Regulations for the conduct of examinations

1. At least two invigilators, of whom one shall be designated senior invigilator (denoted by an asterisk in the examination timetable), shall be on duty in each examination room.
2. At least one invigilator shall normally be seated in front of the candidates and at least one behind to ensure proper supervision of the examinees.
3. It is the responsibility of the senior invigilator to collect, or to arrange for the collection of, the question papers for the examination(s) at which he/she is officiating and to ensure that the packets of papers are properly sealed and labelled in accordance with the examination timetable.
4. Examination papers should always be produced so that the questions do not appear on the front page. This is to ensure that the questions are not revealed to candidates before the examination starts. The invigilators should ensure that this approach is followed.
5. Invigilators must arrive at the examination room at least fifteen minutes before the beginning of the examination.
6. At the close of the examination, invigilators should collect the answer books in each subject, arrange them in alphabetical order, check the names against the list of candidates and record the names of any absentees on the forms provided. On each form the number of candidates who were present at the examination and submitted answer books shall be entered and signed by one of the invigilators. If any answer book is returned bearing the name of a student not included in the appropriate list, an endorsement to this effect shall be made on the form. In addition, the name of any candidate who has attended the examination but has not submitted an answer book shall be recorded.
7. Invigilators should deliver spare copies of question papers and all answer books not collected and signed for by School representatives to the Registry, 6 Airlie Place.
8. The details of any case of cheating or impersonation which is suspected or of any other irregularity in the conduct of an examination, must be reported to the Examinations Manager, Registry by the senior invigilator.
9. It is the responsibility of the Head of the School (or designated nominee) to ensure that an appropriate member of staff (e.g. the programme or module leader) is in attendance in the examination room at least fifteen minutes before the start of an examination in order to open the appropriate envelopes of papers, to check them for errors and to distribute them to the candidates. This member of staff should stay in the hall for five minutes after the start of the examination in order to respond to any queries, and should leave a telephone number at which they can be reached should any subsequent problem arise. Students should be made aware of the purpose of the attendance of the academic subject lead. Where disabled students are undertaking the examination in a separate room, arrangements must be made so that they have the same opportunities to communicate any issues or queries to the academic subject lead via the invigilators.
10. Failure on the part of a designated School representative to attend an examination in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation constitutes an irregularity to be reported by the senior invigilator.
11. While responsibility for the distribution of question papers rests with the School representatives concerned, invigilators are expected to assist in performing this duty expeditiously when the number of candidates is large.
12. It is the responsibility of the Head of School (or designated nominee) to ensure that arrangements are in place for an appropriate member staff from the School to uplift the appropriate answer books from the examination room after the books have been checked by the invigilators.
13. Candidates shall be admitted to the examination room in sufficient time to enable them to take their seats and receive their papers before the beginning of the examination and in any case not later than five minutes before the official starting time of the examination.
14. Except in any emergency, a candidate may not leave an examination room within the first half hour or the last fifteen minutes of an examination period.
15. A candidate who leaves the examination room before the end of an examination shall do so in such a way as to cause the minimum of disturbance to the other candidates.
16. A candidate who arrives at an examination room after the first half hour of any examination shall be admitted, provided that no other candidate for the same examination has left the supervision of the invigilators. If another candidate for the same examination has already left the supervision of the invigilators, the late comer shall not be admitted. The senior invigilator shall report on the circumstances of any admission or refusal of admission of a late comer under this Regulation.
17. A candidate who is admitted to an examination after the official starting time shall not be granted any additional time in which to complete the examination. However, the examiners may, at their discretion, take into account the reduced time available to a latecomer when assessing his or her performance in that examination. It shall be the responsibility of the latecomer to draw any relevant facts to the attention of the examiners.
18. Candidates may not take into an examination room any books or papers or information recorded in any form relevant to an examination except with the express authority of the head of the programme or module concerned. All cases where such material is permitted in the examination room shall be notified in writing to the Examinations Manager, Registry who will pass the details onto the Director of Policy, Governance and Legal Affairs.
19. Pocket calculators, provided that they are silent in operation and have an independent power supply may be used by candidates in an examination, subject to the terms of these Regulations.
    
