Take-home exams

During a take-home exam (THE), students work on one or multiple assignments

• handwritten or electronically,
• on their own,
• without supervision,
• while using permitted tools and resources (if applicable),
• within a set time and
• within a set period (by a deadline), which may be longer than the actual completion time.

The examination regulations give examiners certain freedoms regarding the specific design of take-home exams. This applies, among other factors, to the completion time (within the scope of the applicable examination regulations) and the completion period.

Each set of examination regulations specifies its own completion time. The guidelines are:

• 120–180 minutes for the Faculty of Law,
• 60–240 minutes for the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and the Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science.
• 60–180 minutes for the Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School).

Examiners specify the specific completion time within the timeframe issued by the guideline that applies to their subject.

The period between the distribution of the assignment and the submission deadline may exceed the specified completion time. The examination regulations do not provide any guidelines for that period.

As a general rule of thumb: the longer the period between the distribution of the examination questions and the submission of the answers, the better the chance students have of carrying out their own research and consulting sources that will help them answer the question. Examiners are asked to bear this in mind when phrasing the assignment question and set the completion period accordingly (also see the note on didactic aspects on this page). 

Take-home exams can be carried out in two ways:

Version 1: completion period plus technical buffer = examination duration

The completion time is similar to that of a written examination. When determining what completion period to set, bear in mind that students may struggle with a brief loss of internet connectivity, small time-lags or technical issues. There may also be minimal differences in the time displayed on their devices. Ensure that your schedule gives students appropriate flexilibility to prevent conflicts under the examination regulations. Experience has shown that a 15-minute buffer period is fair and feasible. In this version, the completion period corresponds to the completion time plus a 15-minute buffer to ensure that students can manage the technical aspects of the examination, such as downloading the assignment, uploading their answers, and completing the declaration of originality.

Students simultaneously complete the assignment at a computer (in any location). They may use permitted tools, such as lecture notes or textbooks (open-book exam). The tight completion period limits their ability to conduct in-depth research, so examiners can set similar questions as those used for in-person examinations. If the take-home exam consists of multiple-choice exercises, the answers and/or questions can be assigned randomly. The completion order of individual questions can be fixed to prevent jumping between questions. If necessary, examiners can require their students to complete the take-home exam in handwriting, photograph and scan their work, and then upload it.

Version 2: significantly extended completion period

In this version, examiners set a binding completion period (for example, 24 hours, 3 days, 1 week etc.) Students need to complete their take-home exam within that period and within the time specified by the examiners in accordance with the respective examination regulations (see above). This means that the students do complete the examination in the same amount of time, but they can decide for themselves when exactly to do so. Again, students complete the examination using a computer in any location. They may access permitted tools and resources, such as lecture notes, textbooks, online resources etc. (= open-book exam). The extended completion period allows them to undertake more in-depth research, which should be taken into consideration when phrasing the questions.

In both versions, examiners can set the required volume (e.g., number of pages etc.) of the answers.

It is recommended that students are given a practice take-home exam process in advance as part of a mock exam, either remotely or in class. You can thus ensure that all students are familiar with the new examination format. Regardless of the version you choose, it is important that students are aware of the new process and rules in advance.

Apart from the assignment itself, the exam needs to include sufficiently large text fields for the students to provide their personal data (name, surname, student ID number).

Tell your students which tools and resources they are allowed to consult to complete the assignment. Any tools or resources that are not mentioned explicitly are prohibited. This is essential in assessing cheating allegations (more on this in the section on examination laws).

The cover of the assignment should explain the format (file format, font, font size, number of pages, line spacing etc.) in which the work must be submitted, how it must be submitted, and by when it must be submitted. Consider providing file templates.

As per the examination regulations, students must confirm that they have completed the assignment on their own and without using any tools or resources beyond those explicitly permitted. It is helpful to include a template text, which the students can copy into their exam before submitting. It also makes sense to point out that only students who have registered for the examination in STiNE are allowed to take the examination. This is relevant in case unauthorized third parties gain access to the login details.

The section on technology and the course template for take-home exams contain further useful information about examinations in OpenOlat. The course template also contains PDF forms for the declaration of authorship. 

