At the start of your respective new term, all in-person high-stakes ExamSoft examinations across all schools and programs will be taken on SGU laptops accessed within examination venues. As a result, the following can be expected:
- Examination Laptops: The laptops will be available at the designated examination venues, and should not be removed from their respective locations.
- SGU Credentials: Students must remember their SGU email address and password, as these credentials are required to log in to the laptops.
- Check-in time: CHECK-IN will begin 30 minutes prior to the scheduled exam start time. Students must be seated no later than 10 minutes before the start of the examination. Ten (10) minutes before the doors close and the examination starts, a proctor will stand at the end of the CHECK IN line. Once the proctor is in position, no additional students will be permitted to join the line. - E.g. If your exam is set to begin at 8:30 am you can start entering the venue at 8:00am. If you are not in line by 8:20 am you will not be permitted entry.
- Download of Examinations: Once you are seated at the examination venue, you can proceed to sign in and download the examination file on the laptop.
- Completion of Examinations: Upon completion of the examination, please raise your hand, and a proctor will come to verify that the examination file has been uploaded successfully. DO NOT exit the Green Screen until this verification process has occurred. Once completed, the Proctor will confirm that you are permitted to sign out of ExamSoft and leave the venue.
- Personal devices: For these ExamSoft examinations, the use of personal laptops or any personal auxiliary devices is not permitted, except for a wired mouse.
Prior to Examination Day
Students are assigned their individual examination venue, which is indicated in their specific examination announcement, and must take the examination at that venue without exception.
Within each venue, each student is assigned a specific carrel (cubicle); and must be seated in the assigned spot to take the examination. Individual seating assignments are published on the course site prior to examination day.
On Examination Day
- Students have to follow the instructions of the proctors at any time, from the start of the CHECK IN until the end of the examination, whether inside or outside an examination venue.
- Items to be brought inside the examination venue:
- SGU Student ID
- Items that have been approved in advance by the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services within the Dean of Students office, following the deadlines for pre-approval requests.
- No other personal belongings will be permitted.
- There are a number of items that are not allowed inside an examination venue, including:
- Backpacks
- Cell phones
- Other electronic or communication devices
- Wrist watches
- Hoodies
- Headwear
- Scrap paper
- Pens, pencils, or stylus
- Food or beverages
- Water bottles (students are allowed a clear (see through) water bottle that can be accessed with the approval of the proctors outside of the testing venue)
- Students who wish to access their water bottles during breaks have to leave their completely clear (see through) bottles of plain water at the designated spots outside the examination venue; water bottles left inside backpacks will not be accessible during the examination.
- Hair long enough to cover the eyes and ears must be pulled back. Hats or other headwear are prohibited.
- Reading glasses with clear lenses are acceptable, but tinted glasses or sunglasses are prohibited.
- Cordless earplugs without electronic capabilities are permitted, after inspection and approval by a proctor.
- Whiteboards and marker pens will be provided for use during, but not prior to, the examination.
- Professional conduct requires students to be at the venue and ready to enter at the announced start of the CHECK IN time, and prior to the grace period (see below).
- For entry into the exam venue, students have to swipe their individual student ID at the ID scanner located at the entrance for every entry; they will have to swipe again when leaving the venue.
- Students have to be seated at their individually assigned carrel in their assigned venue.
- No communication of any kind is permitted between examinees after entering the examination venue.
- After a 30-minute grace period following the start of the CHECK IN, the doors to the venues will be closed, and the examination password will be announced; no more students will be allowed to enter an examination venue after door closure.
- After the password has been provided, students MUST start the examination immediately, without any delay.
- Short, unscheduled bathroom breaks are permitted. A student who wishes to take a bathroom break raises their hand to get the attention of a proctor, who will advise on the procedure, including sign out / sign back in.
- No bathroom breaks will be permitted during the initial 30 minutes of an examination, after the password has been provided.
- Students experiencing medical or technical problems during the examination should raise their hand to get the attention of a proctor.
- All irregularities during an examination will be monitored and recorded by the proctors inside the venue. Any issues reported to any party after the examination will not be considered.
- Any issues reported after an examination and not verified by a proctor as an irregularity during the examination cannot be used as the basis for any appeal, therefore, any irregularities must be reported to a proctor within the examination venue and recorded as an irregularity. If students are unsure about the irregularity report they should seek clarification from the chief proctor in the venue before leaving the examination.
- If students witness any suspicious activity during an examination please alert a proctor immediately.
- A student who has finished an examination prior to the official end may seek permission from a proctor to leave the examination venue, after successfully uploading the examination files to the server, proven by showing the “green screen” to the proctor for approval.
