Procedures for Final Examination Administration

Purpose

The purpose of these Procedures is to provide direction for the effective administering and scheduling of Final Examinations.

Definitions

For the purposes of these Procedures the following definitions apply:

“Deferred Examination” means an Examination written outside of the originally scheduled day and/or time.

“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.

“Final Examination Period” means the period of calendar days stated in the Academic Calendar that is set aside in each Semester and/or Session for the administration of Final and Non-Comprehensive Final Examinations.

“Final Examination Scripts” means a completed examination with answers provided by the examination candidate.

“Semester” means sixty days of lectures and the respective Final Examination Period.

“Session” means a period of approximately six consecutive weeks in the Spring/Summer Semester consisting of 30 days of lectures and a corresponding Final Examination Period. The first half of Spring/Summer Semester is designated as Spring Session; the second half is designated as Summer Session.

Scope and authority

These Procedures apply to the administering and scheduling of all Final Examinations.

These Procedures 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 University's policy library.

The Registrar, or successor thereof, is the Policy Owner and is responsible for overseeing the implementation, administration and interpretation of this Policy.

Procedures

Scheduling of Final Examinations

1. All Final Examination enrolments will be captured after the last day to add courses in a given Semester or Session.
2. When submitting the list of course offerings each Semester or Sessions, academic units will indicate to the Office of the Registrar whether a Final Examination is to be administered for each course section as well as the modality of the examination. If the academic unit requires in-person examinations for a course that is otherwise offered online, this must be clearly communicated to students and indicated on the syllabus on day one of the course offering. If a Final Examination is to be administered, the academic unit must also indicate the duration of the Final Examination.
3. The Final Examination period, not including the emergency examination date, will normally consist of 10 days with four Final Examination periods per day: 8 to 11 a.m., noon to 3 p.m., 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and 7 to 10 p.m. Final examinations should only be held between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Final Examination Requirements

1. Students must present at each Final Examination a valid physical or digital Ontario Tech University student photo ID, or a valid government issued photo ID that is in English.
   1. Course-specific examination instructions may outline preferred form of ID (physical or digital) for in-examination identification purposes.
   2. In order to be considered acceptable, digital IDs must have the student’s photo intact; identification with the default photo will not be accepted.
   3. There will be no extension of the Final Examination permitted to compensate for the delay encountered if the student does not have the proper photo ID on hand.

Invigilators

1. Where necessary, each academic unit is responsible for assigning invigilators for each Final Examination to ensure adequate supervision is provided. When assigning invigilators, Faculties will ensure that:
   1. Normally, there are two invigilators for the first 100 students and an additional invigilator for every 50 students above that.
   2. Normally, there is both a male and female invigilator assigned for each Final Examination.
2. The Office of the Registrar will designate a Chief Invigilator for all Final Examinations scheduled in shared space involving different Faculties.

Final Examination Timing

1. Course instructors and invigilators will arrive in advance of the scheduled Final Examination time to ensure adequate preparation ahead of the Final Examination. Arrival time is dependent on the location of the Final Examination:
   1. Gymnasium: Instructor and invigilators must arrive at least one hour prior to the scheduled start time of the Final Examination.
   2. Classrooms and Other Examination Rooms: Instructors and invigilators must arrive at the examination room at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the Final Examination.
2. Students will be permitted to enter the examination room 15 minutes prior to the start of the Final Examination.  If the examination is scheduled in a gymnasium, students will be permitted entry 20 minutes prior to the start of the examination.
3. Final Examination Start Time:
   1. If the start of the Final Examination is delayed, the Final Examination will proceed with additional time allowed to compensate for the late start. The course instructor has the authority to extend the Final Examination time to compensate for time lost up to 30 minutes.
   2. Students will not be permitted to leave the Final Examination room during the first hour.
   3. Students arriving after the start of the Final Examination will only be permitted to write the examination if the arrival is within the first hour. No additional time to compensate for the late arrival will be granted.
      • A student arriving after the first hour of the examination should complete an Application for Defferred Final Examinations Form and the Academic Consideration forms for their respective faculty.
4. Final Examination End Time:
   1. Students will not be permitted to leave the examination room during the first hour and within the last 15 minutes of the Final Examination time. The course-specific examination instructions may require students to remain in the Final Examination room beyond the first hour and up to the duration of
      the exam.
   2. Students will remain seated and will not be permitted to leave the room until all Final Examination material has been collected.

Leaving the Examination Location During a Final Examination

1. A student may, with the permission of the course instructor or invigilator, leave the examination room briefly if accompanied by an instructor or invigilator.