Choose an examination format (open questions, multiple-choice test, written examination, term paper structure etc.) based on the qualification objectives of the course or module (for details, see Gabi Reinmann’s text on didactic design; in German only). Multiple-choice exercises are suitable for a simple evaluation of acquired knowledge (learning objectives phrased “Students will become familiar with...” or “... can recall basic knowledge about...”).

Formats resembling term papers are better suited where your students are expected to demonstrate more advanced learning objectives (e.g., “Students can apply the fundamental knowledge acquired to new questions/texts/models” or “... can critically reflect even on complex matters”, see the examination regulations and/or subject-specific provisions). The less restrictive question format gives students greater freedom to demonstrate their expertise.

Such formats are explicitly intended to be open-book exams, meaning that students are allowed (and expected) to consult specialist literature, seminar notes etc. Ensure that the assignment is complex enough to prevent examinees from simply recalling their knowledge rather than applying it, which may lead them to copy from their notes or the literature.

Pure free-text formats may not be suitable for large courses due to insufficient resources. You can use the following strategies to assess higher skill levels with multiple-choice exercises and require students to apply their knowledge in order to answer the questions correctly: 

• Ask students to choose the best suited answer instead of asking true or false questions. 
• Use short case vignettes or similar formats as a means of asking a question. 

If you wish to work with multiple-choice exercises, the Anleitung zur Herstellung von MC-Fragen und MC-Prüfungen (guidelines on producing MC questions and examinations) published by the University of Bern are a useful resource. 

In general, it is recommended to prepare the students for the format and process of the take-home exam in class.

1. This may include well-designed examples,
2. such as a realistic mock THE. Upload the anonymized results to OpenOlat and, for example, ask students to provide feedback as an assessment component of active participation in a seminar. In summary: announce the text type and structure, citation and bibliography requirements,
3. general requirements and assessment criteria in advance and provide an opportunity to practice.

When designing an examination, ensure that it can be completed without special hardware (e.g., printers) or specialized, platform-dependent software that is not offered by Universität Hamburg. Assume that the student body works with a variety of operating systems, office suites, and devices from various manufacturers and of various versions. Students must be able to complete the assignment in an accessible format and regardless of their technical equipment.

Experience from the Faculty of Law have shown that the requirement of uploading the examination in PDF format frequently causes problems. If you are planning to work with PDFs in order to prevent readability problems involving unknown file formats, notify your students of this well in advance so that they have ample time to prepare.

If your planned take-home exam requires your students to remain online continuously while completing the exam (e.g., a multiple-choice test), notify them of this in advance so that they can arrange for a workspace with a stable internet connection. The University expects to be able to provide on-site workspaces for a limited number of examinees sitting take-home exams. Please determine during your class whether your students require any such workplaces and consult the academic office to plan further steps. The problem can be reduced considerably by designing take-home exams in a way that allows students to download the assignment, complete it offline, and upload the completed version afterwards. 

For take-home exam formats with an extended completion period, students without a sufficient internet connection can use a University workspace, bookable through the library.

Members of the WiSo Faculty: Members of the WiSo Faculty who do not have the required technical equipment may borrow a laptop from the WISO Research Lab.

Members of the Faculty of Education: Faculty of Education students who do not have a suitable workspace or lack the required technical equipment may use a device from the faculty’s Education Media Center to sit their exam on University premises. Students who require a workspace or device should contact Ms. Birgit Veelders. Please pass this information on to your students. 

The assignments are given out at the time specified in the examination plan. If you are using OpenOlat, examinations can be distributed to the students automatically.

For technical reasons, examinations cannot be made available through STiNE at the moment.

Please check to what extent the faculty-specific notes in this section correspond to the requirements of your own faculty.

The academic office publishes the completion time and period in the course description under “Additional Examination Information”. As the description is publicly accessible, it cannot contain the login details for the exam. Login details must be distributed in another way (see the following section: “How do examinees receive their assignments?”)

The completion time is also announced during the relevant round of examinations. For degree programs in the Department of Socioeconomics, the completion time and period of take-home exams is announced as an examination date in STiNE. Also note the course description. It states the completion period and the final submission deadline for each exam.

Please note that the completion time must be coordinated with the dates of other THEs and in-person examinations. Once decided, details can only be changed in consultation with the academic office, especially if the change involves an extension of the completion time. Any changes must be approved before the course registration period starts.