    1. One of the following statements shall be included in the preliminary matter under the heading of each examination paper:
       
       1. No calculators may be used in this examination.
       2. Calculators may be used in this examination.
       3. Only calculators approved by the head of the programme or module may be used in this examination.
    2. A programme or module leader who decides to restrict the type of calculators to be used in an examination shall require candidates to submit their calculators for inspection. Thereafter (s)he shall arrange for the preparation of a list of all candidates for each examination showing the make and model numbers of their respective calculators which have been approved and shall forward such list or lists to the Examinations Office not later than one week before the beginning of the diet of examinations.
20. During the period of any examination candidates may not talk to one another nor leave their places except to obtain additional stationery, to speak to an invigilator or go to the lavatory.
21. Every candidate shall inscribe his or her name and desk number on the front of all answer books submitted.
22. Every candidate shall display his or her student identity card on the desk. A candidate who cannot produce an identity card shall be required to complete a place card provided by an invigilator.
23. A candidate may not remove from the examination room any answer book or other item of examination stationery provided, except for any non-returnable question papers.
24. It is the responsibility of every candidate to ensure that he or she has received the correct examination paper.
25. It is the responsibility of every candidate to ensure that all their answers are recorded in a legible form. The examiner of any answer which is not in a legible form shall normally be entitled to disregard it for the purpose of assessing the marks to be awarded. Under exceptional circumstances, the programme leader concerned may make suitable arrangements for the transcription of any illegible answers submitted by a candidate in order that they may be marked.
26. All candidates shall stop writing when instructed to do so by an invigilator and shall deposit their answer books as directed.
27. Smoking is not permitted in any examination room. This includes the use of electronic cigarettes.
28. Mobile phones and other personal devices with internet connectivity must be switched off, removed from the vicinity of the candidates’ examination desks and placed in designated peripheral areas of the examination halls.
29. In the event of the examination room being evacuated due to fire or a fire alarm, the examination will not be resumed. If the alarm occurs during the first two thirds of the examination, the normal expectation is that the examination will be re-sat, with a new examination paper being produced by the School and a new examination time being scheduled and notified by the Registry. If the alarm begins during the last third of the examination period, the normal expectation is that partially-completed work will be assessed by the examiners, who will take the reduced time into account.
30. A report by the senior invigilator of any irregularity in terms of these Regulations shall be made in writing and without delay to the Examinations Manager, Registry who will pass to the Director of Policy, Governance and Legal Affairs, who shall submit it to the Dean of the appropriate School for consideration and presentation to the Senatus Academicus.

Revised version approved by the Learning and Teaching Committee May 2015

Addendum to Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations to Cover Campus-based Online Examinations Semester 2 2022

Overview

Approval has been granted for the delivery of a limited number of campus-based online examinations in Semester 2 2022. These examinations should be conducted in accordance with the existing Regulations for the Conduct of Examinations together with the additional regulations detailed in this addendum which apply specifically to invigilated campus-based online examinations.

The regulations outlined in this addendum shall only apply to examinations in Semester 2 2022. Thereafter a wider review of existing examination regulations will be undertaken.

