Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

184 Studying online 
could end up in difculty. Te critical information that you need 
to be confdent you have correct includes: 
y
Te date and time you are required to submit 
y
Te kind of fle that is needed (for example, do you need to 
submit a word processor document or a PDF fle?) 
y
Te maximum fle size allowed 
y
Te portal or link through which you should submit your exam 
paper. 
Over the past couple of years, I have set and marked several online 
exams. Each time, some students submit late, send in the wrong 
kind of fle, cannot submit because their fle is too big, or send an 
email in a panic because they can’t fnd the link to submit their 
paper. Avoid being stressed out by such factors by making sure 
you know exactly what to do in advance. 
One other problem with exam fle submission is sending an in-
correct fle. Each time I have set an online exam, I get fles that are 
irrelevant and have nothing to do with the exam topic. As yet, no 
student has submitted anything embarrassing. However, I have 
received old assignments, notes on other subjects, and even exam 
papers for a diferent exam. Tis is because, in a rush towards the 
end of the exam time, students submit a fle quickly and select 
the wrong one. You need to be more organised. Make sure your 
fle has the correct name. Indeed, some examiners will request 
specifc naming conventions, such as your student ID followed 
by the module name and exam date. Others will not have any 
naming conventions for the fle, so you will need to save it with 
a recognisable and specifc name. Just calling it “exam” doesn’t 
do you any favours. Te chances are you will have other fles on 
your computer called “exam” if you do that. Tat makes it easy to 
submit the wrong one. 
QUICK TIP: If you are not told how to name your exam fles,