Testing information for faculty

Full-class exams must be built into WebCampus (Canvas) or a similar web-based learning management system (LMS).  We are not able to administer paper exams for full classes.  We do administer paper make-up exams (see "Make-up exam administration requirements" below).

Due to the complications they present to maintaining a secure testing environment, we do not administer open-book, open-note, or open-internet exams; or exams that require students to use desktop or web-based applications outside of the LMS (e.g., Microsoft Word).

Full-class computer testing requests must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the exam’s opening date.  Ideally, faculty should submit all their full-class testing requests by the end of the second week of the semester.

Due to limited seating and staffing, full-class computer testing requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and not all requests may be approved.  If your desired exam dates are unavailable, we will let you know of any possible alternative dates.

All exam requests must be submitted in your RegisterBlast instructor dashboard.  Please allow 3 business days’ processing time.  You will be notified if your exam request has been approved, or if we require additional information to process the request.

Appointments are not optional.  Regardless of class size, all students must attempt to schedule an appointment using our online registration form.  Walk-in testing is available only if all appointments on a particular day are booked; otherwise, an appointment is required.  If your syllabus or WebCampus announcements include information about exam scheduling, please ensure that the appointments policy is not misrepresented.

Exams must be made available for at least 7 consecutive calendar days.  Students may schedule an appointment for any available time during the availability period. Students test asynchronously. Given the number of available seats and the demand for testing services, it is not possible for an entire class to test at the same time. Faculty are welcome to encourage students to schedule appointments for a given day and time, but this is subject to seating availability and cannot be guaranteed.

When submitting an exam request, you must specify the allotted testing time, and this must match the settings in WebCampus (or other LMS) exactly.  Please choose an allotted time that corresponds with how much time you expect students to need to complete the exam.  Once your exam request is approved, the allotted time cannot be changed.

All exams must be submitted at the Testing Center’s posted closing time every day, even if the student’s time has not expired. Our appointment system prevents students from scheduling late enough in the day that they would not be given their full allotted time.  If a student is late to their appointment, they may still be admitted at the discretion of Testing Center staff, but must sign a waiver agreeing to stop testing at closing time.  Any remaining unexpired testing time is forfeited.

You must passcode-protect your exam and include the passcode in your exam request.  Please select a passcode that is difficult for students to guess, but easy for proctors to type correctly.

Exam passcodes are entered remotely from the proctor workstation once the student is ready to begin testing.  They are never seen or used by students. Please do not share passcodes with your students under any circumstances.

Make-up exams can be administered in a web-based LMS (such as WebCampus) or on paper.  Our exam request form has a file upload option for paper exams.  Make-up exams are permitted to be open-book, open-note, and/or open-internet.  Please include any special instructions in the space provided at the bottom of the request form.  We will work with you on special requests for make-up exams to the extent practicable.

Please submit an exam request with as much advance notice as possible.  We process make-up exam requests as quickly as we can, but turnaround time may vary.  For example, if you submit a make-up exam request over the weekend, it is unlikely we will have it processed and ready first thing Monday morning.

All exam requests must be submitted in your RegisterBlast instructor dashboard.  You will be notified if your exam request has been approved, or if we require additional information to process the request.

Make-up exams must be made available for at least 7 consecutive calendar days.  Students may schedule an appointment for any available time during the availability period.

You can see in your instructor dashboard when a student has scheduled their exam, and when the exam has been taken.  Exams may be collected starting the next business day after the exam is taken.  We will hold paper exams for 7 calendar days after the exam has been taken.  We reserve the right to shred paper exams that have not been collected after 7 calendar days.

You must collect your exams in person during our operating hours, or contact us in advance to designate another person (e.g., a teaching assistant or colleague) to collect them.  We will not release exam papers to anyone except the faculty member on record or an approved designee.  Photo ID and a signature is required to collect exams.

Scratch paper is automatically provided for all exams.  Students will be provided 1 sheet of scratch paper; if the use up this paper, they may request additional sheets from the proctor.  To limit paper waste, both sides of the scratch paper must be used before a student can request another sheet.

Students must deposit scratch paper (and any other approved paper materials) into a shred bin before leaving the testing room.  No paper materials may leave the testing room.  The shred bin is locked and staff do not have a key.  The bin is emptied regularly and all papers are destroyed.

Exception for paper make-up exams:  Scratch paper provided for paper make-up exams will be collected with the other exam papers and returned to you.

The Testing Center aims to strike a balance between the need for a uniformly secure testing environment and the individual preferences of professors. In addition to scratch paper, we have developed a list of approved materials/aids that professors can permit students to use on their exams. Please pay close attention to your selection(s) to ensure that you have chosen the intended materials/aids.

All materials will be inspected by a proctor prior to the student being admitted to the exam. The Testing Center reserves the right to reject a student’s materials if they do not comply with your instructions or the our policies. Students whose materials are rejected will have the option to test without the rejected materials or to reschedule (if available).

Exceptions for paper make-up exams:  If you specify that your exam is open-book or open-note, we will not collect any student materials except the exam papers themselves.  Otherwise, note sheets, note cards, and other approved materials for paper make-up exams will be collected with the other exam papers and returned to you.

The primary method of communication between the faculty member and the Testing Center is email.  Please use your University email account for all communication with the Testing Center. The exam request form asks for your phone number; however, this is only used in the event of an urgent problem with the exam that the Testing Center is unable to solve.

If you require any changes after your exam request has been approved, please notify us.  Note that once exam requests are approved, some things cannot be changed.

As the students’ most immediate point of contact, it falls to the faculty member to ensure that students are aware of the following:

• Exam details, including dates, approved materials/aids, and other requirements.
• Appointments are not optional and students without an appointment will not be admitted.
• Exams must be submitted at the Testing Center’s posted closing time, and any allotted time remaining is forfeited. Students will not be permitted to return the next day to finish an exam.
• A WolfCard or valid government-issued photo ID is required for all testing.
• Students must know their NetID and password to log into WebCampus (or their equivalent access credentials for another LMS).

Our know-before-you-go page provides valuable information about what to expect when taking an exam at the Testing Center. Students may contact the Testing Center for questions about exam scheduling and re-scheduling, and general inquiries about our operations.

Please inform your students with extra time accommodations to contact the Testing Center, so we can set them up properly in our system to provide the extra time in our scheduling form.  If a student schedules an appointment without the accommodation set in our system, their appointment may not cover their full time.

Students with DRC-approved extra time accommodations are legally entitled to them.  Please help us help your students by making sure their appointments are scheduled with the appropriate testing time.

Students who have other accommodations in addition to extra time (e.g., adaptive technology, a reader, or scribe) should take their exams in the Disability Resource Center.

In 2020 and 2021, we provided non-local proctoring services for students who resided outside of commuting distance to Reno due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  With the return of all on-campus services, this has been discontinued.  Students enrolled in on-campus classes who do not reside locally must make now testing arrangements with their instructor.