Chair of Privacy and Security in Information Systems – Exam Booklets: Implementation Guide

Alternative Approaches

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For Small Courses (Under 20 Students)

Analog Paper Collection

Process: Students submit handwritten notes in in-person sessions
Exam: Papers are returned during the exam
Advantages: No printing required, no technical infrastructure, very flexible
Disadvantages: In-person attendance required, manual administration
Suitable for: Seminars, small tutorials, lab courses

Digital Collection Without Tool

Process: Email submissions or simple folder upload
Organization: Manual compilation in Word/PowerPoint
Printing: Simple batch printing without automation
Effort: Higher, but still manageable for small groups

Hybrid Exam Formats

Split Exam (50/50)

Part 1 without aids: Foundational knowledge and comprehension questions (50% of points and time)
Part 2 with booklet: Application and transfer tasks (50% of points and time)
Advantage: Prevents complete dependence on the booklet
Suitable for: Courses with important foundational knowledge that must be readily available

Flexible Aid Sections

Multiple choice without booklet: Quick assessment of factual knowledge
Application tasks with booklet: Support for complex problem-solving
Time allocation: 30 min without, 90 min with booklet
Transition: Short break for booklet distribution

Reduced Variants

Mini-Booklet (5 Pages)

Scope: Only the most important concepts
Rhythm: One page every 2–3 weeks
Suitable for: Short modules, introduction to the system, skeptical colleagues
Effort: Significantly reduced for all participants

Thematic Booklets

Structure: One page per main topic instead of per week
Flexibility: Different page counts depending on topic scope
Organization: Fewer submission deadlines, but longer processing time

Assessment-Integrated Approaches

Bonus Point Booklets

System: Max. 10% of final grade for high-quality pages
Assessment: Structure and completeness, not aesthetics
Motivation: Additional incentive beyond exam aid
Effort: Additional grading workload for instructors

Peer Review Integration

Process: Students evaluate each other’s booklet pages
Improvement: Opportunity to revise after feedback
Learning: Understanding quality criteria by evaluating other pages
Tool: Moodle Workshop or similar peer review modules

Subject-Specific Adaptations

STEM Fields

Focus: Formulas, example calculations, problem-solving strategies
Format: Allow more visualizations and diagrams
Special feature: Practice mathematical notation by hand

Humanities

Content: Key concepts, argumentation structures, source references
Format: More text, fewer visualizations
Methods: Argumentation schemes and text analysis techniques

Law

Structure: Statutes, definitions, examination schemas
Organization: By legal area rather than chronologically
Practice: Subsumption schemas and case solution structures

Technical Variants

Tablet-Based Creation

Hardware: Students’ own tablets with stylus
Software: Apps like GoodNotes, Notability, OneNote
Advantage: Better readability, easy corrections
Challenge: Unequal technical equipment

Digital Booklets in E-Exams

System: PDF booklets available on exam computers
Advantage: No printing required, better searchability
Disadvantages: Technical complexity, less tactile experience

Time-Adapted Variants

Intensive Courses/Block Seminars

Rhythm: Daily summaries
Scope: Fewer pages, but more concentrated
Exam: A few days after the end of the block session

Multi-Semester Modules

Continuity: Maintain booklet across multiple semesters
Structure: Chapters per semester
Advantage: Long-term knowledge retention

Collaborative Approaches

Group Booklets

Team: 2-3 students create pages together
Division: Different topics per person
Exam: Everyone receives a copy of the group booklet
Learning: Through discussion and coordination

Class Booklet

Community: All students contribute to one booklet
Quality: Peer review and instructor feedback
Exam: Everyone receives the same, very high-quality booklet

What to Avoid

Not Recommended Variants

Summaries without handwriting: Little reflection due to copy-and-paste and LLM-generated texts being possible
Grading aesthetic quality: Demotivates less artistic students
Too complex technical solutions: Overshadow the pedagogical benefit
Complete abandonment of rules: Leads to unfairness

Common Mistakes

Too late introduction: System must be established from the beginning
Unclear rules: Leads to confusion and dissatisfaction
No methodology instruction: Students only copy superficially
Overcomplication: Simple systems often work better

Practical Reference

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To Implementation Guide To Booklet Main Page

This reference combines all practical resources for booklet implementation: from initial planning to exam administration. Use the checklists for systematic preparation and the troubleshooting section for addressing issues as they arise.

Implementation Timeline

4-6 Weeks Before Semester Start

Make fundamental decisions: Set maximum page count (recommended: 15), choose submission rhythm, define handwriting requirements, determine A5 color printing at 300 dpi as target format.

Legal clarification: Inform examination office about permitted materials, involve statutes office if needed, coordinate with other instructors for parallel booklet courses.

Technical preparation: Download GitHub repository, test tool, set up LMS course with separate assignments for each week, contact in-house print shop.

First Lecture Weeks

Week 1: Explain concept, illustrate benefits, communicate rules, present realistic time investment (30-60 min. per page), emphasize quality over aesthetics.

