Final Examination Chief Invigilator Directives

Purpose

The purpose of these Directives is to provide a framework to guide course instructors and Invigilators in the effective administration and supervision of final examinations.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Policy the following definitions apply:

"Examination" means a form of testing intended to assess the level of students’ knowledge, ability, skills, comprehension, application, analysis, and/or synthesis of the subject matter in a course of study. This includes, but is not limited to in-person, online, take-home, practical, and laboratory Examinations.

"Final Examination" means an Examination scheduled during the Final Examination Period.

"Chief Invigilator" means a designated individual assigned by the Registrar’s Office to oversee the administration and supervision of Final Examinations that involve students from different faculties that share the same examination room. The Chief Invigilator will assist course instructors and Invigilators with the Final Examination preparation and completion. Please note that for single-section courses the instructor of the course is considered the Chief Invigilator. For multi-section courses, the course coordinator normally serves as the Chief Invigilator. If no course coordinator has been assigned, the Faculty will designate a Chief Invigilator.

"Invigilator" means a designated individual assigned by a faculty to assist with the administration and supervision of Final Examinations. Invigilators are to follow the same Directives as outlined for Chief Invigilators throughout this document.

Scope and authority

 These Directives apply to administration and supervision of Final Examinations.

These Directives do not apply to doctoral candidacy exams, master’s and doctoral thesis defense examinations. For more information regarding these types of examinations, please refer to the Graduate Academic Calendar.

The Registrar, or successor thereof, is responsible for overseeing the implementation, administration and interpretation of these Directives.

Directives

Room Preparation

1. In preparation for a Final Examination, the Chief Invigilator must:

   1. Arrive at the examination room at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the Final Examination scheduled in a standard examination room and one hour prior to the start of a Final Examination scheduled in a gymnasium,

   2. Distribute examination materials (e.g. examination paper, Scantron, etc.) to each seat before students are permitted to enter the examination room, and

   3.  Refer to the standard cover page sheet accompanying the exams for special seating instructions.

      　

Student Entry and Attendance

1. Students will be permitted to enter a standard examination room 15 minutes prior to the start of an examination. If the Final Examination is scheduled in a gymnasium, students will be permitted for entry at least 20 minutes prior to the start of an examination. As students enter the examination room, the following announcements are to be made by the Chief Invigilator:

   1. “Students must present their valid physical or digital student photo ID, or government issued photo ID that is in English prior to starting this examination".

2. It is the responsibility of the Chief Invigilator to confirm the attendance of students by verifying their physical or digital student photo ID, or government issued photo ID to the Final Examination class list at the time of the examination. 
   1. Students must present their valid student photo ID, or valid government issued photo ID at each Final Examination. 
   2. Course-specific examination instructions may outline preferred form of ID (physical or digital) for in-examination identification purposes.
   3. If a student arrives late to the Final Examination, the Chief Invigilator must check the student photo ID card or valid government issued photo ID as the student enters the examination room.
   4. For a digital student photo ID to be considered acceptable, the student’s photo must be intact. Identification with the default photo will not be accepted.
3. If a student fails to produce a valid physical or digital student photo ID, they must present government issued photo ID that is in English.
   1. No extension of the Final Examination will be permitted to compensate for any resulting delays.
4. If a student arrives after the start of the Final Examination, they will only be permitted to write the examination if arrival is within the first third of the examination (e.g. first hour for a three-hour examination, 40 minutes for a two-hour examination). No additional time beyond that will be granted.

Examination Material

1. The Chief Invigilator must ensure that only authorized items for use during the examination are to be at a student’s desk.
2. All personal belongings not permitted by examination instructions for use during the examination are to be left at the front or back of the examination room for pick‐up at the conclusion of the final examination. These items include but are not limited to: jackets, hats, knapsacks/bags, phones, and personal devices.
   1. Students are permitted to leave their wallet and/or a small purse under their examination chair for security reasons.
   2. Course-specific examination instructions may restrict the type(s) of materials permitted or accessed from the examination desks. A digital communication device may be present at a student’s desk for the sole purpose of providing digital identification. In this case, the device must be silenced and stored under the student’s examination chair. This device may be temporarily retrieved in the presence of a professor or invigilator for identity verification, upon which it must be turned off and stored under the student’s examination chair in the presence of the professor or invigilator for the duration of the examination.
3. The Chief Invigilator must ensure that all hallways and emergency exits are cleared of personal belongings.

