Sharing of experience in the organization of distance exams within African universities in the context of Covid-19: case of the Central School of Free Software and Telecommunications of Dakar

Abstract

In this article we propose a platform for organizing online exams while minimizing the possibility of cheating by students. To do so, we have implemented a three-part algorithm to validate the exam topics, organize the mock exams and conduct the actual exam. The exams were offered in the form of Multiple Choice Questionnaires (MCQs) and Open Questions in a proportion of 75% and 25%. The tests should not exceed 1 hour and 30 minutes of composition. Control of the student’s screen is achieved through the combination of VPN WireGuard and Apache Guacamole. Access to this platform allows students to have a complete and secure remote course and exam environment. The teacher will have full control of the students’ computers remotely and will have an overview of the student’s composing environment through his or her webcam. Through the configuration of the school’s Domain Name System (DNS) we use the WireGuard VPN server to filter all the sites and leave only the school’s sites available to the students when composing the exams.