Materials for Final Examinations

1. Permissible materials:
   1. The description of materials permitted for use during the examination should be communicated clearly to students prior to the last day of lectures for the Semester or Session. This includes information regarding the use of textbooks, lecture notes, digital devices etc. Only those items authorized for use in the Final Examination are to be brought to the examination desk.
   2. If an instructor is not present at the Final Examination, a Final Examination Detail Form must be completed and communicated to the invigilators on the day of the Final Examination.
   3. If calculators or other instruments are allowed, instructors should exercise care in specifying the exact type of instrument permitted.
   4. Personal items such as jackets, hats, bags, knapsacks, etc., are allowed in the examination location but are to be left at the front or back of the examination room and may be picked up at the end of the Final Examination.
2. Laptops and Electronic Devices
   1. For reasons of security, students should be discouraged from bringing their laptops into the examination room if they are not required for their Final Examination. If students do bring their laptops into the examination room, they should be directed to store them under their chairs.
   2. Any other electronic devices, unless explicitly permitted by the course instructor or present for the sole purpose of providing digital identification are not permitted at the examination desk. Unpermitted electronic devices should be turned off and left with personal belongings at the front of the examination room.
   3. Course-specific examination instructions may restrict the type(s) of materials permitted at or to be accessed from the examination desks. When the examination instructions prohibit the use of digital communication devices during the examination, 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 stored under the student’s examination chair. The 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.
   4. The university is not responsible for lost or stolen items brought into examination rooms.

Violations of Procedures for Final Examination Administration

1. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe a violation of Procedures for Final Examination Administration has occurred, the student will be permitted to finish writing the Final Examination, however the course instructor or invigilator has the authority to:
   1. Remove any materials or devices not authorized for use in the Final Examination and keep such materials until the student has completed the examination.
   2. Search through personal belongings to remove evidence of the violation (this must be done in the presence of the student and another invigilator).
   3. Ask the student to produce evidence of the violation where the course instructor or proctor believes that the student has hidden it on their person – under no circumstances should the alleged offender be touched.
   4. Ask the student to move to a seat that is more easily monitored.
   5. Remove answer books and replace them with new ones.
2. At the conclusion of the Final Examination, the course instructor or invigilator must:
   1. Make a note of the time and details of the alleged offence, any actions taken to mitigate the alleged infraction, and any refusal to cooperate;
   2. Explain to the student that the status of their Final Examination is in question and set it aside;
   3. Gather all evidence. Invigilators should provide all evidence to the Course instructor at the first possible opportunity; and
   4. Complete a Final Examination Incident Report Form and submit it to the course instructor or faculty examination contact.

Emergency Procedures

1. In the event of an emergency, the course instructor or invigilator will follow the Final Examination Emergency and Disruption Directive provided by the Office of Registrar.
2. If an emergency requires students to leave the examination room, all Final Examination materials will be considered void. All answer booklets will be destroyed without grading. The Final Examination will be rescheduled within the first week of the following Semester or Session and a new Final Examination script will be prepared.

Disruption of Final Examinations

1. In the event of disruption, the course instructor or invigilator will follow the Final Examination Emergency and Disruption Directive provided by the Office of Registrar.
2. Conduct around the disruption of a Final Examination or conspiring to disrupt a Final Examination will be dealt with under the University's student conduct and disciplinary procedures in non-academic matters and/or criminal or civil proceedings as appropriate.

Final Exam Accommodations

1. Students with Disabilities
   1. Student Accessibility Services (SAS) works with instructors to provide alternative Final Examination accommodations for students with disabilities. Common alternative accommodations include extended Final Examination time, oral evaluation, scribing, test clarification, private location, alternative examination format, or adaptive technologies. Students must work with instructors and SAS staff at the appropriate location to identify their specific needs well in advance of the scheduled Final Examination time and be aware of the Final Examination registration deadlines.
   2. Instructors will be advised by the SAS in writing of those students who have been approved for Final Examination accommodations. Final Examinations for these students must be submitted by the instructor or academic unit to the appropriate test centre three working days prior to the scheduled date of the Final Examination. Instructors can obtain completed Final Examinations from the test centre the following day. If a Final Examination is required in electronic format, instructors must submit their electronic Final Examination three working days prior to the scheduled date of the Final Examination.

Student Access to Final Examination Scripts

1. A student who wishes to view a Final Examination script should submit a request in writing to the course instructor within 5 working days following the release of final grades. The supervision of the viewing of the Final Examination script is the responsibility of the course instructor. In the event the course instructor cannot be reached, a student may contact the academic unit.
2. Unless a clerical error has occurred, an instructor may not make changes to the final grade awarded in a course as a result of such a viewing.
3. If a student has a concern regarding graded work, every effort should be made to make an appointment with the course instructor to resolve any issues quickly and informally. If any issues remain and a student wishes to dispute the final grade awarded, they should submit a Final Grade Reappraisal/Reconsideration to the Office of the Registrar within 10 working days following the release of the final grades.

Monitoring and review

These Procedures will be reviewed as necessary and at least every three years. The Registrar, or successor thereof, is responsible to monitor and review these Procedures.

Relevant legislation

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Related policies, procedures & documents

Application for Deferred Final Examinations Form
Examination and Grading Policy
Incident Report - Violation of Examination Protocol
Final Examination Emergency and Disruption Directive 
Final Grade Reappraisal/Reconsideration
Final Examination Chief Invigilator Directives
Doctoral Candidacy Examination Policy
Thesis Oral Examination for Master’s and Doctoral Candidates Policy