Choice of software

Examination software can support lecturers in many phases of an examination. Compared to classic paper-pencil exams, they have the following strengths:

• Various question and task types are available, which can be individually configured.
• It is possible to manage exam questions in question databases.
• They allow electronic exams to be taken remotely or on-site with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).
• Readability and anonymity can be guaranteed.
• Data entered by students is continuously backed up by the software.
• Certain question types can be evaluated automatically.
• It is possible to evaluate manually assessable questions within the tool.
• Examinees can be given insight into the results and detailed feedback.

EPIS will offer two exam softwares starting in the spring 2023 semester: OLAT and Inspera. When registering for your online exam, you can select the exam software you want to use.  

Note: Consult with your department's coordinating office before registering your online exam(s). There might be directives on the faculty or institute level regarding the use of OLAT or Inspera.

• offers German, English, French and Italian as system and menu languages.
• is perceived by lecturers and students as less intuitive to use.
• offers more options for more complex exam settings. For example, the exam can be divided into exam sections with different navigation requirements, there are specified visibility and access rules for groups of people or test components, randomization at the "section" level is possible, and dependencies can be defined between different test components.
• offers the possibility of linear navigation in addition to non-linear navigation. With non-linear navigation, test takers can freely choose the order of questions and return to questions they have already worked on. With linear navigation, examinees can only work on the exam questions in the specified order; it is not possible to return to questions that have already been answered.
• supports the use of the Safe Exam Browser.
• does not offer a solution for network interruptions.
• is less developed in accessibility than Inspera.
• offers fewer options for exam correction and scoring.

• currently offers both English and German as system and menu languages. Since the German translation has not yet been completed and is partly ambiguous, English is recommended. The exam questions, on the other hand, can be entered in multiple languages. 
• is perceived by lecturers and students rather as intuitive to use. 
• is more suitable for simpler examination settings. For example, the exam cannot be divided into exam sections that are configured differently, and randomization at the "section" level is not possible.
• offers the possibility of linear navigation in addition to non-linear navigation. With non-linear navigation, test takers can freely choose the order of questions and return to questions they have already worked on. With linear navigation, examinees can only work on the exam questions in the specified order; it is not possible to return to questions that have already been answered.
• supports the use of the Safe Exam Browser.
• in case of network interruptions, offers the option to finish writing the exam offline, download the results as an encrypted file and submit them via EPIS support.
• is more advanced in accessibility than OLAT. For example, the exam view can be enlarged or reduced, there is an integrated text-to-speech screen reader and alternative text can be stored for images.
• offers more options in exam correction and grading. For example, there are the options of double-blind assessment or co-assessment and so-called "rubrics" for manually assessable question types or assessment schemes can be stored.