If you are an instructor and want to use the Testing Centre to have your students write an exam, here is some information that you should know about how the Testing Centre operates as well as the information you will need to provide to us in the Teaching Centre so we can book your exam properly.
NOTE regarding final exam policies from the UofL Academic Calendar.
Final examinations must be held on the date set by the Registrar. In the case of final examinations written in the Testing Centre, examinations may be opened on or after the first day of the scheduled examination period. Testing Centre examinations must be scheduled for completion no earlier than the day scheduled by the Registrar and no later than the last day of the final examination period.
1. Determine what kind of exam you would like to setup.
The Testing Centre only manages the proctoring of exams within Moodle and does not allow paper exam bookings in the room. Plan to have your exam run for a specific date period, depending on your class size, you will require a minimum of two days to a week long booking.
IMPORTANT! If you have a written paper exam, the Testing Centre will not proctor that exam for you. If you do prefer to have your students write a paper exam, an option to consider is booking a room on campus for the appropriate amount of time and proctoring the exam yourself, or with the help of a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
If you do plan on using Moodle for your exams, follow the rest of the steps below.
2. Determine when you would like the exam to be written and also how long your students will have to complete the exam.
The Testing Centre can get busy, so it is a good idea to book your exams in advance. Keep in mind that your exam is likely not the only exam being written, so the exact date and time you want may not be available. If this happens, you may be asked to adjust your exam window by a day forward or back, please be prepared for this possibility.
NOTE: We require that you book your exam at least 5 business days before your exam opens. If you do not book within that time limit, there is a possibility that your exam will not be accommodated in the Testing Centre.
Determine how much time you would like your students to have. This refers to the time limit of the exam once the students have begun writing. You may update the exam time limit in the exam settings to reflect this, if you need assistance with your exam settings we are here to help.
Next is to figure out the date range that your exam will run for. This is the span of time that your students will be able to access the exam in the Testing Centre. Hosting an exam in the Testing Centre not only frees up more class time for instruction, but it also allows you to give your students some flexibility as to when they write their exam. You can allow your students to write their exam over 3 days, or up to a week.
Although the Moodle Team in the Teaching Centre will work with you to book these exams, and get your settings in place, it is the responsibility of the instructor to check the exam for any errors. It is very important to preview your full exam before the opening date to sort out any issues before students begin taking the exam.
3. Do your students need any special allowances?
The Testing Centre is a secure testing environment. The computers in the Testing Centre have a secure browser that will prevent students from accessing any other internet pages.
Students may need access to other materials determined by the instructor, such as a calculator, a language translator, or even a formula sheet. Be sure to inform the Teaching Centre staff what these special allowances are at the time of the exam booking(s). The proctors will not allow students to bring in any items that are not listed in the exam booking.
4. Do you have any accommodated students?
You may encounter students in your class that due to a learning disability or other impairment, may need extra time, a quiet room, or other special requirements. These students will be set up with the Accommodated Learning Centre. These students will need to register with the ALC, and book each of their exams with the ALC office. Once the ALC has these bookings, the ALC will contact us at the Teaching Centre to set up the Moodle exam requirements for each of these students individually. As the instructor, you will not need to set these up.
5. Make sure your exam is constructed properly before testing begins.
After you have built your exam in Moodle be sure to preview the full exam for any errors. Are the images showing properly? Is randomization working? If you have any questions about the functionality of your exam, please contact the Teaching Centre as soon as possible.
6. Determine how and when you want to release grades and feedback to the students.
In Moodle, the exam settings have the ability to suppress the release of grades, feedback, and even student answers, until the exam is done. Be sure to look through the exam settings to determine how you want this feedback released.
Here are some common configurations.
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
If you are unsure of this configuration, please consult with the Moodle Team in the Teaching Centre before your exam opens.
If you follow these steps, it will be very helpful when we try and book your exam in the Testing Centre. Our Moodle Team in the Teaching Centre is here to help you, and if you have any questions about booking an exam or constructing an exam, we are glad to help.