- It is at the discretion of the chief proctor in each venue to restrict the times a student may leave, to maintain a positive examination environment with limited distraction for those still taking the examination, in particular close to the official end of an examination.
- After having left the venue, students have to scan their student ID at the ID scanner located at the entrance.
- Students who have finished an examination and left will not be allowed back into the venue.
After the Examination
- All examination materials are the intellectual property of St George’s University. Reproduction and/ or distribution of examination materials, by any means, including reconstruction through memorization, are strictly prohibited.
- If students become aware of any suspicious activity related to an examination, please notify the Office of Student Affairs immediately (Office of Student Affairs).
- Examination irregularities, including falsely reporting technical difficulties, potential violations of the honor code, or other breaches of the examination rules and regulations will be investigated.
- The Course Director may withhold the examination scores during an ongoing investigation.
- Once a violation of the examination rules and regulations has been confirmed, the Course Director may impose a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- All examination files need to be uploaded for a valid exam score to stand. Absence of any of these files will result in a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- Failure to meet the hardware and software requirements for the examination, including failure to update to the required version of Examplify, will result in a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- In cases of severe violations of the examination rules and regulations, the Dean may initiate disciplinary action, which may ultimately result in dismissal.
- When cheating is suspected, it is not the obligation of the University to prove violation beyond a shadow of a doubt, but rather by a preponderance of the credible evidence submitted. Any suspected violations are reviewed by a university panel.
- Each course will provide an individual student profile (mastery) report following each summative assessment. These reports contain student performance data for the relevant categories for each examination, such as Physician Tasks / Competencies, Systems and Disciplines, similar to the Subject Examinations offered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) during the Clinical Years. These individual profiles should be used by students to identify their performance strengths and weaknesses for the summative assessments.
- Individual mastery reports of the examinations are available through the Examplify portal.
Seeking Help for Medical or Technical Issues
Students experiencing medical or technical problems while taking the examination onsite should raise their hand to get the attention of a proctor, who will assist them. Where technical help cannot be provided successfully an irregularity report should be completed and the “missed” examination can be appealed as outlined in the Appeals Process.
Reporting of Adverse Testing Conditions
Any adverse testing conditions that negatively impact a student’s ability to complete the examination must be reported immediately within the examination venue to the Chief Proctor. For issues that cannot be resolved, students should request that an Irregularity Report be completed by the Chief Proctor in the venue at the time of the occurrence. Irregularity requests cannot be made after leaving the venue.
Students should then email the Course Director immediately after the examination to alert the Course Director of the Irregularity Report that was filed in the venue. Reporting an irregularity to the Chief Proctor or OIA after the examination or if the outlined process is not followed will not be considered.
After grades are published by the Course Director no changes will be made based on Irregularity Reports that are filed inappropriately or late, therefore students should ensure that all irregularities are dealt with appropriately in venue and that the Course Director is alerted to the presence of a filed Irregularity Report immediately after the examination. In this circumstance, the affected grade is sequestered until the irregularity is investigated.
Once the Irregularity Report is filed by the Examination Services, and it is agreed by the Course Director in consultation with the SGS Dean that it may have affected student performance, the affected grade will remain sequestered. A student may be offered a Completion Examination after investigation of the events. The Completion Examination, if offered, is scheduled at the end of term at the regularly scheduled date of the Completion Examinations for the course affected. If the technical failure is a result of non-compliance with technology requirements for the examination a zero score may be retained.
Completion examinations are only offered on the scheduled date. Students are advised not to make travel plans until after the scheduled completion examination date in the event that they have to sit a completion for medical or other reasons.
In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to delay the start time or postpone the examination. Students are advised to not make travel arrangements for immediately after an examination to cover this eventuality.
Classification and Consequences of Technical Issues
Technical issues can arise and will be classified and dealt with as follows:
- Resolved technical issue: A log will be kept on all technical problems that a student reports to the OIA online support team (TellExaminationServices@sgu.edu). For all resolved technical problems the score earned for the examination will stand.
- Excused technical issue: If a student contacts the online support team in a timely manner (with enough time to complete the exam), and they cannot solve the technical issue, students will be eligible (without penalty) for a completion examination. This will be solely determined by the OIA online support team (TellExaminationServices@sgu.edu).
- Non-excused technical issue: Failure to comply with any of the above regulations, or failure to follow instructions from the OIA online support team (TellExaminationServices@sgu.edu), will automatically lead to a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
Faculty Panel on Academic Professionalism
The Faculty Panel on Academic Professionalism (FPAP), comprising at least 3 faculty members, provides a school-based mechanism for addressing academic course-related compliance and professionalism issues by students in coursework and assessments. Its mandate is limited to academic matters that do not require investigative authority but involve non-compliance with course or assessment policy. The FPAP is not a judicial body, but it has authority to impose academic penalties or sanctions related to professionalism lapses in coursework or assessments. The FPAP determines and imposes the appropriate academic penalty within the confines of those established in the course syllabus.
