Exam Task

The final exam is a proctor-secured written essay worth 25% of your final grade.

To comply with the Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines for secure, authentic assessment, you will prepare your arguments and outline beforehand, and then draft your essay live on camera.

Prompting

Your final task is to write a comprehensive synthesis essay on the following topic:

Select a major issue facing young people today (e.g., academic integrity in the age of AI, job market instability, digital misinformation, mental health/overthinking, or the pressure to perform public identities).

Assess how the tools and insights you learned throughout this course, including both technical/analytical tools (such as ethical AI prompting or research synthesis) and psychological/philosophical approaches from characters (such as Macbeth's ambition, moral decay, or psychological guilt), can help us frame and navigate this challenge.

To support your thesis, your essay should:

1. Define the Issue: Describe the modern challenge clearly, explaining why it is a critical issue for young people today.
2. Apply Course Tools (Technical/Analytical): Analyze how specific tools or methodologies from the course (e.g., prompt engineering/critiques from AI & LLMs, script iteration/analysis from Brands & Marketing, or research synthesis strategies from Academic Research & Writing) offer a concrete framework for understanding or tackling this issue.
3. Apply Psychological/Philosophical Insights (Literature): Analyze how character choices, conflicts, or mental strategies in Macbeth (e.g., Macbeth's ambition, his moral decay, Lady Macbeth's persuasion, or the psychological guilt that plagues them) or themes/characters from your selected Novel Study book illustrate the psychological dimensions of navigating this issue.

Part 1: Pre-Exam Preparation (Rough Work)

Before you begin your live writing session, you should prepare your ideas.

You may use Large Language Models (LLMs) during this phase to brainstorm ideas, refine your thesis statement, or critique your outline structure.

Your preparation document must include:

1. Your Selected Modern Issue (e.g., AI Ethics, Misinformation, Mental Health/Isolation, etc.).
2. A Structured Outline listing your thesis statement and the main points of your body paragraphs (using the PEE structure).
3. Your Selected Quotes & Evidence: Up to three quotes/examples with act/scene/line numbers (or page references for your selected novel) that you plan to integrate into your body paragraphs.
4. LLM Prompt Log: Copy and paste the prompts you used and the model's suggestions.

Deliverable:

Part 2: Proctored Writing Session

Once your preparation document is ready, you will complete the live writing session. You will have 2 hours to write your essay.

To comply with Ontario Ministry requirements, you must write your essay under secure conditions. For this exam, you will use the web proctoring system and built-in secure editor we have set up, which you can access directly on this exam page. For a complete guide on how to set up your environment, camera, and use digital notes, please review the Secure Web Proctoring Guide prior to starting.

Proctoring Guidelines:

The web proctoring system uses an external camera (such as your smartphone set up on a tripod, stand, or shelf) alongside our secure in-app editor. This verifies that you are the one drafting the work in real-time, without relying on intrusive desktop monitoring software.

Camera Setup:

• The Angle: Position your phone's camera behind and to the side of you (a 3/4 view).

• What Must Be Visible: The recording must clearly capture:

  1. Your face and profile.
  2. Your hands and keyboard.
  3. Your computer screen (showing the Verification Code, the clock, and the active writing editor).
  4. Your immediate desk environment.

• Clear Desk & No Paper Notes: Your desk must be completely clear of all paper, books, notebooks, or handwritten notes. No paper notes are permitted; instead, you must upload your rough notes/outline to the "Rough Notes" slot prior to starting the proctored session. You can view your notes digitally during the exam by clicking the Rough Notes button in the secure editor.

Recording & Writing Routine:

1. Pre-Exam Checklist & Setup: Position your phone (or recording camera) on its stand in the 3/4 angle position. On this page, read and check all five compliance items in the Pre-Exam Checklist (confirming you have closed other apps, closed extra tabs, maximized your browser window, cleared your workspace, and positioned your recording camera).
2. Start Proctor Stream: Click "Start Proctor Stream" to start your local webcam check-in and display your 6-character Verification Code and rolling live clock.
3. Verification Code, Room Scan & Introduction:
   • Start recording on your phone camera.
   • Self-Introduction: Stand in front of the camera, state your preferred name and course code, and read the 6-character Verification Code on your screen aloud.
   • Room Scan: Pick up the phone/camera and perform a slow 360-degree pan of your entire room and desk environment, verifying that it is clear of all paper notes, extra screens, or other people.
   • Legibility Check: Show a clear, close-up shot of the Verification Code and Clock on your computer monitor.
   • Tripod Setup: Without stopping the video recording, place the camera back on the tripod/stand in the 3/4 angle position to capture the full view of your desk, keyboard, hands, and monitor.
4. Begin Writing: Once you upload your Rough Notes & Outline Google Doc, the Secure Editor will automatically unlock. You can begin writing immediately; you do not need to wait for a live proctor to click unlock.
5. Drafting: Type your essay directly into the built-in editor.
   • Auto-Sync: Your progress is continuously auto-saved and synced to your teacher's dashboard in real-time.
   • Keep Code Visible: Ensure the Verification Code and live clock remain visible on your screen for the duration of the recording.
6. Finish & Save: Once you have completed your introduction, three PEE body paragraphs, and conclusion, click "Finish & Save Draft" to submit your work, then walk to your phone to stop the recording.

Deliverables: