Juli 2025

1 Introduction

Since 2020, electronic examinations have been conducted across all faculties at HWR Berlin, preceded by several pilot examinations, with the legal basis being an electronic examination regulation. Digital on-site exams (e-exams) at the university have proven effective and are offered in all faculties. The number of E-exams is increasing continuously, as is the complexity of the examination scenarios. At HWR Berlin, rooms for conducting e-exams have been upgraded since 2020. In the summer semester of 2025, a total of 268 seats will be available where e-exams can be taken in a secured browser environment (Safe Exam Browser (SEB)).

The staff in the E-Learning Center promote measures to ensure the legally compliant implementation of digital examination processes at HWR Berlin, and the ongoing development of the organizational and technical framework conditions for digital examinations, as well as the supporting processes and quality management.

The aim of this guideline is to define the rights, responsibilities, and organizational guidance for instructors, students, and supporting actors for electronic examinations that derive from the Framework Study and Examination Regulations. This is intended to create clarity and accountability for all parties involved and to promote inter-faculty collaboration.

2 Responsibility of the E-Learning Center

The E-Learning Center (ELZ) is university-wide responsible for the coordination, further development, and quality assurance of digital examinations, in particular for the end-to-end technical and organizational process of secured on-site electronic examinations. As a central partner, the ELZ supports all faculties, instructors, and students in the legally compliant and technically robust preparation, conduct, and post-examination processing of electronic examinations.

2.1 Technical

The e-examination Team in the ELZ ensures the operational readiness of electronic exams. This includes, in particular, the technical safeguarding of the e-exam according to the examiner’s requirements. It encompasses configuring the exam environment in the secured examination system (Moodle quiz activity in conjunction with SEB), including the access rights (e.g., restricted to the e-exam only or with additional defined web resources), implementing individual examination modalities, and ensuring the general technical functionality of the digital exam. A standardized test run also helps safeguard a smooth execution.

2.2 Further Development

The ELZ’s remit also includes the ongoing development as well as the safeguarding of the technical and organizational framework conditions for digital exam formats. This includes, among other things, the regular updating of the examination software environment used, the expansion of technical e-exam functionalities, the inspection and maintenance of the technical equipment in the e-exam rooms, and the provision and management of supporting materials.

2.3 Training

Another central focus lies in the training and professional development of instructors and other involved stakeholders, in order to ensure legally compliant, equitable, and quality-assured execution of digital examination formats university-wide.

3 Responsibility of the Faculties and the Berlin Professional School

The responsibilities of the faculties (FB) and the Berlin Professional School (BPS) include, among other things, general scheduling coordination and room bookings for e-exams, as well as related organizational preparations such as providing examination supervisors. Collaboration with the E-Learning Center is generally envisaged. Looking ahead, there is an aim to establish a university-wide standardized registration process for e-exams.

3.1 Room Allocation

For effective use of the e-examination rooms, close, cooperative coordination between the faculties is essential. The e-examination rooms should primarily be made available for e-exams—possibly also before regular teaching sessions. To ensure fair and needs-based allocation—especially in light of different room and cohort sizes—cross-faculty collaboration is particularly important. The technical equipment should be coordinated in advance with the ELZ to ensure a uniform, legally compliant examination environment. Deviations in size or equipment can affect the comparability of digital examinations and increase the organizational effort.

3.2 Examination Planning

The planning of electronic exams should be organized so that they take place from Monday to Friday within the service hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and within the examination periods. This ensures the availability of the ELZ and the IT hotline to provide immediate support in case of technical problems. e-exams with the same duration and without third-party software can be conducted across faculties in a shared room to pool resources and deploy examination supervisors efficiently.

3.3 Examination Supervision

It is recommended to establish uniform procedural rules within the faculties to ensure consistency and reliability in examination supervision.

4 Responsibilities of Instructors

For proper organization of electronic exams, the following steps and measures are required:

4.1 Early Registration

The registration of the electronic exam is carried out in accordance with the standard guidelines of the respective faculties. In addition, the ELZ should be informed about the electronic exam at least 14 days prior to the scheduled examination date to ensure smooth planning and allocation of the necessary resources.

4.2 Use of e-examination rooms

It is essential that the assigned e-examination rooms are used to ensure the efficient use of the available infrastructure. The use of students’ personal devices (Bring-Your-Own-Device) for e-exams is currently not legally clarified and can significantly affect equal opportunities. Moreover, there is no exam-ready network infrastructure available. For these reasons, there is no technical support provided for e-exams on student devices.

E-examination rooms must be left in proper condition. The posted notices restricting food and beverages must be observed. Any existing or arising material deficiencies during use should be reported immediately to maengelbearbeitung.cs@hwr-berlin.de or maengelbearbeitung.cl@hwr-berlin.de; for technical defects, to it-hotline@hwr-berlin.de, as timely remediation cannot be guaranteed otherwise.