Members of the Faculty of Education: You, the lecturer, are responsible for informing you students about the completion period and examination terms. Use the communication function in STiNE and the appropriate channels for your course. 

Only students who have registered for the examination (not just the course) in STiNE may take it. Bear this in mind when distributing the assignments. Registered students may withdraw from an examination up to three days before the date on which assignments are distributed. They remain registered for the course. The University is currently reviewing whether the withdrawal period is suitable or whether it may have to be shortened briefly to facilitate exam organization.

There are multiple ways to distribute assignments. Universität Hamburg offers a variety of eLearning platforms. OpenOlat has been used successfully for THEs. If you decide to use OpenOlat, set up a separate course for the examination. This ensures that only students who have registered for the examination in advance may sit it (rather than all students who have registered for the course only).

While assignment distribution per email is a conceivable option, the University believes it to be less transparent, which may cause legal uncertainty in the event of conflict. 

Due to the current hygiene regulations (as of 8 January 2021), assignments cannot be distributed as physical copies.

Examiners set the submission method. (Also see the section “What information do students need in addition to the assignment?”). If you are using an eLearning platform, such as OpenOlat, students upload their exams themselves or complete the assignment in their browser. This option provides a technical solution to prevent submission (upload) or editing past the submission deadline.

If you ask your students to submit their completed exams by email, clearly explain the required format and layout: Ask your students to include their student ID number to ensure that each submitted examination document can be unambiguously assigned to the correct student.

For email submission, the completion period should be about 15 minutes longer than for other submission methods. This ensures that students have ample time for the technical steps involved: downloading, PDF conversion (if required), uploading and any other measures resulting from the chosen method. Please contact the academic office if you wish to extend the completion period correspondingly and announce the extension in STiNE.

Please check to what extent the faculty-specific notes in this section correspond to the requirements of your own faculty.

The academic office schedules both THEs and in-person examinations in the examination plan. The dates provided in it are also binding for take-home exams.

Members of the Faculty of Education: As always, dates are coordinated with the academic office.

Use the course information function in STiNE.

If the corresponding course uses an eLearning system, such as OpenOlat, it makes sense to also publish the details of the examination there.

Permitted tools and resources are up to the examiners. 

Please check to what extent the faculty-specific notes in this section correspond to the requirements of your own faculty.

In examinations taking place on site, learning literature by heart and reproducing it word for word does not constitute plagiarism. Examiners determine how their students should mark the source of any rephrased or copied passages in a take-home exam. Take your students’ familiarity with good scientific practice and subject-specific citation rules into account, especially if they are still at the beginning of their program. Ideally, set assignments that cannot be completed by mere reproduction of literature. Students sitting a take-home exam with an extended completion period which asks for an independently produced text should be reminded to comply with good scientific practice and cite all their sources.

Plagiarism in take-home examinations can only be detected during the grading process, so examiners are responsible for detecting and proving intentional plagiarism. The academic office provides advice and announces the issue (in STiNE and, in English, if necessary, by letter of notification). Within the scope of evaluating take-home exams, an external institution may be employed to check for plagiarism using a computer-assisted plagiarism detection system.

Handwritten answers can make it more difficult to plagiarise, as they prevent copying and pasting. Do not forget to let your students know far enough in advance of the need to photograph or scan their handwritten assignment, so that they can organize a smartphone or scanner. Students who do not have the necessary hardware and cannot obtain it by themselves must be able to borrow a suitable device from the University. Be aware however, if you require your students to submit handwritten assignments, you sacrifice the advantage of better legibility inherent to typed answers, which can reduce grading time by about 20%.

Students have a duty to actively get involved if they experience problems during an exam. They need to inform their examiners immediately about any technical issues, for example, inability to download the assignment questions or upload their completed exam. This constitutes a complaint under examination laws.

You must ensure that students can submit a complaint during the examination, for instance, by email. If you receive a complaint, first check whether the problem can be fixed immediately. If so, the examinee may be granted a brief extension of their completion time, and they continue to sit the examination. If the problem cannot be fixed, their exam attempt is invalidated, and the student is given another chance to sit the exam as soon as possible. The latter is always the case if the technical problems were the University’s fault.

