Over the last couple of months, Inspera have been making some updates to their Grade workspace. Graders may have noticed some name changes in the appearance or naming in the Grade area. Ahead of our Semester 1 assessment period, the Digital Exams Team wanted to share some information about the changes you will see.
To complete marking within Inspera, graders will use the different workspaces in the Grader workflow:
A question set is a group of questions created in Inspera. In Inspera you can make individual questions, or you can set up a question set and create a group of questions in there. Individual questions can also be imported into your question set.
All colleagues (and students) access Inspera via Canvas. Colleagues can either access a ‘test’ exam set up in their Canvas Sandbox area, or by going through an existing Inspera exam.
You should give question sets meaningful names, e.g. ‘MOD1234 Semester 1 Exam 202425’. This makes it easier to identify the question set for the current academic year. Question sets are created in the Author tab of Inspera.
There are a variety of question types you can create in Inspera. You can see the full list of automatically marked question types and manually marked question types for more information.
Remember to rename your individual questions too, so that you can easily find them in the question set. Each new question is automatically given the name ‘New Question’ so if you are creating question sets with multiple questions in, giving them a meaningful name will help you find specific ones later.
If you need to update a question, a meaningful name will make it easier and quicker to locate.
Adding labels to your individual questions can also help with locating and re-using your questions in other question sets.
If you’d like to know about adding labels and using filters to find questions, please see our dedicated label filtering blog post.
There are various features you can use within Inspera to enhance your question sets. These are optional features you can apply within your question set.
For example, you can randomise the order in which the questions appear for students when they sit they exam. You can also use the random pulling feature to pull a sub-set of questions from a larger bank of questions, so that each student receives a different combination of questions.
If you are using both manually marked essay questions, and a set of multiple choice questions, you are able to put these into what is known as sections. This means you could apply randomisation to the multiple-choice questions only. You could also use another feature on the essay questions known as candidate selected questions.
There is a dedicated Content Creation Features website on our Learning and Teaching Inspera site which lists the full details on these different features.
Once the Module Leader has completed their Digital Exam Form to confirm the details about their Inspera Digital Exam, the next step is to start creating their question sets.
Question sets are created by the module team and shared with the Digital Exams Team via email to Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
The question set deadlines for 2024/25 are detailed in the following table:
| Semester | Question Set Deadline |
| Semester 1 | 15th November |
| Semester 2 | 7th March |
| Semester 1 August Resit (Semester 3) | 17th April |
| Semester 2 August Resit (Semester 3) | 8th July |
The Digital Exams Team deliver a training webinar ‘Creating and managing exam questions in Inspera’ which colleagues can sign up to via the Elements training system. The training session covers an on-screen demos of setting up and adding questions to your question set.
The Digital Assessment Team in LTDS have various training webinars covering our Digital Assessment tools starting in the next few weeks.
You can check out the full list of sessions, dates/times and the links to book in our list of sessions.
Inspera for Professional Service colleagues
6 November 2024, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Creating and managing exam questions in Inspera
2 October 2024, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
7 November 2024, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Marking an Inspera exam with auto marked questions
16 December 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
22 January 2025, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Marking and moderating an Inspera exam with manually marked questions
17 December 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
23 January 2025, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Creating and Managing Digital Assignments
2 October 2024, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Online Marking & Feedback (Canvas)
4 December 2024, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Online marking and feedback (Turnitin)
11 December 2024, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
In the last academic year, our cycle came to a close with the support of Resit and Deferral Digital Inspera exams. Overall, there were 103 Resit/Deferral Inspera exams which ran between 8-16 August, with 101 exams being held successfully on campus. The Digital Exams Team were delighted to see an increase in the use of content features for this period, showcasing the wide range of benefits Inspera can provide.
The removal of the minimum threshold for the August assessment period, (in 22-23 Inspera could only be used for Resits if a certain number of students were due to take the digital exam) saw a vast increase in the number of module teams using Inspera. We can confirm the removal of the minimum threshold was a success and all Inspera users can opt for a Resit in 24-25 if their Semester 1 and/or 2 assessment runs as an Inspera Digital Exam.