Preliminary Announcements

1. Once the students are seated, the Chief Invigilator will make the following announcements:
   1. “Your attention please. This examination(s) is for [course name(s)]. Do not review the examination materials, or begin writing the Final Examination, until you are instructed to do so.”
   2. “You will have exactly [duration] to complete the Final Examination. If you need to leave the examination room for any reason, such as to use the washroom or for a medical reason, then please raise your hand and someone will attend to you.”
   3. “You will not be permitted to hand in the Final Examination and leave the examination room during the first hour. You will also not be permitted to hand in the Final Examination and leave the examination room within the last 15 minutes. During this time you must remain seated until the Final Examination time has expired.”
   4. If applicable: “As per course-specific examination instructions, you are required to remain in the examination room for the full duration of the exam”.
   5. “Please write your name and student number on the front page of each answer booklet.”
2. The Chief Invigilator will then outline the evacuation protocol:
   1. “In the event that there is a STAGE 1 Fire Alarm during this examination: You should remain at your desk and continue writing your examination. Personnel are on site to investigate the cause of an alarm and will report this to Security. Security will make a public announcement to keep us advised. If it is determined to be a false alarm, the impact of the disruption will be assessed and the examination time may be extended up to 30 minutes.”
   2. “If the alarm goes into a STAGE 2 Fire Alarm, Security will make a public announcement to evacuate. Security personnel will assist us in vacating the building. At no time will you be directed to stay in a room in which your personal safety or security is at risk. If we are instructed to leave the examination room, you must do so as quickly and as safely as possible by the closest safe exit, leaving all personal belongings behind. All examination materials must be left on the desk.”
3. The Chief Invigilator will then announce:
   1. “The time is now [time]. The examination will end at [time]. You may begin.”
4. If the start of the examination is delayed, the examination may proceed with additional time of up to 30 minutes to compensate for the late start.

Examination Supervision

1. While the examination is in progress, the Chief Invigilator will quietly walk among the students.
2. The Chief Invigilator must be sure to watch for students who have raised their hands for assistance.
   1. If a student needs to use the washroom, or leave the examination room for another approved reason, an Invigilator must accompany them there and have them return to the examination room as quickly and as quietly as possible. Only one student at a time is permitted to use the washroom.
   2. Be cautious when answering questions that students may have regarding examination content. These cases should be addressed by the course instructor whenever possible.
3. The Chief Invigilator will be alert to any suspicious behaviour referenced on the Incident Report – Violation of Examination Protocol Form provided.

Academic Integrity Violations

1. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe a violation of the examination protocol has occurred, the Chief Invigilator has the authority to:
   1. Ask the student to move to a seat that is more easily monitored.
   2. Remove any materials or devices not authorized for use in the examination and keep such materials until the student has completed the examination.
   3. Search through personal belongings to collect evidence of the violation. Ensure that this must be done in the presence of the student and another Invigilator.
   4. Ask the student to produce unauthorized material or devices where the Chief Invigilator believes that the student has hidden it.
   5. Record the questions that had been answered prior to the alleged violation on the Incident Report – Violation of Examination Protocol Form and the examination material if applicable.
2. Under no circumstances should the Chief Invigilator touch the alleged offender.
3. In all cases, a student should be permitted to finish writing the final examination. At the conclusion of the examination, the Chief Invigilator must make a note of the time and details of the alleged offence, including any refusal to cooperate, on the Incident Report – Violation of Examination Protocol Form.
   1. The Chief Invigilator should explain to the student that the status of their examination is in question and set the student’s examination materials aside.
   2. All evidence should be gathered for review of incident by the course instructor or faculty.
   3. The Chief Invigilator must submit the Incident Report – Violation of Examination Protocol Form to the applicable academic unit.

Examination Conclusion

1. The Chief Invigilator will make the following announcement 15 minutes before the end of the examination:
   1. “Your attention please. The final examination will end in 15 minutes. Until this time, you will not be permitted to leave the examination room. Please remain seated until the examination time has ended.”
2. Once the examination time has expired, the Chief Invigilator will make the following announcement:
   1. “Your attention please. The final examination is now over. Please stop writing and place your examination material face down on your desk. You must remain seated until all examination papers have been collected. No talking please.”
3. Once all examination papers have been collected, the Chief Invigilator will then announce:
   1. “Thank you for your co‐operation. You may now leave. Please make sure to pick up your personal belongings.”
4. The Chief Invigilator will ensure the security of the examination material and delivery of it based on a prearranged and agreed upon location by the instructor.

Monitoring and review

These Directives will be reviewed as necessary and at least every three years. The Registrar, or successor thereof, is responsible for monitoring and reviewing these Directives.

Relevant legislation

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Related policies, procedures & documents

Examination and Grading Policy

Incident Report – Violation of Examination Protocol

Procedures for Final Examination Administration

Final Examination Emergency and Disruption Directives

Procedures for Consideration of Missed In-term Course Work and Examinations