What is a Session?

A session is the scheduling of a test for examinees.  It has been separated from the Tests and Examinees workflow to make those two things more reusable.  For example, you might have a Biology Final Exam that is used twice per year but does not change, but you do have new examinees each time.  The Session workflow allows you to select a set of examinees and assign them to a test in this manner.  It then includes many additional options regarding how the test is being scheduled/delivered, which makes it extremely powerful and flexible.

Operational Options

The Sessions module contains practical options about how the test is to be delivered.

• Online or paper delivery
• Display an instruction screen before the test starts
• Post-test score report for examinees
• Time boxed to a date window or ongoing
• One or multiple tests in one sitting
• Ability to deliver:
  • Standard Independent Tests
  • Multistage Dependent Tests

Scalable Security Options

The Sessions module is designed to implement the scalable security concept by specifying how examinees interact with the test, including important questions:

• Are we limiting the session to a certain group of examinees or opening it to everyone?
• Is the test available as an open URL link, only accessible with test code (password), accessible by a student entering their student ID number, or linked to scheduling from an LMS or other systems?
• Is the test available for a specific time window (e.g. 9-12 AM on Saturday, 15 August 2020)?
• Is the test delivered with the extra security of a lock-down browser? 
• Allow an Examinee to Retake a session.

Progress Dashboard

The Sessions module also contains a progress dashboard, which is used to perform administrative tasks (e.g. exporting data, reporting).