Training for Semester 1 preparation is now available to book via the Newcastle University LMS. Please use the links below to book onto appropriate training as required:
Here are the important deadlines you need for the new academic year:
| Task | Deadline |
| Deadline to complete the digital exam form for Semester 1 | 25 October 2024 |
| Deadline to prepare question set in Inspera for Semester 1 | 15 November 2024 |
| Digital exams: hard deadline to submit backup paper for digital exams to Exam Paper Portal for Semester 1 | Within 2 working days of backup paper being sent to module team by LTDS, and no later than 6 December 2024 |
| Deadline to complete the digital exam form for Semester 2 | 19 February 2025 |
| Deadline to prepare question set in Inspera for Semester 2 | 8 March 2025 |
| Digital exams: hard deadline to submit backup paper for digital exams to Exam Paper Portal for Semester 2 | Within 2 working days of backup paper being sent to module team by LTDS, and no later than 11 April 2025 |
| Task | Deadline |
| Deadline to complete the digital exam form for the resit period exam (which was originally a Semester 1 exam) | 17 March 2025 |
| Deadline to prepare question set in Inspera | 17 April 2025 |
| Digital exams: hard deadline to submit backup paper for digital exams to Exam Paper Portal for the resit period | Within 2 working days of backup paper being sent to module team by LTDS |
| Task | Deadline |
| Deadline to complete the digital exam form for the resit period exam (which was originally a Semester 2 exam) | 1 July 2025 |
| Deadline to prepare question set in Inspera | 8 July 2025 |
| Digital exams: hard deadline to submit backup paper for digital exams to Exam Paper Portal for the resit period | Within 2 working days of backup paper being sent to module team by LTDS |
All information regarding deadlines for Inspera Digital Exams is also posted on the colleague facing website along with a wide range of helpful resources on all aspects of Inspera. Go to the Frequently Asked Questions section and deadline information can be found under ‘How should I prepare for an Inspera digital exam?’ and ‘Can I use Inspera for August assessment period exams?’.
The Digital Exams Team have recently updated the student facing website which includes access to newly created demo exams for students to practice using Inspera.
Users can add labels to individual questions to help with general organising and for locating questions with specific content.
Inspera have created the option to filter on labels that have been added to questions. Until now, if filtering on more than one label, the result has been to show all content with any of these labels. We know there is a need to search for all content that has all the selected labels. It is now possible to be able to filter on more than one label simultaneously.
You can add labels to questions in your question set. For example, you may wish to label your questions with the topic (e.g. Topic X, Y OR Z) but you may also want to add another filter, such as the year the question is from. When searching the question bank of all your questions in Inspera, it is now be possible to filter so that you can find questions that are say from ‘2023/24’ and from ‘topic X’, rather than all questions coming up with either of those filters.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Digital Exams Team via Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
Assessment Feedback Digital Inspera Exams
Markers can release a ‘common feedback’ statement to all students once all submissions have been graded. This common feedback should relate to the full exam. Feedback about specific questions can be addressed using Page Notes (you can also view a demo page note functionality).
Important note: Assessment Feedback must be created before confirming marks. Once marks are confirmed, the option in Inspera will be greyed out.
To use this feature, the candidate report must be enabled, for further details on Inspera feedback release and how to enable the candidate report please see our feedback release webpage.
Instructions for use of Assessment Feedback:
a. Text
b. Audio
c. Attach a file
The example below is a Text feedback box. There is a rich text editor option for the general feedback.
Important note: Assessment Feedback cannot be edited after the Candidate Report has been released to students.
If you are marking an Inspera exam where students have been given an option to answer certain questions from a range of question options (i.e. students answer one out of three possible questions), this is known as Candidate Selected Questions (CSQs). When in use, the grading per student function (where markers would move to the next student awaiting grading using the downward direction arrow), meant that markers were shown the next student in the list, even if they had answered an alternate option.
