Getting Started with Inspera

Inspera is integrated in Canvas using LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability). In order to create/activate your Inspera account, you need to access Inspera via Canvas.

There are two ways to do this:

1. Create a new Inspera test using the Canvas Assignment function in a course in which you are an instructor. We recommend that you use your personal sandbox course to do this. If you do not have a sandbox course, please email IT.ServiceDesk@newcastle.ac.uk. 

2. Access a pre-existing Inspera test from within a Canvas course where you an instructor via the Canvas Assignment area.

You will then able to access Inspera at any time through Canvas to view any questions or question sets created by you or shared with you by colleagues, or access any tests on which you are set as a contributor. You would simply click the grey load button that appears on any Canvas Assignment that has been set up as an Inspera exam.

Once you have logged into Inspera it is possible to manage your notification settings. from within the interface.

The Inspera Navigation is broken up into five 'modules' which are accessed from the top of the screen. These are essentially initial access points to specific areas of the system.

Author and Deliver

The Author module is where you will create and manage questions and question sets.

The Deliver module is where tests that you are listed as a contributor for can be found. Tests should always be created as a Canvas assignment first as this is how students are enrolled onto Inspera tests. Once an Inspera test has been created in Canvas, you can update the Inspera test settings from here.

There are Inspera videos available that give a detailed introduction to the Author and Deliver modules.

Monitor

The Monitor module can be used to make adjustments while a test is open to students. For summative exams this will be handled by the Digital Exams Team in LTDS. The functionality of Monitor can also be accessed directly from a test in Deliver. There is guidance available for all of the functionalities in Monitor in the Inspera Help Centre. You can also check out our Inspera Monitor webpage.

Grade

The Grade module is where test results are confirmed before marks are released to students. Any questions that require manual marking can be accessed from here, and you can review automatically marked questions here too. See our Marking Exams in Inspera webpage for information about marking tools and workflows for an Inspera test.

Report

The functionality of the Report module is limited. Please contact Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk if you wish to discuss result analytics.

Accessing and Inspera Test via Canvas

To access an Inspera test from Canvas, you should navigate to the Assignments area in the Canvas course, and click on the assignment link. Then you click on the 'load test in new window' button to be taken to the test in Inspera. You must be an Instructor on the course in Canvas to access Inspera tests in this way.

Accessing an Inspera Test via Inspera

Once tests have been set up in Canvas, any that tests you are a contributor on in Inspera can be accessed from 'Tests' within the Deliver module of Inspera.

Yes, you can. The list views and filters available allow you to display content that is relevant to you in Inspera. You can save different views of content to be reused, and share views of content with colleagues. It can be used in any area of Inspera where you see the options below.

There is a short video from Inspera below demonstrates how to use list views and filters. 

You can also check out a blog post about using label filters on the Learning and Teaching @ Newcastle Blog.

Completing a Digital Exam Form and Creating your Question Set

Module Teams are required to complete the Digital Exam Form*, and to finalise their question set in Inspera by the deadlines stated on the Inspera homepage of the Learning and Teaching website under 'How to prepare for a Inspera digital exam'. You can find out more about how to create questions and a create a question set on our Creating Questions in Inspera webpage.

*The Digital Exams Team will contact Module Teams who have an Inspera Digital Exam listed on their MOF with a link to the Digital Exam Form to complete. For Semester 1 this will be shared at the beginning of the academic year and for Semester 2 this will be shared at the end of Semester 1. If you have not received an email about your centrally supported Inspera exam, please contact Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk. 

Question Set Technical Check

Once your Question Set is ready, it is the responsibility of the Module Team to check the content and quality of the questions, including the correct set up of automatically marked questions. When you are finished with the question set, you can quality check it by using the eye icon in the upper right corner. You will then get a preview of the question set that corresponds to what the candidates will experience when the complete the test.

You will submit your question set to the Inspera Digital Exams Team where a member of the team will complete a technical check of the question set.

Setting up the exam

For any centrally-supported summative Inspera Digital Exams, the Digital Exams Team will set up the test in Canvas to be accessible to students at the scheduled time.

Marking the exam

Once the exam has taken place, the Module Teams will then grade the exam and release marks (and can choose to release feedback) to their students. You can find out more about how to mark Inspera exams our Marking Exams in Inspera webpage.

