Live Exams

This tutorial uses the following:

• Microsoft PowerPoint (exam construction)
• Adobe Premiere Pro (video editing)
• Canvas LMS (exam deployment)
• HonorLock (exam restrictions)
• ProtonMail (free, online email accounts)
• Twitch TV (online streaming platform)
• VLC Media Player (plays videos)
• Open Broadcast Software (OBS; streaming source for Twitch)

The same principles within this tutorial can be applied to other software and workflows.

Creating the Exam

The following tutorial video walks you through how to create a live stream exam and put it in video format.

Download the template files used in the video tutorial below.

Design Principles

• Use clear, legible font
• Provide a notification in the question if information needed for the question is given in Canvas
• Provide a copyright symbol/year on each slide
• Provide an Honor Code statement on each slide
• Provide a “do not distribute” statement on each slide

Example Live Exam

Below is the final video from the tutorial above.

Setting up Canvas

Setting up Canvas is simply creating an assignment with the same number of questions as the created exam in the proper order with appropriate answers. Answers can be setup as numerical, multiple choice, etc. Be sure to include the link to the livestream in each question in Canvas (not in the Exam Instructions).

Create a group assignment and assign students to it. Then, insert a link to the Exam assignment in the group assignment. Include the access code.

Be sure to set the assignment and exam availibility and due times properly.

Setting up Email

Each Twitch account requires a unique email address. There are many free email solutions that exist. For this tutorial, I will be using ProtonMail.

Steps

1. Visit www.protonmail.com
2. Click ‘Sign-up’
3. Select a ‘FREE’ account (basic account with limited features) and click ‘SELECT FREE PLAN’
4. Fill out and record the information for your email account and submit.

Setting up Twitch

A Twitch account is needed to stream to. Create a Twitch account to couple with your email created above. Be sure to record which email account you use with your Twitch account and store it away in a safe location.

Steps

1. Visit www.twitch.tv
2. Click ‘Sign up’
3. Fill out relevant information. It is highly recommended that you choose a username and password that is DIFFERENT from your email account. The username (and channel details) should be random and not descriptive of its intended use.
4. Once submitted, check your email for an email from Twitch to verify your email address. Enter the 6-digit code into the prompt.
5. Click on your profile icon (top right hand corner of the screen) and click ‘Settings’.
6. Click on ‘Channel and Videos’
7. DESELECT ‘Enable Clips’
8. Select ‘Normal latency’ under ‘Latency mode’
9. Click on ‘Moderation’ listed under ‘Preferences’ in the left-hand menu
10. ENABLE ‘Block hyperlinks’
11. ENABLE ‘Email Verification’
12. In ‘Follower-only mode’, select ‘3 months’

Disabling Chat

There is no direct way to completely disable chat on a Twitch stream. However, Steps 10–12 serves to eliminate the use of chat in a live stream by restricting chat to those that have followed your Twitch channel for 3 months. This means that you should not share your Twitch account details to anyone. The only time your Twitch account will be known is when the exam opens.

Setting up VLC Media Player

A media player is needed to play the created video. I will be using VLC Media Player as it plays nicely with OBS.

The following steps will be performed on the computer used to stream the exam.

1. Visit VLC Media Player
2. Download VLC for the appropriate operating system
3. Install VLC

Setting up OBS

Streaming software is needed on the client PC to stream content to the selected Twitch account. Open Broadcast Software (OBS) is a free program that allows you to do this.

The following steps will be performed on the computer used to stream the exam.

1. Download and Instal OBS
2. Run the OBS auto-wizard and connect to your Twitch account
3. Setup scene and source
   • Only one scene is needed. Provide it a descriptive name
   • Only one source is needed. This will be the video program used to play the video. I will be using VLC Media Player.
   • To setup the source, open VLC on the PC. You should then see VLC appear as an option in the ‘Window Source’. If using Windows 10, you should select ‘Windows Graphics Capture (Windows 10 1903 and up)’ option from the ‘Capture Method’ menu.

Deploying the Exam

1. On the day of the exam, open up OBS and ensure that your scene/source is properly selected.
2. In OBS, you will see a chat window. Click the gear and ensure that ‘Followers-Only Chat is turned ON.
3. In the same menu as step 2, enable ‘Emotes-Only Chat’.
4. Bring up your exam video (via VLC) and ensure that the preview screen looks proper.
5. Click ‘Start Streaming’ at the moment your exam opens up on Canvas.

Post Exam

Once the exam is over, you should delete your Twitch account (it will not be reused).

1. Sign into www.twitch.tv
2. Visit the following link: https://www.twitch.tv/user/delete-account
3. Click ‘Delete Account’
4. Revisit the ‘Setting up Twitch’ steps to create a new Twitch account to use for your next exam. Be sure to properly update your stored account information.