Final Examination Emergency and Disruption Directives

Purpose

The purpose of these Directives is to provide a framework to guide course instructors and invigilators in the event of a disruption during a final examination.

Definitions

For the purposes of these Directives the following definitions apply:

“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 .

“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.

“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.

This Policy does not apply to PhD 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

At no time will staff and students be directed to stay in an examination room in which their personal safety or security is at risk.

Fire Alarm

1. In the event of a Stage 1 Fire Alarm, students will remain at their desks and continue writing their examinations. Personnel will be on site to investigate the cause of an alarm and will report this to Security. Security will make an announcement to keep everyone advised.
   1. 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. In the event of a Stage 2 Fire Alarm, Security will make an announcement to evacuate. Security personnel will assist staff and students in vacating the building. Staff and students will be instructed to leave the examination room as quickly and as safely as possible by using the closest safe exit, leaving all personal belongings behind. All examination materials must be left on the desks.

 

Evacuation

1. In the event of an evacuation, Security will announce this measure and give directions on what to do. Staff and students must evacuate as quickly and safely as possible, leaving all personal belongings in the examination room.
2. Staff and students should meet at a location near the re‐entry point to the examination building. Once an announcement has been made that re-entry into the building is permitted, the Chief Invigilator will enter the examination room prior to students.
3. If the final examination had not begun prior to the evacuation, the Chief Invigilator will assess the impact of the disruption and may extend the examination time up to 30 minutes.
4. If the examination had begun prior to the evacuation, the Chief Invigilator will confirm with students that all examination materials will be considered void and that answer booklets will be destroyed without grading. The Chief Invigilator will convey the message to students that a new examination will be prepared and rescheduled within the first week of the following semester.
   1. The Chief Invigilator will deliver the examination materials to the Faculty’s administrative office. 

Power Outage

1. In the event of a power outage, the Chief Invigilator will inform students to quietly remain in their seats until power is restored.
2. For extended outages that lead to an emergency closure of the campus, a PA announcement will be made to direct students to vacate the examination room.

Inclement Weather

1. In the event of severe inclement weather, the President and Faculty Dean will make the decision if an examination is to continue as scheduled. If the decision is made to cancel the final examination, students must evacuate the examination room.
   1. If the examination had begun prior to the evacuation, the Chief Invigilator will confirm with students that all examination materials will be considered void and that answer booklets will be destroyed without grading. The Chief Invigilator will convey the message to students that a new examination will be prepared and rescheduled within the first week of the following semester.
   2. The Chief Invigilator will deliver the examination materials to the appropriate Faculty Office.

Medical Emergencies

1. In the event of a medical emergency, the Chief Invigilator will contact Campus Safety (ext. 2400).
2. In the event that a student becomes ill during the examination, the Chief Proctor will make arrangements to escort the student to the Campus Health Centre (located at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre).
   1. If the student is unable to leave the examination room, the Chief Invigilator will call the Campus Health Centre (905.721.3037) for a nurse to come to the examination room.
3. If the medical event caused any delays in during the examination, the Chief Invigilator will assess the impact of the disruption and can, at his or her discretion, extend the examination time up to 30 minutes to compensate for lost time.

Student Disruptions

1. In the event that a student is being disruptive during a Final Examination, the Chief Invigilator will contact Campus Safety (ext. 2400).
   1. If the student disruption causes any delays in during the Final Examination, the Chief Invigilator will assess the impact of the disruption and can, at his or her discretion, extend the examination time up to 30 minutes to compensate for lost time.
2. In the event that a disruptive student refuses to leave an examination room after Campus Safety intervention, the Chief Invigilator may make arrangements for the Final Examination to be moved to another location (should one be available).
   1. If there are no options for an alternate location, the Chief Invigilator will confirm with students that all examination materials will be considered void and that answer booklets will be destroyed without grading. The Chief Invigilator will convey the message to students that a new examination will be prepared and rescheduled within the first week of the following semester.

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 Chief Invigilator Directives

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