(Final) Exam Procedures: A Few Thoughts from an Ombudsperson

Laurine Harrison, Ombudsperson — May 2003

A number of these thoughts for improving exam procedures have emerged as a result of cases brought to the Ombudsperson. Some of the suggested procedures may already be in place informally. For example, instructors and teaching assistants may request that the exam room be set up in a specific way and may require that students writing the exam follow certain protocols. SFU, however, lacks a set of standard exam procedures. Although some issues, such as sufficiently large exam rooms, require administrative support, instructors and teaching assistants can play an essential role in reducing opportunities for cheating during exams.

Days Prior to the Exam

1. Inform students both verbally and by e-mail as to what material and aids they are permitted in the exam (for example, crib notes, text books, calculators, nothing). If crib notes are permitted, be explicit about any restrictions on number and size of pages, etc.

2. Inform students as to the procedures that will be followed in the exam. For instance, students should be told to bring their SFU identification cards to the exam, told how exams will be collected for those who stay the full time, and informed of restrictions in what they can have with them during the exam or wear (such as hats).

3. Inform students that they should not sit near members of their study groups during the exam.

4. Consider the size of the exam room and decide if two or more versions of the exam are required (see #5).

Before Commencing the Exam

5. If the exam room is large enough, distribute the exams to leave at least two seats between students. If the room is not large enough to ensure reasonable distance between students and/or if the slope of the room allows students to easily see the work of students in the row in front, then instructors should create different versions of the exams and distribute them to minimize opportunities for cheating.

6. As students enter the exam room, tell them to leave their belongings at the back or front of the room. These belongings might include backpacks, coats, water bottles, food, hats, and other possessions unnecessary for writing the exam.

7. Once students are seated, remind them of what cheating means. Encourage students:

· to take reasonable measures to protect their exams from others’ while writing

· to avoid wandering eyes

· against having in their possession or near them material not expressly authorized for use during the exam

· not to whisper or move lips during the exam

8. Remind students exactly what material is permitted during the exam. This information should also appear on the exam itself and be written on the black board or displayed on an overhead projector. Also tell students that certain materials (such as papers related to the exam but not expressly authorized for use) should not be located in pockets, laps, etc. Give students an opportunity to place such materials at the back/front of the room before the exam begins. Instructors and invigilators may also want to consider how to handle bathroom breaks, which some students admit to using as a means of cheating. Whatever the bathroom break procedure, it should be announced prior to the start of the exam

During the Exam

9. In order to guard against questions about who actually wrote the exam circulate a class list at the beginning of the exam that list students’ names and requires signatures. Another column for signing out might also be useful. Ideally, the Office of the Registrar will provide a list so that students can sign next to their names. Until such lists are available, faculty may choose to create an alphabetical list with columns for signing in and out. The benefit of the prepared list is that invigilators can quickly see how many registered students are absent from the exam and check that the number of people signed in matches the number of people in the room.

10. Ensure invigilators circulate the room continuously and are given at least a five-minute break every hour. Invigilators should be well spaced throughout the exam room, but if the number of invigilators is small for the size of the room, invigilators may want to concentrate on watching from the back of the class rather than the front so that potential cheaters will not know when they are being observed.

11. Develop a procedure for collecting exams that discourages talking and avoids students crowding around the invigilators or the front desk. Ideally, student ID cards should be checked against signatures when exams are collected.

Dealing with Suspected Cheating

12. If one or more student is suspected of cheating, invigilators should:

· make eye contact with the student(s) to indicate they are being watched

· approach the student(s) and ask them to quiet down, keep their eyes on their own paper, make their paper less visible to others, etc.

· describe the suspect behavior to another invigilator so that someone else is also watching for further instances of the suspect behaviour

13. If the suspicious behaviour persists, consider moving the student(s) in question in order to isolate them and/or prevent them from disrupting other students. (For this purpose, it might be useful to reserve seats in the front row.)

14. When the suspicious behaviour persists, ensure that all invigilators who witnessed the suspicious behaviour complete an incident report. This report should detail the type of behaviour observed, the general time at which the behaviour began, the length of time it persisted, and any other relevant information. The student IDs for all suspected students should be checked at the end of the exam to ensure the correct name and student number are recorded on the incident report. At the end of the exam, incident reports should be put in a sealed envelope and not opened until the exams have been graded. At that point, the exams of any students suspected of cheating should be reviewed and a decision made as to what further action to take in each case.

I would be pleased to have your comments or suggestions on this handout. I can be contacted at laurine@sfu.ca or at local 4563 (604 291-4563).