changed.
Also, that's wonderful news! Thanks for letting me know. I'll share that with my team so we can connect with you on that.
Hello again Susan! I just spoke with people internally and they'd love to hear more about how you think we can better support academic integrity. The best thing to do would be to submit a feature request. Thanks again!
Sarah,
Almost there, but not quite. If a student returns to a slide and uses the Seekbar, both the screen covering the video player and the timer appear. Can we turn off the Seebar on revisit?
They need it on the initial view because some of the videos are really long - 20 minutes.
Hi Susan. Unfortunately, there isn't an option to hide the seek bar on a revisit, but you can share your thoughts with our team as a feature request here.