Exam Format suggestion

[_Washu_]

IGN:
_Washu_
DATE:
29/9/2022
WHAT YOU WANT TO SUGGEST OR MENTION:
A different approach to the way Exams are conducted. This wasn't mentioned on your Trello board anywhere as far as I can tell.
I would like to see exams conducted on 2 separate days. Where the first day works on some sort of first come first serve basis, having the first 60 users (Numbers could change according to what you see fit) who register to be guaranteed a slot with like a few extra slots. Then a day or 2 after the initial testing period, you get another exam round that people who wouldn't be present in the first round would be eligible to attend. Potentially a reservation format for the second round as well that only accepts new reservations (that weren't involved in the first testing round).
HOW WILL THIS BENEFIT THE SERVER/COMMUNITY?:
This'll allow more people to attend examinations and reduce overall server lag on said day. Reducing the number of people logging on in one go would dramatically reduce the number of concurrent users at a given moment during exam periods.
Seeing as I missed the exam period due to being literally unable to even load into the server (After there being like 450 on at a single time and the server clearly being unable to handle that load), I think dividing the exam periods (Seeing as there's an increasing number of participants over time for exams) could prove to reduce lag and create a better overall examination experience.
Clearly upgrading the server for an event that occurs once every few months is unreasonable, thus, an approach to reduce lag via alternatives such as the one I've suggested should be what I believe developers prioritize. Furthermore, an increased number of exam sessions only indirectly facilitates RP in the long run as more people are able to progress when given the opportunity to attend one of the quarterly exam periods.

 

[Customable]

There would also be more exams to
Mark, which would take 1-2 weeks longer
More names to write and a higher grade boundary, more college students likely which means we will be extremely strict on class attendance to a point where seeing you outside of class well, we might just kick you straight back to grade 12, and of course, the inevitable amount of stress and possible planning issues with events and between the SLT

 

[AJPhoenix]

+1

That makes sense since it caters for all timezones. I was thinking about that, however organising it twice might be confusing for some people + some people might troll and do the exam twice; purposely reserving spaces which other people could have

 

[Customable]

Don’t get me wrong, the idea is great for those who can’t attend however, we will be much stricter on things and not all SLT will be able to attend, making exam sessions harder to manage

 

[Nylu]

neutral

As Customable said, this would make things stricter on the school staff and SLT. However, this would be a nice addition regardless. I found myself not being able to attend so I could understand where some people might come from.

 

[HighlightedTwin]

this would make things stricter on the school staff and SLT.

You mean the college students

 

[_Washu_]

There would also be more exams to
Mark, which would take 1-2 weeks longer
More names to write and a higher grade boundary, more college students likely which means we will be extremely strict on class attendance to a point where seeing you outside of class well, we might just kick you straight back to grade 12, and of course, the inevitable amount of stress and possible planning issues with events and between the SLT

Fair enough, can't really argue with that. The only other solution I can think of then is to upgrade the host servers and I don't think that's a real option. I do still think the exam format should be revised tho seeing as attending is almost RNG at this point (I reserved a space soon after the google form to do so was released but still didn't get a chance to attend). Maybe an alternative could be to implement the idea above but make the acceptance rate more strict? Say for example, even if you have 300 HS exam attendees, maybe only the top 15% have the opportunity to graduate

 

[Customable]

there is an exam plugin coming sometime

Fair enough, can't really argue with that. The only other solution I can think of then is to upgrade the host servers and I don't think that's a real option. I do still think the exam format should be revised tho seeing as attending is almost RNG at this point (I reserved a space soon after the google form to do so was released but still didn't get a chance to attend). Maybe an alternative could be to implement the idea above but make the acceptance rate more strict? Say for example, even if you have 300 HS exam attendees, maybe only the top 15% have the opportunity to graduate

who knows, it might host your second exams more automated for us regardless

 

[Ghostfire]

neutral / +1

it's a great idea and it'd help for people who can't make it one of the two times, but would probably take more work from the SLT and whoever else helps out with the exams
grading might also take longer as well

 

[_Washu_]

there is an exam plugin coming sometime

who knows, it might host your second exams more automated for us regardless

Yea heard something about the automated exams on the trello board somewhere. Though that isn't a real dealbreaker from my perspective (where obviously it makes a huge difference for the SLT / people grading exams).
Like for the time being, I'd gladly wait an additional 2-weeks to get grades back rather than having to take a test 3 months later. Just seeing as exams are a key component of the server and happen so infrequently, I think refining them and making them as accessible as possible should be the go to. Which I guess is what automated exams partially aims to do.

 

[maraa]

neutral

 

[KimiNoUso]

Reviewed
With our current system, SLT are left to mark 200-275 exams per session, meaning additional sessions would only make it more difficult and tiresome for us to host these types of events.

However, we're currently working on a new plugin which will automate 80% of the exams process, aside from the roleplay aspects and marking math/english related questions