The Inspera Digital Exams Team within LTDS host a series of online webinars for colleagues to sign up to on the Inspera Elements page. It may be possible to arrange School-specific sessions. Please contact digital.exams@ncl.ac.uk for further information.

Formative/mock/practice exams can be set up within Schools. You will first need to create a question set to use in your practice exam. You can use our Creating Questions in Inspera webpage for support on how to do this.

For formative or practice tests, module teams can make Inspera practice assessments available to students. Please note that for summative exams the Digital Exams Team will set up the Inspera test using a finalised question set.

The steps required in Canvas are detailed below if you would like to set up formative or practice tests for your students. The Inspera Digital Exams Team have also created a video demo you can watch that talks through set up.

Part 1 - Creating the Assignment Point on Canvas

Tests should be created directly in Canvas as a Canvas assignment using Inspera as an external tool. This is essential as this is how students are enrolled onto tests.

1. Add a Canvas assignment (link to Canvas guide) from the assignments area adding a relevant title and any instructions.

2. Ensure that the points available for the test are entered and 'display grade as' is set to Points. This should match the marks available for the test in Inspera or, to display the marks in Canvas as a proportion of 100 set this to 100.

3. Under submission type select external tool and then click on 'find' to locate and select 'Inspera Assessment'. Ensure 'load this tool in a new tab' is ticked.

4. The assignment can be assigned to specific students if necessary and availability dates can be set. Dates set here do not pull into Inspera and are controlling the availability of the link in Canvas only. The Digital Exams Team will not use due dates for summative exams as this information is not relevant to the Inspera set up. Please be aware due dates will apply to Canvas only if using.

5. The assignment will need to be published to become available to students. Scroll down and click save. The screen below will appear. Click on 'load Inspera test in a new window' to be taken to the Inspera settings.

Part 2 - Finalising the Exam in Inspera

Once you have clicked on 'load (test name) in a new window' you will be taken to the test 'Setup screen' within Inspera.

For Centrally Supported Summative Inspera Digital Exams, the Digital Exams Team will set up the test. However, if Inspera is being used for formative or practice tests (not locked down, no University Invigilators) there is some key information and some recommended test settings below for you to use.

Section 1: Setup - Test settings and Candidates

• The test name will be the same as the assignment name in Canvas. You will need to edit settings such as: selecting the question set, enter the appropriate dates and any test instructions.
• Under 'template' you should select: 'Inspera in person exam template non lockdown'.
• Under 'question set', search for the name of the question set you wish to use.
• Add graders via the contributor drop down. You can view the Adding and removing markers Inspera webpage for further details.
• Candidates will sync from Canvas when you create the assignment link in Canvas and open it. The number of candidates will display. Students cannot access the test until it has been released.
• Scroll down to open the next section of setup.

Section 2: Setup - Committees and options

• If delegated marking is required for manually marked questions this will be set up using Grading Committees.
• Ensure marking 2.0 is ticked to have access to the latest marking tools. 
• Scroll down to open the next section of setup.

Section 3: Setup - Security and exam day

• Exam Security options are not required for informal practice or formative tests (not locked down, no University Invigilators). As they are not locked down, the default Exam Day settings are suitable. 
• You will need to select a 'day password' which students will need to enter to start the test in Inspera.
• Scroll down to open the next section of setup.

Section 4: Setup - After the test and Grading workflow

• The settings for After the test and Grading workflow will depend on your processes and the type of test.
• Explanation of grades is something that we are not currently using at Newcastle, no settings are required here.
• Click next to move to Design.

Section 5: Design

• This is where display options specific to the test are set. The design settings are identical to the ones the Author module has available when creating question sets, as described in this article: Design settings in question sets.
• Any settings made here over-ride those set in the question set.
• Click on 'fetch form question set' to apply design settings set at the question set level.
• Click next at the bottom of the screen to move to assessment settings.

Section 6: Assessment settings

• We recommend selecting 'Do not use grade scale'.
• Click on next at the bottom of the screen to move to the final review.

Section 7: Confirm settings and activate

• This is the final screen from where the test is activated. It is possible to deactivate a test and amend settings up until the time it is released to students.
• Click on activate test. The test will become accessible to students at the date and time set. Remember that as students need to access the test through Canvas, the Canvas assignment must also be published and have the correct availability dates set.