Now, markers who move to the next student using the direction arrow next to the student information (as shown below), will find clicking the down arrow will take them to the next student who answered the same question option. This means that marking of a particular question can be achieved.
More information about the candidate selected questions feature can be found on the Inspera Help Centre.
It’s now possible to select more than one question and delete in bulk. Previously, the deletion was only possible per question. Deletions should only occur if you no longer wish to use the question, for example, if you found errors or will no longer use the question in future.
Deleting questions can be done via the Author Tab.
To delete multiple, select the tick boxes on the left hand side of the questions you wish to delete.
Multiple questions can be deleted simultaneously by using ‘move to trash’ – a pop up which will appear on the bottom panel.
The Digital Exams Team have created some new resources for colleagues. We have a brand-new website dedicated to the use of Grading Committees in Inspera. This website provides users information about what these committees are, how to use them and Frequently Asked Questions area.
We have also recently released information on our colleague facing Inspera webpages relating to Inspera Feedback Release, as well as an Inspera for Professional Services Colleagues area.
As we enter the assessment marking period, the Digital Exams Team want to share some marking ‘hints and tips’ for Inspera Digital Exams. Check out some of our hints and tips listed below.
The Digital Exams Team run two dedicated marking webinars which colleagues can book onto:
These training webinars cover a range of marking workflows, including how to amend auto-marked questions and adding annotations to manually marked questions such as essays.
There are a range of marking videos available on the Inspera L&T website which provide on-screen demonstrations of grading tasks.
If you would like to release feedback to your students on your auto or manually marked Inspera questions, check out our dedicated webpage on Inspera Feedback Release for further information.
If you have any questions about marking an Inspera exam, please contact the Digital Exams Team via Digital.Exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
If you have any hints or tips that you think we could add to the above list, please do share them with the Digital Exams Team.
LTDS now have a new range of short (10 minute and under) videos about creating your Inspera Digital Exam using the Authoring tool. These are available on our website, under the header Video guides for authors : https://www.ncl.ac.uk/learning-and-teaching/digital-technologies/inspera/
The content of these videos is designed to more briefly cover the 1-hour webinar available on the Learning Management System (LMS) ‘Creating and managing exam questions in Inspera’. These short videos group the content into more manageable self-help guides.
| Video title | Content covered |
|---|---|
| Getting started with Authoring Questions on Inspera | How to access the Author tool via Canvas Navigating the Author tab Filtering and Labels The difference between questions and question sets |
| Creating Questions sets on Inspera | Create and edit question sets Adding /amended marks awarded per question Previewing your question/question set Adding previously created questions into a question set |
| Basic Question set functionality | Sharing a question set with colleagues Printing a question set The Design tab |
| Advanced Question set functionality | Using sections in your question set Question randomisation Candidate selected questions Using stimulus Adding allowed resources |
For all Inspera Digital Exams running in the standard Semester 1 assessment period, the deadline for the finalisation of Questions Sets within Inspera is November 17th.
We do still have some spaces left on our 1-hour webinar ‘Creating and managing exam questions in Inspera’ which is taking place on October 23rd virtually. Book your space on the Newcastle University LMS.
We are pleased to share our Digital Assessment Training Programme for 2023-24. Our training sessions are delivered as webinars via Microsoft Teams.
Inspera Assessment (the university system for centrally supported digital exams) is supported by the Learning and Teaching Development Service with a range of training options open to all staff.
Follow the links below to find out more about each session and to book onto individual sessions via the University’s elements system.
Inspera for Professional Service Colleagues
Creating and Managing Exam Questions in Inspera
How to Grade using Rubric in Inspera
Marking and moderating an Inspera exam with manually marked questions
Marking an Inspera exam with auto marked questions
Creating and Managing Digital Assignments
Online Marking and Feedback (Canvas)
Online Marking and Feedback (Turnitin)
If you have any queries on any of the above sessions, please contact digital.exams@newcastle.ac.uk.
You can meet the Digital Assessment Team in this LTDS Blog post.
