Proctored Exam Information for Faculty

How can I submit exam information?

You can submit exam information in either of the following two ways:

1. E-mail the test and all pertinent information (see below) to distance.testing@usu.edu. Please allow adequate time for us to process these requests.
2. Post materials to our Materials and Testing Services (MATS) web site . Follow the Faculty link, login, and upload materials. Please include all necessary information: the date(s) the exam should be available to students, the exam file (if paper), the password (if online), allowed materials (scratch paper, what type of calculators, etc.), and time limit. Please also make sure to provide the e-mail address you would like materials sent back to when they are completed.

A note on calculators: Please be specific about what type of calculator students are allowed to use. If they are allowed a programmable/graphing calculator, we will clear the memory completely before the exam. If you wish to allow them to use a calculator program you must expressly specify this beforehand. We will only allow the use of TI-Nspire calculators in test mode, if a programmable/graphing calculator is allowed.

• For testing center exams (available over multiple days) and/or online exam information & passwords for proctors worldwide we require 2 days advance notice.
• The Respondus Lock-Down browser is not supported by all testing centers and cannot be used for online exams.
• Materials can only be posted to active courses for the current semester and to a specific course number. This means that exam information must be submitted every semester and cannot be rolled over from a previous semester even if you are teaching the exact same class that has been copied over in Canvas.

What type of password should I use?

• Passwords for proctored exams should not be intuitive or memorable, but not overly complex for proctors.
• Avoid nonsense strings
• Never give passwords directly to students or proctors. We will retrieve passwords in MATS.
• Passwords should be changed each semester
• Avoid confusing combinations (e.g. O and 0, or lowercase l (L) and capital I (i))

Where can my students test?

• Students who live within 20 miles of a USU campus or extension must use that site’s testing center.
• Students who do not live near (within 20 miles of) a USU campus can visit https://proctor.usu.edu to view a list of other proctor options. If there are not any certified proctors in the area, students are responsible for finding a proctor and submitting a request to have them certified. (This can be done on the same website.)

Examples of acceptable proctors are: 

• College or professional testingcenter staff
• Full-time school or public librarian
• Full-time teacher
• School superintendent, principal, or other school administrator
• Military education director
• Embassy education officer

Relatives, co-workers (of the student or the student’s family), and friends (of the student or the student’s family) are not eligible to proctor exams. Current and former USU students are also ineligible. 

Some proctors may charge a fee for their services. Students are responsible for all fees incurred while taking exams. 

If students have questions about finding a proctor or proctor requirements, they can call (435) 797-3617.

• Messages about exam requirements and passwords should not be emailed directly to site facilitators or proctors. Facilitators/proctors receive posted materials in MATS.
• ProctorU should be used as a last resort only. Please contact the Logan testing center coordinator at (435)797-3617 for more information on this virtual proctoring option.
• Facilitators and employees at the USU regional campus sites cannot grade materials.

What happens if a student is observed doing something suspicious?

• We have a non-confrontation policy. This means that we will not accuse the student of anything, and we will not force the student to do anything.
• If the proctor can do so in a non-confrontational manner, the student will be asked to stop. For example, if they have a google page open they will be sent a message that states something similar to “You are not allowed outside resources on this exam. Please close the webpage.”
• If it will cause too much of a disruption to other students to say anything, we will simply do our best to document what is happening.
• We will inform the instructor of what happened in as much detail as possible. We leave it up to the instructor to work with the student conduct office and the student.

Important Final Exam Information

During finals week there is a high demand placed on the testing center to accommodate every instructor who would like to have final exams proctored in our center. Each semester we have to turn some students away because our capacity does not meet our demand. We are asking you to help us alleviate this problem by doing the following things:

• Please only schedule final exams during finals week. Please do not make other types of exams due during the week of finals. If you have a class in which students can turn exams at any time during the semester, please require that their exams be due at the end of the week prior to finals week.
• Please encourage your students to make an appointment early to take the exam. It would be a good idea for students to schedule their finals two week before the exam is due.
• Get your exam information into MATS early. If we do not have exam information we cannot administer the test.
• Allow multiple days for students to complete their exam. Please don’t only have the exam open for one day. We have a small testing center and it is very difficult to administer and exam to all of the students in a class in one day when we have such a high demand from other classes.