Note: you need Schoolyear AVD for this functionality.
With a virtual desktop, students work during the exam in a secured Windows environment, with desktop applications such as SPSS, MATLAB, RStudio or Python. This works on BYOD and managed devices. You select the virtual desktop in the settings widget, in the Apps step.
In this article, you will read how to configure the virtual desktop and what to consider when scheduling. You can find the other settings in Adjust settings (Settings widget).
Choose a virtual desktop
- Go to Apps.
- Click Virtual desktop.
- Under Number of students, enter how many students will take the exam.
- Note: For an integrated exam, this information is filled in automatically.
- Under Select desktop environment, choose the environment with the applications students need.
- For each environment, you can see how long a session may last at most.
- For each environment, you can see the reservation time. This means how far in advance you need to schedule it.
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Which environments are visible is managed by your organisation's AVD admin.
- The AVD admin can set the name, icon, reservation time and maximum duration of a session for each environment.
- Click Next.
Note: The changes above are final and can no longer be changed once the reservation time starts. Make sure you select the correct options.
Schedule a time slot
A virtual desktop needs preparation time. That is why scheduling the time slot works slightly differently from a regular exam. Schedule your exam well in advance. Read below about the difference between an integrated exam and a manually created exam.
Scheduling an integrated exam
An exam application or LMS sends this information via the API and the information will be filled in automatically. You always have the option to disconnect the synchronisation and overwrite these values manually. To do this, click the paperclip and overwrite the values.
Note: The number of students and the start time are final once the reservation time starts. You can still change the end time if it falls within the maximum session duration and there is sufficient quota.
Scheduling an exam via the Schoolyear dashboard
For an exam that you create via the Schoolyear dashboard, you need to set the start and end times manually. You will automatically encounter this step under details.
You can select the following options:
- Start as soon as possible: the exam starts as soon as the virtual desktops are ready. With this option, you will see the minimum reservation time, for example approximately 3 hours, and the expected time slot.
- Timeslot: you choose a Start Time and End Time yourself. Choose a start time that is after the minimum reservation time.
Note: the start time is final once the reservation time starts. You can still change the end time if it falls within the maximum session duration and there is sufficient quota.