Where appropriate, course and examination noncompliance issues may be referred to an FPAP hearing. The Panel Hearings will be conducted by the Assistant Dean of Assessment and Evaluation.
Appeals Process
A student who receives a “zero” for the examination because of any of the above stipulations (technical issue due to non-compliance with OIA technical requirements) may appeal against the “zero” score. A written appeal outlining the sequence of events and explaining the circumstances that led to the zero score, has to be sent to the relevant SGS Dean. The Office of Student Affairs can assist the student in the appeals process.
The FPAP will review the written appeal of a student and make one of the following determinations:
- A score of zero will be retained for the examination.
- Where appropriate, any recorded score may be reinstated, if the investigation confirms that the files are intact, can be uploaded, and the log files are regular.
- The examinee may be required to take a completion examination at the end of term.
- For non-compliance issues an academic penalty may be applied if there is evidence of non-compliance with examination requirements or procedures. The penalty may be up to 10% of the course grade as published in the syllabus.
Missed Examination
If a student misses an examination then they are given an Incomplete (I) score for the missed examination. A student who misses an examination with a valid and approved excuse, has to take the Completion Examination as scheduled to replace the Incomplete (I) with a valid examination score. Completion examinations are held within the week following the final examination. Students are advised to not make travel arrangements until after the scheduled completion examination date in the event that they have to sit a completion for medical or other reasons. Completion examinations are only offered on the scheduled date. Failure to take the Completion Examination as scheduled will result in a failure to complete all course requirements. As a result, the student will earn an F grade for the course.
If a student misses an examination without a valid excuse, they will be given an Incomplete (I) score for the missed examination, and an academic penalty will be imposed. The FPAP gives the student the opportunity to explain the extenuating circumstances that led to their missing the examination. The panel recommends to the SGS Dean as to the extent to which the penalty (of up to 10% of the total course points) is imposed.
The student is then expected to take the Completion Examination for the missed exam as scheduled. Failure to take the Completion Examination as scheduled will result in a failure to complete all course requirements. As a result, the student will earn an F grade for the course.
If a student misses an examination without a valid and approved excuse, they should inform DOS on the day of the scheduled examination, following this procedure:
- Contact studentaffairs@sgu.edu and the relevant course director
- Provide sufficient explanation and information to the designated Dean within the Office of Student Affairs who will complete the official request form for an FPAP hearing. The Office of Student Affairs will then forward the form to the SGS Dean for review.
- After being informed of a date, time and venue for a hearing; meet with the FPAP at the scheduled date, time, and venue.
- Explain the circumstances of the missed examination and provide any supporting documentation, if relevant.
- In the event that no contact is made by the student or they fail to attend the scheduled hearing, then the zero score will stand for the examination.
Outcome of an FPAP Hearing
After the hearing, the FPAP will make a recommendation to the SGS Dean regarding the penalty, which can be up to 10% of the total course points, for a missed examination.
Once the penalty has been determined, the student will be allowed to take the scheduled Completion Examination in order to rectify the “I” score for the exam. The determined penalty of up to 10% (per violation) of the maximum total course points will be applied to the overall course grade. The Completion Examination will be held at the date and time as shown in the Academic Class Schedule. The student has the right to appeal the decision directly with the SGS Dean.
If the student does not take the Completion Examination as scheduled in order to resolve the “I” grade, an F grade will be recorded as the final course grade. If the student is still eligible to continue his/her studies based on promotion standards, the student would need to repeat the failed course. If the student is recommended for dismissal as a result of the F grade, the student has the opportunity to appeal as per instruction provided.
Appeals Process for Examination Protocol Violations
A student may appeal a grade deduction penalty applied by the FPAP. A written appeal outlining the sequence of events and explaining the circumstances that led to the compliance failure, has to be sent to the SGS Dean within 3 days of the penalty being communicated.
Examination Accommodations
Since examination rosters are formed ahead of time by OIA, any examination accommodations must be delivered to the SGS Dean from the Office of Accommodations 2 weeks prior to any examination. Therefore, students must apply for accommodations early so that the accommodations notice can be received and can be exercised. Any request that arrives late (i.e. less than 2 weeks prior to an examination, for all written, practical, and clinical examinations) will not be honored at the upcoming examination but will be honored for the next examination in the term, if approved.