Exam Day Best Practices + Emergency Protocols

Modified on: Tue, Oct 31 2023 12:00 PM

Exam days can be stressful! Please utilize the best practices below to prepare for a successful exam experience. Knowing that issues cannot be avoided 100%, we’ve also outlined emergency protocols that work to reduce uncertainty and expedite solutions.

Preparing for Exam Day

Best Practices for Students

Ensure your device meets the DMU Minimum Specifications
Ensure your device is in proper working order and all updates have been applied prior to the exam. If you are experiencing any device issues, open a ticket with the DMU Solutions Hub immediately.
Confirm the device is connected to DMU Wi-Fi; Disable any mobile hotspots.
If using ExamSoft, download the exam to your device prior to entering the exam room.
Leave your belongings (most importantly, your cell phone, tablet, or any other network connected device) in a locker away from your exam room.

Best Practices for Course Staff

If using D2L, confirm your D2L Quiz, and Respondus dashboard settings are correct.
If using ExamSoft, ensure all Exam Post Settings have been properly configured, including student assignment, exam date, and password.
Communicate the best practices listed above with students prior to each exam.

General Exam Support

For general exam support or troubleshooting, staff may utilize the Zoom Program Exam Support Channel to connect with Solutions Hub and Ed Tech support staff (during business hours). Please note: If your program does not have an Exam Support Channel and you’d like to request one, please contact the Solutions Hub.

Emergency Protocols

Student Device Issue

If an issue is affecting an individual or small number of students, please utilize the following process:

Step 1: Have the student restart their device. If updates have not been applied or the device is not in proper working order, immediately proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Have the student visit the Solutions Hub Smart Lockers to check out an exam computer.
1. The Solutions Hub has 12 student laptops available for checkout for the Smart Lockers. The Smart Lockers are available 24/7.
2. Note: If using ExamSoft, an additional exam download will need to be applied if the student has already downloaded the exam on their personal device.

Widespread Issues (Entire Class)

If an issue is affecting the entire class, please utilize the following process:

Step 1: Verify your Exam Settings are Correct
1. If the exam doesn’t appear, confirm the quiz is not hidden and the start/end dates are correct.
2. Confirm Respondus Dashboard settings and Monitor settings appear correctly.
3. Confirm ExamSoft Post Assessment settings are correct.

Issue Identified? If Exam Settings need corrected, these can be applied, and the exam can continue.

Step 2: Verify students can access DMU Wi-Fi. Contact the Solutions Hub to report the issue and confirm if there is a current outage. The Exam Support Channels listed above may be used for this purpose during business hours.

Issue Identified? If the DMU campus is experiencing a network outage, the exam must either be rescheduled or moved to a remote location.

Step 3: Confirm students can access D2L and Respondus Monitor if enabled. If students can connect to Wi-Fi, but cannot connect to D2L/Respondus, contact the Solutions Hub to report the issue and confirm a system outage. The Exam Support Channels listed above may be used for this purpose during business hours.

Issue Identified? If one of our exam tools is experiencing a system outage, the exam must be rescheduled. (Note: these tools have a 99.95% global uptime, so this scenario is extremely rare.)

Mid- or Post-Exam Issue

In the event of a device or network connection issue in the middle of an exam, please note the following:

D2L with Respondus: If a student’s device becomes unresponsive mid-exam, they can exit Respondus by clicking the “X” in the upper right-hand corner. They will then be prompted to supply a reason for exit, which is shared with course staff in the Respondus Dashboard.

Important Notes for D2L with Respondus:

D2L autosaves anytime a selection is made.
If a student loses connection the timer will continue to run on the exam so they will need to reconnect as quickly as possible.
If Respondus Monitor is enabled, they will need to go through the webcam check process again.
Upon re-entry the student will continue the attempt with their progress up to the point they disconnected.
If needed, the exam window can be extended for any student who has experienced this type of issue.

ExamSoft: If a student’s device becomes unresponsive mid-exam, they can exit the exam by clicking the “X” in the upper right-hand corner. To re-enter, students may be prompted to enter a Resume Code (available in the ExamSoft Proctor Tab).

Important Notes for ExamSoft:

A network connection is not required during an ExamSoft exam. However, a network connection is required to download and upload at the start and finish of an exam.
1. All answers are retained on the exam device until a network connection is established for exam upload.