What’s in the new assessment experience?
The new and improved OHM assessment experience will include:
- Modern, simplified student user interface
- Updated equation editor makes entering answer easier for students
- Awesome mobile keyboard experience using equation editor
- True test retakes
- By part submission for multi-part questions
Check out our July 2019 Release Announcement page or watch the sneak-preview demo to see the new assessment experience in action!
Why is this a “beta” release?
Because this July 2019 update is a beta release, some features may be adjusted slightly in the coming weeks as we see it actively used by students and faculty. As a result, if you are using OHM at large scale or have a very low tolerance for such changes you may want to consider using it in just one section or delaying upgrade until Spring 2020.
When should I upgrade the assessment experience?
The new OHM assessment experience introduces new features and functionality that positively impact the user experience, and we’re eager to see students benefit from it. At the same time, it’s important for faculty members to feel confident with the learning tools they use in the classroom. Because this July 2019 update is a beta release, some features may be adjusted slightly in the coming weeks as we see it actively used by students. With these points in mind, here are questions to consider as you gauge your comfort level and timeframe for upgrading to the new experience:
- How comfortable are you with the current system?
If you’re extremely comfortable with the old assessment experience and your students do fine with it, you may consider waiting. Alternately, if you see usability issues these updates can address for your students, you should consider upgrading sooner.
- Are other faculty looking to you for training?
If others rely on you for training, you’ll want to get very comfortable with the new experience before training colleagues. If you have time to do this before the new term, then you should consider taking the plunge. If you’re concerned about this, you should postpone the upgrade for your classes … or consider applying it only in your classes to better familiarize yourself.
- Are there internal department training materials or other documentation that need updating?
If your department uses training materials for faculty or students, you should make sure these materials or other documentation are updated to reflect the new assessment experience when you deploy it.
- Are there classroom instructions that need updating?
If you or your departmental colleagues have developed classroom instructions for students using OHM, you should make sure your upgrade timing allows you to have these instructions updated to reflect the new experience.
For some users, upgrading for the Fall 2019 term makes sense as they are excited to improve the experience for their students using OHM or provide early feedback.
For others, upgrading for Spring 2020 may make better sense, giving more time for key faculty to become familiar with the new experience and update any training materials and instructions for their departments and classes.
Since this is a brand new release, we are especially looking for feedback and questions. We will continue to make improvements as we go forward. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or feedback by contacting us at support@lumenlearning.com.
What if I want to stick with the old assessment format for now?
The Assessment Experience is selected at the course level, so faculty members have total control over which courses use the old vs. new experience. If you take no action, your courses will continue to use the older version of assessments.
If you’re inclined to wait, don’t worry: we will continue to support the older format through at least December 2020! Note that at this time, it is not possible to convert existing courses to the new format. Instead you’ll need to create a new course copied from existing courses when you want to upgrade to the new assessment experience. In a later release, we plan to support converting existing courses to the new experience.
How do I upgrade to the new assessment format?
Note that currently, assessments can only be upgraded to the new format when creating a copy of an existing or template course. In a later release, we will support converting existing courses without creating a new course copy to the new format.
To opt in for the new assessment experience:
For direct log in users:
- From your OHM course page, click on “Add new course”.
- Click either "Copy a template course" or "Copy from an existing course" and select the course to copy.
- Click "Course Copy Options" to show the options and select the “Upgrade assessment version” checkbox.
- When you click on “Submit” at the bottom of the screen, it will automatically upgrade the new course’s assessments to the new experience.
Check back soon for a quick video walk through of the upgrade path to post here!
For LMS integrated OHM users:
- Within your Learning Management System (LMS), follow course copy steps to copy your existing LMS integrated OHM course into your new semester course site.
- When clicking on an OHM assessment link from your LMS for the first time, you will be prompted to either Associate or Copy. Select Copy and check the “Upgrade assessment version” checkbox.
- When you click on “Submit,” it will automatically upgrade the new course’s assessments to the new experience.
Check back soon for a quick video walk through of the upgrade path to post here!