The staff from CTL and SAS have a request that we believe will bolster the University’s mission to encourage critical thinking and allow all students to reach their full potential.  We request that, if you give an online exam, you refrain from blocking students’ ability to look back at the test and review their responses to previous questions.

Evidence shows that some students with disabilities will need to be able to backtrack during online exams as a reasonable accommodation.  From the perspective of students with, (for example), learning disabilities, post concussive disorder, and some anxiety disorders, this could mean the difference between a failing and a passing grade. For other students, it is not a matter of studying well or practicing taking a test, but a matter of one or more of the following:

• The rate at which they process information
• The rate at which they recall information
• Their tendency to skip or fill in words as they read
• Difficulty in recognizing connections
• Methods used to concentrate and focus
• Increased anxiety leading to drawing a blank

From an early age, and continuing throughout their high school years, many students were taught how to take exams with these four very important strategies:

• Reading the entire test before starting
• Marking up the test for various reasons
• Answering questions that are readily known
• Returning to, correcting, or reviewing responses and test questions.

Additionally, students taking paper exams in the brick and mortar classroom have the opportunity to flip back and forth among questions. Therefore, from a Universal Design viewpoint, we highly recommend that you allow backtracking for all students.

If you are concerned with academic dishonesty and have prohibited backtracking to limit such opportunities, CTL can provide you with much more effective tools, such as Respondus Lock Down Browser Monitor, for preventing cheating.

CTL staff would be happy to help you figure out how to enable backtracking either as an accommodation for an individual’s exam or for the entire class.