Online Examinations
PLEASE REFER TO THE DBS STUDENT NEWS PAGE FOR THE LATEST UPDATES REGARDING THE COLLEGE'S RESPONSE TO THE CURRENT SITUATION, INCLUDING HOW EXAMS ARE IMPACTED.
Table of Contents:
Online Exams - Frequently Asked Questions
As we move to host our traditional exams online due to the Covid-19 situation, we have set out the following guidance regarding what to expect.
The following Guides will be available on your Moodle page regarding online exams, but these are available here to review in advance of any exam sittings:
Guide to Uploading Your Exam Answers to Moodle
Online Exams Instructions
Word Count in Online Exams
Personal Mitigating Circumstances Form (Ticketing System)
If circumstances have impacted a student's ability to undertake an assessment (such as an exam or an in-class test), requiring them to defer the opportunity, a PMC form must be submitted with supporting documentation to request this. Deferrals cannot be processed without this documentation, and are still subject to approval before these can be processed.
PMC forms must be submitted by no later than 7 days following the original assessment opportunity.
Deferred sittings will be hosted at the next available sitting of an exam - additional exams will not be hosted outside of their scheduled sittings for learners who were unable to sit the main scheduled sittings.
Proctoring in Online Exams
Proctoring Platform Intro & Guidance Video
Academic Integrity in Online Exams
Academic Integrity is an important element of any assessment.
Please refer to the Guide on Academic Integrity in Online Exams under the Quality Assurance section of the website HERE.
Referencing in an Online Exam, where external sources or material is used, is still expected, although it does not need to be as formally formatted as referencing in an assignment would be. It should provide enough detail to indicate the material was not your own originally, and where it derived from:
- In-text - direct quote (or replicated image) - (NAME, year, page)
- In-text - paraphrased - (NAME, year, [page if available])
- Reference List - NAME, year, Title or URL
This applies to:
- Lecture notes;
- External online sources (journal articles, news articles, books, websites, reports);
- Any material that you have taken from another source.
Although referencing and the open book environment means notes can be referred to, students must be careful TO NOT OVER-RELY on external sources (from lecture notes, external sources, etc.) as this will not be 'answering the question' - your examiner is generally looking for YOUR understanding, not a replica of their lecture slides or external sources.
Students should also not expect to pre-prepare answers to transfer into an exam - take some key notes as pointers to remember, but any copy-and-paste or direct transcription should generally be avoided.