CON Professional Graduate Testing

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
COLLEGE OF NURSING

Professional Graduate Testing

Policy: 2311

Student Policies - Undergraduate Students

Originating Date: May 2018

Responsible Reviewing Agency:

Professional Graduate Affairs Committee

Responsible Approving Agency:

General Faculty Organization

Purpose

Establishes expectations for students prior to and during didactic content testing.

Scope

This policy applies to professional graduate students.

Policy

To ensure academic consistency, fairness, and competency-based progression across all specialty tracks, the following testing standards apply to all graduate-level nursing courses that include examinations.

Accommodations

Students are required to adhere to the Accommodation Policy (ADA Policy) that is listed in the UNMC Student Policies and Procedures.
Students with accommodations must present their letter of accommodation from the UNMC Accessibility Services Office to the course coordinator at least two weeks prior to any exam for which accommodations are requested. Once the letter has been provided to the coordinator, the accommodation will remain in effect for the length of time specified in the letter or until the student in writing indicates the accommodations are no longer needed.
The faculty will prepare accommodation materials and resources as specified in the student letter.

Exam Preparation

All tests/exams will be administered and proctored remotely using UNMC specified exam/evaluation software.
Exams will be taken on a student's device. Students must download and register their testing device within the UNMC specified exam/evaluation software. If there are difficulties in downloading the software, students are expected to work with technical support from the company to resolve issues prior to taking the exam.
Prior to the first exam, students must follow directions to register a photo ID with the remote proctoring platform if required.

Exam Scheduling and Completion Expectations

Students who are unable to take an exam during the scheduled testing window are expected to notify the course coordinator as soon as possible and prior to the exam open time.

Exam Timing. Exams will be available during a three-hour time window. Students may begin the exam at any point within that window. Once the exam is started, students will receive the full allotted testing time.
Incomplete Exams. Students who are unable to complete the exam after initiating it must notify the course faculty as soon as possible. Make-up or retake exams may be permitted at the discretion of course faculty and may be administered in an alternate format.

Testing Environment

The online testing environment must approximate an in-class testing setting and must meet the following requirements:

Students must be seated at a desk or table (not on a bed or couch) in a location that allows for completion of a room scan prior to beginning the exam.
Lighting must be sufficient to clearly illuminate the student’s face and surroundings (comparable to daylight). Overhead lighting is preferred; light sources must not be positioned behind the student.
The desk or table must be clear of all materials unless explicitly permitted for the exam. This includes books, papers, notes, electronic devices, and other unauthorized resources.
No writing or notes must be visible on desks, walls, or surrounding surfaces.
Unless specifically permitted by the course coordinator, the following are not allowed during the exam:
- External applications (e.g., Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Websites or internet browsing
- Textbooks or notes
- Calculators
- Pen and paper
- All non-required programs, applications, and browser windows must be closed prior to logging into the proctored exam.
- Background noise must be minimized (e.g., no television, music, or radio).
- No other individuals may be present in or enter the room during the exam.

Behavior During the Exam

Students must dress as they would for a public or professional setting.
Students may not leave the room at any time during the exam unless explicitly permitted or approved as an accommodation.
The exam must be completed in the same location where the room scan was conducted.
Communication with others is strictly prohibited during the exam.
The use of phones is not permitted, except to contact technical support or the instructor in the event of an issue.
Headsets, earbuds, smartwatches, AI-enabled glasses, or similar devices are not permitted unless approved as an accommodation.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., chatbots, generative AI platforms, or AI-assisted applications) during the exam is strictly prohibited.
Students are required to complete a room scan prior to beginning the exam to verify compliance with testing requirements. Once the exam begins, continuous audio, video, and screen recording will occur for the duration of the exam.

Behavior Completion and Review

After completing the exam, students must remain connected to the internet to allow all exam and monitoring files to fully upload. Failure to upload required files may result in a score of zero.
Exam review settings may vary. Immediate feedback may be available; however, faculty may delay review if students are testing at different times or if a make-up exam is pending.
Students who do not achieve a passing score may be required to meet with course faculty to review performance and discuss support strategies.
Students seeking clarification on exam items must contact faculty within 72 hours of exam completion.

Make-Up Exams

Students who are unable to take an exam as scheduled must notify the course coordinator as soon as possible and prior to the exam start time.
Approval and scheduling of make-up exams are at the discretion of the course coordinator.
Make-up exams may be administered in an alternate format (e.g., essay, short answer, or multiple-choice) but will be equivalent in point value to the original exam.
The date and time of the make-up exam will be determined by the course coordinator.