Week 2: Teach note-taking techniques (Cornell method), show example pages, announce first submission for week 3, verify LMS access.

Week 3: Evaluate first submissions, spot-check for compliance, send reminders if needed, resolve technical issues.

Ongoing Operations

Regular tasks: Monitor submission rates, create test booklets (every 2-3 weeks), discuss sample pages with consent, show flexibility for special circumstances.

Quality assurance: Verify tool functionality, test print quality, check folder structure, conduct random checks for rule violations.

End of Semester

3 weeks before exam: Collect final submissions, download all pages, check compliance.

2 weeks before exam: Automatically assemble booklets, generate cover pages, conduct quality control.

1 week before exam: Timely printing and binding, alphabetical sorting, completeness check, prepare replacement booklets.

Common Problems and Solutions

Technical Difficulties

Problem: Tool not working, LMS submissions faulty, print quality insufficient.

Immediate measures: Check GitHub Issues, activate alternative submission methods, create test booklets early.

Prevention: Test system before semester start, brief in-house print shop in advance, plan backup scenarios.

Compliance Issues

Problem: Students submit someone else’s handwriting, screenshots instead of handwriting, late submissions accumulate.

Measures: Repeatedly emphasize handwriting requirement, conduct random checks, communicate clear consequences.

Image similarity detection: Use technical tools, flag suspicious pages, perform handwriting comparison if suspected.

Motivation and Workload Issues

Problem: Students perceive booklets as constant burden, page quality decreases, submission rates decline.

Solutions: Make workload calculation transparent, show flexibility during exam periods, share success stories, regularly emphasize benefits.

Quality promotion: Discuss sample pages, strengthen methodology training, provide individual feedback.

Organizational Challenges

Problem: Multiple booklet courses in semester, coordination problems with other instructors, student overload.

Coordination: Align submission dates, agree on staggered deadlines, develop common standards.

Resource management: Reserve printing capacity in advance, coordinate technical infrastructure.

Detailed Checklists

Before Semester Start

Organizational

Course suitability verified (written exam)
Page count determined (e.g., 15)
Submission rhythm established, holiday provisions (weekly/biweekly)
Handwriting requirement defined
Format determined (A5, color printing, 300 dpi)
Examination office informed if necessary
Coordination with other instructors completed if necessary
In-house print shop contacted and process discussed

Technical Setup

GitHub repository downloaded
Tool tested on own system
LMS course set up (Moodle/Ilias)
Separate assignments created for each submission
Introduction slides prepared
Example booklet created
Note-taking technique materials compiled

Semester Start

First Sessions

Booklet system concept explained
Benefits and motivation clarified
Rules documented and communicated in writing
Time investment realistically presented (30–60 min/page)
Note-taking techniques taught (e.g., Cornell method)
First submission announced, e.g., for week 3
Questions answered and uncertainties clarified

Ongoing Support

Quality Assurance

Submission rates continuously monitored
Test booklets created every 2–3 weeks
Sample pages (with consent) discussed in class
Random checks for rule violations
Technical problems resolved promptly
Flexibility shown for special circumstances

Exam Preparation

Booklet Creation

All submitted pages downloaded
Compliance of all pages verified
Booklets automatically assembled
Cover pages generated and formatted
Timely printing (recommendation: 1 week before exam)
Alphabetical sorting completed
Replacement booklets prepared for non-registered students

Exam Administration

Exam Organization

Booklets brought to exam
Proctors informed about booklet rules
Name-based assignment ensured
No changes to booklet permitted
Booklets collected with exams
Archiving organized for retake exams

Quality Criteria

Content Standards

Handwriting requirement: All content must be written in one’s own handwriting – paper or tablet, no screenshots or someone else’s handwriting.

Permitted content: Direct transcriptions from slides/websites (since prohibition is difficult to enforce), cooperatively created content (only if each person writes themselves), one printed heading per page.

Not permitted: Someone else’s handwriting, screenshots, non-freehand drawn figures.

Technical Requirements

Format: Submission in any size, automatic scaling to A5 for printing at 300 dpi resolution.

Quality control: Adequate and even lighting for photos, sharp images with high contrast, image resolution at least 1771 x 2480 pixels.

Deadlines: Strict adherence to maintain equal opportunity, exceptions only with medical certificate.

Emergency Scenarios

Technical Failure

Internet/WLAN problems shortly before deadline: Define and communicate behavioral rules, deadline flexibility only with medical certificate, early information about risk of very late submission.

Tool problems: Manual booklet creation (with suitable PDF tool) as backup

Organizational Crises

Print shop failure: Have alternative print shops contacted, check own printing capacity, digital booklets as emergency solution.

Massive rule violations: Enforce clear consequences, strengthen preventive measures, ensure fairness for compliant students.

Measuring Success

Quantitative Indicators

Participation rate: e.g., more than 80% of students regularly submit pages Quality rate: less than 5% of pages must be excluded due to rule violations Exam performance: depending on task type, potentially measurable correlation between booklet creation and exam success

Qualitative Assessment

Student feedback: Positive evaluation of learning effect and stress reduction Instructor experience: Reflection and adaptation of exam tasks Institutional acceptance: Adoption by other instructors

Text Template for Students

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To Implementation Guide To Booklet Main Page

The following texts can be used in courses to explain the exam booklet incentive system to students. You can use the content directly or adapt it to your specific requirements.