4.3 Participation in Briefings and Training

To ensure the formal framework and the quality of conducting electronic exams, instructors and supervisors should participate in the briefings and trainings offered by the ELZ. For campus-based e-exams, on-site support by the ELZ at the start of the exam is offered for a limited number of examinations per instructor or supervisor. Thereafter, the examinations are to be conducted independently

4.4 Establishment of a Mandatory Mock Exam

There should be at least one mandatory mock exam in the electronic format (Moodle quiz activity) established (§ 12(3) Framework Study and Examination Regulations). This enables students to become familiar with the examination format and the Moodle examination environment and contributes to preparation and security.

4.5 Ensuring Trained Examination Supervisors

Every e-exam conducted must be supervised to guarantee proper conduct and the formal framework. It is especially important that all individuals who supervise are thoroughly familiar with the specific requirements and procedures of an electronic examination scenario and are able to apply them to ensure smooth operations.

4.6 Clear Communication to Students

For the requirements placed on students, there should be clear communication about the technical examination formalities (e.g. e-exam via Moodle quiz activity, use of SEB), the examination dates, the examination room, and access to the platform. This information should be communicated to students early to ensure a smooth execution (see §12(2) Framework Study and Examination Regulations).

4.7 Cancellation of e-exams

If e-exams cannot be started or continued due to technical difficulties (§12d(4) Framework Study and Examination Regulations), the examination must be canceled for all students. A new date is generally set by the responsible Examinations Office. This does not apply if it can be shown that the students deliberately or grossly negligently caused the disruption.

5 Responsibilities of Students

To ensure the smooth conduct of electronic exams and to guarantee the best possible learning outcomes, students are asked to observe the following:

5.1 Participation in Mock Exams

Students should participate in the offered mock exam. This opportunity is intended to familiarize them with the examination format and the Moodle examination environment.

5.2 Punctual Arrival for the e-exam

Students must report to the e-examination room no later than 20 minutes before the start of an e-exam in order to set up their workstation. Late arrivals must not delay the start of the exam.

5.3 Adherence to the Proctor’s Instructions

During the online exam, students are required to comply with the instructions of the examination proctor. This ensures that all procedures are conducted properly and in accordance with the rules.

5.4 Application Proficiency

Students must be proficient in using Moodle, standard software (such as MS Word, MS Excel), as well as study-relevant specialized applications (e.g., statistical software and text editors). This also includes the ability to work on Windows computers, including changing language settings and managing multiple windows. Furthermore, they must be able to manually save files as well as upload and download. The choice of the version of the file to be submitted is the responsibility of the students. The ELZ offers practice sessions each semester in which students can verify these technical skills. During the online exam, there is no technical support available for this.

5.5 Responsibility for the HWR Account

It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that their HWR account is functional and that the associated password is readily available. They must be able to log in to the computers in the online examination rooms using this account. If access to the examination platform is not possible due to forgotten credentials, the examination proctor and the IT support will, within the given possibilities, endeavor to restore access. If access cannot be established within a reasonable time frame, participation in the examination may be denied. In this case, the incident will be documented and the examination attempt will be treated as a no-show without a valid reason.

6 Appendix: Presentation of Concrete Cheating Examples

The provisions of § 24 Framework Study and Examination Regulations regarding cheating attempts also apply to proctored online exams. The following are some examples of cheating. The list is not exhaustive.

6.1 Use Case: Unauthorized Use of a Mobile End Device during the Online Exam

6.1.1 Description:

A student leaves their smartphone turned on in the jacket or pocket area during the online exam. During the exam, the device automatically logs into Moodle (for example via the Studo app)—potentially unnoticed by the proctor. This creates the possibility to access materials or information during the exam or to communicate with third parties. Furthermore, this disrupts the exam process, as the current online exam session is terminated.

6.1.2 Relevance to Practice:

Since online exams are conducted with the Safe Exam Browser (SEB), access to external content on the exam device is technically restricted. Access via an additional device, however, constitutes a circumvention of this security measure and counts as cheating. In particular, automatic logins via apps can run unobtrusively in the background, which may conceal deliberate cheating intent.

6.1.3 Recommended Measures for Instructors and Proctors:

Before the exam, explicitly remind to completely turn off mobile devices (not just set to silent).
Visual inspection of seating before the exam (no visible devices).
In the exam announcement, warn about possible consequences of cheating via a secondary device.
With the assistance of the proctor, verify that all devices are surrendered or switched off.

6.1.4 Note:

Even if access via the secondary device was not demonstrably used to gain an advantage, the mere unauthorized login can be considered an attempted act of cheating, since it violated the examination conditions.