If the technical problems occurred on the students’ side, they will need to provide evidence of the problem after the examination. It is difficult to differentiate actual technical problems from self-serving claims of technical problems, but it is not impossible. Students can provide evidence of such problems (internet connection protocol and used IP addresses in their router, evidence of unexpected construction work, evidence of a loss of electricity from their provider etc.). If the student does not provide evidence, they will fail the examination. 

Examiners should consult the competent members of their faculty regarding the procedure for supporting students during their exam.

Members of the Faculty of Education: Students must convince you, their lecturer, that they were unable to sit the exam for technical reasons. If they make a convincing case, the academic office will grant them a resit. Contact the academic office in this case. 

If a student fails to submit their exam on time through no fault of their own, please refer to the previous question. If the student’s failure to submit on time is their own responsibility, they will fail the exam.

As with regular examinations, examiners announce this failure due to absence in STiNE. The onus is on the examiner to prove that the exam was not submitted on time. They must retain all evidence for at least one year after announcing a student’s failure due to absence in case that appeal procedures are initiated.

OpenOlat provides a technical option that prevents students from submitting their completed assignments after the deadline. This automates deadline administration.

If the completion period (between the distribution of the assignment and the submission deadline) is longer than the completion time, strict administration of the latter will not be possible. OpenOlat does not offer any technical options to interrupt an examination to determine a student’s actual completion time. In such cases, the assignment should be designed in a way that exceeding the specified completion time by working through the entire completion period does not benefit students.

For take-home exams as well as regular examinations, the answers to individual students’ questions about the assignment must be visible to all students. Much like with multiple-choice examinations, it may not be possible to amend problems with the assignment—especially if the completion period is tight. If necessary, you can send an explanatory message to all examinees through OpenOlat or whichever system you are using.

To prevent students from claiming that they did not notice the message, make sure to inform them in advance that they need to keep an eye on their OpenOlat inbox during the exam. Their duty to actively contribute to making the system work precludes citing failure to notice a message as an excuse. If a student does argue that they did not receive a message, they must submit a complaint immediately after noticing the fact (which may only be the case after their exam has been assessed). Examiners may need to verify whether or not the student received the message in question. If they did, their complaint will be discarded, and the examination will be graded. If the student did not receive the message, the message is sent again, and the student continues their examination. They may be granted an extension to their completion time. If the student only notices that they have missed a message after the examination, their attempt will be annulled.

It is prudent, then, to put the system to the test during a mock exam before the start of the actual exam.

In some circumstances, it may be impossible to prevent students from sitting an examination without having registered for it. Assume that such exams cannot be graded. Only grade them upon consultation with the academic office, which will determine whether the student in question sat the exam legitimately. If their participation was not legitimate, the academic office will advise you on all further steps.

The measures implemented to compensate for disadvantages (extended exam completion times, break rules) also apply to THEs. In technical systems such as OpenOlat, you can set individual submission deadlines for the affected students. Only the exam completion time may be extended, not the completion period. If all other students are given a completion period that exceeds their completion time, as recommended, students requiring compensation for disadvantages should also be granted a buffer period. While this buffer period does not need to be identical to that of the other students, it should be no shorter than 15 minutes. No individual measures may be required for examinations with a long completion period.

Students with physical disadvantages are most likely able to establish suitable examination conditions at home. If any students require changes to the presentation of the assignment, e.g. in case of visual impairments, consider using a different technical method for their examination (but schedule it at the same time).

Most exams that can be evaluated automatically by the learning platform are multiple-choice tests. Bear in mind that the limited scope of the available answers comes with certain legal requirements: 

“Examinees and examiners are not able to exchange views about controversial questions in the event of a difference in opinion. Multiple-choice examinations must therefore be graded in a different manner. The bulk of the examiner’s work is carried out in advance and involves selecting the examination material, preparing the questions, and setting the answer options. Multiple-choice examinations are generally permitted at Universität Hamburg. However, they must be explicitly addressed in the relevant examination regulations or subject-specific provisions. Given the special features listed above, the design of the examination is of particular importance. It is also important that the grading guidelines applied are clearly defined” (Cited from Universität Hamburg, Section 31, Handout No. 11: Legal Framework for Multiple-Choice Examinations).