Adaptation Note: This template contains Bamberg-specific information (campusprint scanners, web links, technical processes) that you must adapt for your institution. See especially the section on submission with the local scanning workflow.

Depending on your specific requirements, you should also adapt the following aspects:

Semester-specific information: Update time periods and deadlines
Technical details: Adapt scanning and upload procedures to your infrastructure
Regulations: Modify page count, format, and submission deadlines as needed
Institution-specific information: Add institution-specific procedures and contacts

Introduction

One of the most effective learning techniques is taking notes while reading and listening (active reading or active listening). We observe, however, that many students struggle to motivate themselves to take notes regularly.

As an incentive for regular note-taking, we use personal booklets in this module. A booklet consists of up to 15 pages in A5 size. Each week, you can submit or upload one A5 page by a specific deadline (the exact deadline will be announced online). You can fill the booklet pages with any content you consider useful for the exam (subject to the conditions described in the Conditions section). Before the exam, we will compile your pages into a stapled booklet and have it printed in color. You will receive your personal booklet on the day of the exam along with the exam questions. At the end of the exam period, you submit the booklet with your exam.

Creating the pages for your booklet requires critical thinking. How can the material best be compressed and written clearly and concisely? What content do I want to offload into the booklet, what can I memorize myself? The booklet thus encourages an active learning process.

Teamwork allowed: If you work in a study group, we recommend that each member of your group prepares their own draft, you discuss the drafts in your group, and then all group members create their own pages based on this discussion.

Conditions

The following regulations may seem pedantic. However, they are necessary to maintain the exam principle of equal opportunity.

Validity Period

Submission: Booklet pages can only be submitted in the current semester Use: Permitted materials for exams in the current semester and the following semester

Handwriting Requirement

Own handwriting: All booklet pages must be written in your own handwriting (paper or tablet) Learning effect: Writing by hand helps your brain remember what you have written Goal: Ideally, by the end of the semester you know what is in the booklet, so looking things up is quick

Permitted Content

Handwritten transcription: Screenshots of slides or videos are only allowed if you have transcribed them by hand Typeface: One printed heading per page is allowed (e.g., from note-taking apps)

Arrangement: Reducing the size and arranging multiple handwritten elements on one page is permitted

You do not need to cite sources on the pages, i.e., it is allowed to copy lecture slides, text from the script, answers to exercises, content from Wikipedia, etc., without citing the source. It is also irrelevant whether booklets from different students contain the same drawings—as long as they were each drawn independently by each person.

Working on booklet pages in study groups is allowed—provided that each booklet page was completely handwritten by each person themselves.

Submitting Pages

Submission of booklet pages is done electronically.

Example Workflow (University of Bamberg): You can scan your pages in good quality at a campusprint copier. To do this, insert your student ID card into the terminal, press the “Fax/Scan” button on the multifunction device, and select “campusprint” as the recipient on the touchscreen display. You can place your page in the upper feed and then press the start button. After the scanning process is complete, you can download your page at https://campusprint.uni-bamberg.de/ and then submit the file.

Uploading an image is best done via a desktop browser. Below we provide some tips to achieve a good result. Note first that we will print your pages in A5 format on a laser printer. If you write very small, you must pay particular attention to uploading a sharp image with high contrast. Make sure your images are not too pale, cropped at the edges, or blurry. If you take photos of your pages, ensure adequate and—more importantly—even lighting and use a sufficiently high resolution. Consider using a specialized app that helps with digitizing paper documents. Set up a suitable workflow early to avoid time pressure.

What is a sufficiently high resolution? Prints are easily readable if they have at least 300 dpi. The short side of your image should therefore have at least 1771 pixels, the long side at least 2480 pixels.

To get a feel for readability, adjust the scaling on your computer screen so that the displayed size corresponds to an A5 sheet placed over it. If you can read your writing at this scale, everything should be fine.

Dealing with Problems

Often the internet goes down or the Wi-Fi at the university is overloaded just before a booklet deadline. We recommend that you do not upload booklet pages just before the deadline. Test the upload process before the deadline to avoid surprises. After the deadline, we will no longer accept your booklet page—unless you immediately provide a suitable medical certificate of incapacity to work.

Permitted Materials

You will receive your booklet along with the exam questions. Only the booklets we issue are permitted materials, i.e., you may not bring any additional notes to the exam. Furthermore, it is not permitted to add notes to your booklet before or during the exam; however, adding highlights with text markers is allowed.

Booklets that were not completely handwritten by you yourself are not permitted materials. It is your responsibility to check whether your booklet meets this criterion. If you discover that one of your pages does not meet the requirements after the deadline for submitting that page has passed, you can have it deleted from your booklet by us until the deadline for the last booklet page. Replacing the content of deleted pages is not possible.