Additional regulations for invigilated online examinations

1. Following external examiner approval of examination questions and the online creation of a computer-marked examination, module leads must ensure that their exam is reviewed and checked for accuracy of content, spelling and punctuation to avoid potential ambiguity prior to the exam date. The accuracy of scoring schemes must also be reviewed and checked for computer-marked examinations.
2. When submitting examination information to Registry for timetabling and scheduling, Schools must also provide details of any permitted materials and resources that students may refer to during an online invigilated examination. These details will in turn be shared with invigilators.
3. Individuals appointed to invigilate examinations must attend either a CTIL or School invigilation briefing to familiarise themselves with both the responsibilities of invigilating a campus-based online examinations and support mechanisms.
4. At least two invigilators shall be on duty in each IT suite examination room. This should support an invigilator to student ratio of 2:50. IT suite examination rooms accommodating larger numbers of students will require an additional invigilator per 50 students. Examinations with larger numbers of students in the Interactive Learning Suite on level 2 of the Dalhousie Building will typically require 3 invigilators whilst 4 will be required in the Tower Basement IT Suite C.
5. Invigilators are responsible for actively invigilating the examination, to ensure proper supervision of the examinees and preserve the integrity of the examination.
6. It is the responsibility of the senior invigilator to collect, or to arrange for the collection of, the Registry Examination Pack which includes the Registry Examination Attendance Register, Invigilation Notes for the examination(s) at which they are officiating in accordance with the examination timetable and Place Cards.
7. Invigilators must arrive at the examination room at least twenty minutes before the beginning of the examination.
8. Invigilators shall determine the start and finish time for all online exams that take place on campus in an invigilated setting.
9. Once the examination has started the senior invigilator and the invigilation team shall mark off the attendance of each candidate on the Registry Examination Attendance Register, checking they have their student identification card and that they are seated at the desk assigned to them. If students do not have their student identification card with them, they should be asked to complete a Place Card.
10. At the close of the examination, the senior invigilator shall enter the number of candidates who were present at the examination on the Registry Examination Attendance Register, then sign and return to Registry. The senior invigilator shall also return any completed Place Cards and the Invigilation Notes detailing any irregularities or issues in the examination and these will be retained by Registry and shared with Schools for reference in the event of any technical queries or academic integrity investigation which may arise.
11. The details of any case of cheating or impersonation which is suspected or of any other irregularity in the conduct of an examination, must be reported to the Examinations Manager, Registry by the senior invigilator and detailed in the Invigilation Notes.
12. It is the responsibility of the Head of the School (or designated nominee) to ensure that an appropriate member of staff (e.g. the programme or module leader) is in attendance in the examination room at least twenty minutes before the start of an examination. This member of staff should stay in the examination location for ten minutes after the start of the examination in order to respond to any queries and should leave a telephone number and Teams contact at which they can be reached should any subsequent problem arise. Students should be made aware of the purpose of the attendance of the academic subject lead. Where disabled students are undertaking the examination in a separate room, arrangements must be made so that they have the same opportunities to communicate any issues or queries to the academic subject lead via the invigilators. Any examination issues identified in the main examination venue shall be communicated to the Examinations Office who in turn shall notify invigilators in satellite examination locations.
13. Candidates shall be admitted to the examination room in sufficient time to enable them to take their seats and login to relevant examination delivery platform before the beginning of the examination and in any case not later than five minutes before the official starting time of the examination.
14. For a tutor marked examination submitted via Turnitin or Blackboard Assignment every candidate shall include both their matriculation number and their desk number in all files submitted with their answers.
15. It is the responsibility of every candidate to ensure that they have access to the correct examination paper with the appropriate assessment duration. For a tutor marked assessment submitted to Turnitin or Blackboard Assignments all candidates shall stop writing and drawing on any examination stationery such as diagram sheets when instructed to do so by an invigilator and shall then submit their work as directed.
16. Mobile phones and other personal devices with internet connectivity including smart watches must be switched off, removed from the vicinity of the candidates’ examination desks and placed in the designated areas of the IT examination suite. If a device is found on the person of a candidate during the exam this is deemed as cheating.
17. Each IT suite examination room should allocate five percent of desks and PC workstations as spares with a minimum of two spares. Should a PC have a technical issue during an examination the candidate should be relocated to one of the spare desks and PCs. The invigilators should record details of this ensuring the Registry Examination Attendance Register is updated for the candidate to detail the new desk number and ensure that this is also reported and detailed on the Invigilation