6.2 Use Case: Unauthorized Moodle login from another device during the exam period

6.2.1 Description:

A student logs in during the ongoing online exam—for example, during a bathroom break—using a private device (smartphone, smartwatch, or laptop) outside the examination room on the examination platform (e.g., Moodle) in order to gain an advantage or to store, forward, or research content.

6.2.2 Relevance for practice:

Logging in to the examination platform outside the secured examination environment constitutes a clear violation of the examination rules. The exam is to be conducted at a specific location, at a specific time, and under controlled technical conditions. Access via another device circumvents these conditions and is generally considered an attempt to cheat or to deceive.

6.2.3 Recommended measures for instructors and supervisors:

• Explicitly inform students at the start of the exam that logging in outside the designated examination environment is not permitted.
• Use technical measures to detect multiple logins (e.g., IP logging, time-based access controls).
• Review anomalies in the examination log of the exam platform by the e-learning center.
• Consistently report documented cases to the examination board.

6.2.4 Note:

Even a seemingly “passive” access—for example to reread or save questions—undermines equal treatment of all exam participants and jeopardizes the integrity of the exam. Even the login attempt from outside can have consequences under exam regulations.

6.3 Use Case: Access to Cloud, AI, or Communication Services During the Online Exam

6.3.1 Description:

A student attempts to access external digital services during an online exam—for example, cloud storage (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox), AI-assisted tools (such as ChatGPT or translation aids), or communication platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Discord, email)—even though these have not been identified as permitted aids. The access may be deliberate by bypassing the secured examination system or by parallel use of a second device.

6.3.2 Relevance for practice:

Access to non-authorized digital tools during an exam constitutes a clear cheating attempt. In particular, AI-based services can generate content automatically or suggest solution paths, which massively violates the principle of independence and the comparability of exam performance. The use of cloud services or communication apps also offers potential channels for unauthorized collaboration or exchange of solutions.

6.3.3 Recommended measures for instructors and supervisors:

Clearly indicate in the exam announcement and at the start of the exam which tools are allowed and which are not.
Increase awareness of AI usage in the exam context (including discussion in courses).
In suspected cases: document by supervisors and, if necessary, report to the examination board.

6.3.4 Note:

Even the attempt to access unauthorized services—even if access is technically prevented—can be considered an attempt to cheat, as it contradicts the spirit of the examination regulations and undermines the trust between the teaching institution and the examinees.

6.4 Use Case: Photographing the Screen Contents During or After the Online Exam

6.4.1 Description:

A student takes a photo of the screen with a smartphone during or immediately after an online exam — for example to capture the task statements or to share them afterward. The photographing can be inconspicuous, e.g., when leaving the room or via a smartwatch with a camera function.

6.4.2 Relevance for practice:

Taking photographs of exam contents constitutes a clear violation of the examination regulations. It is not only regarded as cheating, but it can also involve copyrighted content and jeopardize the confidentiality of exam questions. This is particularly critical for exams with reuse potential (e.g., pool questions, standard exams).

6.4.3 Recommended measures for instructors and supervisors:

• Clearly communicate at the start of the exam that photographing the screen — also after submission — is not permitted and will be treated as cheating.
• Visual checks of mobile devices at the beginning and end of the exam.
• Supervision when leaving the room, especially in the last minutes of the exam.
• Where appropriate, design exam scenarios so that questions are not permanently visible (e.g., by displaying them sequentially).

6.4.4 Note:

Even the attempt to secure or share screen contents — regardless of whether they are published or used — can be sanctioned under examination law. Depending on the circumstances, disciplinary measures and data protection consequences may also be considered.

6.5 Use Case: Unauthorized Acquisition of Exam Data During or After the Online Exam

6.5.1 Description:

A student deliberately saves locally created files during the online exam (e.g., answers entered in a text field, screenshots, exported tasks or solutions) or forwards them inappropriately after submission—e.g., via email, cloud services, or a USB stick. Copying to private or network folders during the exam also falls under this.

6.5.2 Relevance for practice:

The unauthorised saving or appropriation of content that was created or displayed as part of the exam violates the confidentiality of examination materials. In particular, when tasks are reused, this can jeopardise the integrity of future exams. Moreover, sharing or publishing these data may enable third-party cheating and can have legal consequences (e.g., copyright infringement).

6.5.3 Recommended measures for instructors and supervisors:

Explicitly note before the exam that all exam contents are copyright-protected and may not be reused or stored.
Do not automatically release exam results or submitted/processed answers after submission.
Document suspected cases and, if necessary, report them as cheating attempts.

6.5.4 Note:

The intention or act of gaining access to exam contents during or after the exam that are not intended to be retained can – regardless of whether there is any actual disclosure – already be regarded as an attempted cheating.