Accommodated Testing Faculty Instructions

General Guidance

  • The Office of Testing Services offers exam proctoring services to assist faculty who are unable to test in their department due to specialized accommodations or lack of space to proctor extended-time tests for students who receive that accommodation through the Center for Educational Access (CEA).
  • Please note that our office provides test proctoring services for courses where the exams are proctored in person. If the exam is online with no in-person proctor, our office would not proctor those exams.
  • We can accommodate open book/open note exams, however, this must be either a printed version the student brings in, an online version accessible through Blackboard (or another approved site), an electronic version saved to a flash drive (must be only file(s) on the drive and must be reviewed by Staff prior to start of the exam). This does not include index cards, professor provided formula sheets, or mandated course materials that are required to complete the exam and approved ahead of time by Testing Services (e.g., coding manual).
  • We can accommodate quizzes but request they be planned in advance. It is strongly recommended that quizzes be held in the department since any extended time/distraction reduced environment accommodations can be met within the classroom setting since they are very short in time allotted.

General Overview

  • The Office of Testing Services utilizes Accessible Information Management (AIM) to approve and track exams as they are proctored by staff personnel.
  • This system allows students registered with approved accommodations to request a Faculty Notification Letter for the particular course be emailed directly to faculty/instructors listed for the course(s).
  • There are many times when faculty and students need to have a conversation concerning the particulars of course requirements and how accommodations will be provided. Students are still responsible for contacting faculty to discuss their accommodations.
  • It is the responsibility of the faculty member to complete the Testing Agreement in AIM for students with testing accommodations. The Testing Agreement must be completed before students can schedule an exam appointment with Testing Services.
  • Students have the responsibility to use AIM to schedule an exam appointment with Testing Services in a timely manner (at least five days prior to the exam date set by the instructor and no less than two days prior to the exam date. Same day appointment requests cannot be scheduled.

Getting to the Testing Agreement

Two ways to get to the Testing Agreement:

  1. From within the emailed Faculty Notification Letter: A link to the Testing Agreement specific to the course.
  2. Through the Faculty Portal in AIM: Keep scrolling for login information.
  • Note 1: You only fill out the agreement once for the course.
  • Note 2: Testing Agreements can be copied over to other sections of the same course within the Faculty Portal.

Detailed steps in the process of the Testing Agreement

  1. Visit the Accommodated Testing Portal
  2. Click on “Access Instructor Portal” in the Instructor Portal box. Log in to your Portal using applicable login ID and password.
  3. The first screen you will see will be titled “Instructor Portal”. Click on the “Continue to View Student Accommodations” button at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Your “OVERVIEW” page will show next. This is where you will see your students who have requested accommodations in your course(s).
  5. To get to the Testing Agreement(s), click on “Alternative Testing” link in the “HOME” box on the left side of your screen.
  6. Your next screen will be the “Alternative Testing” > “Upcoming Exams” page. It is here that Testing Agreements will be accessible for you to fill out for your course(s) and show any courses that do not have exam dates assigned yet. Click on the link within the box to begin.

    Things to remember:
    • Complete agreements for any exams to be administered and proctored by Testing Services.
    • NEW for Fall 2024 : Exam dates for the semester must be entered. They can be modified later.
    • Testing Services does not proctor exams when accommodations are met within the department, take home exams (not in-person), or exams not proctored.
  7. The next screen will show your course(s) that needs to have a Testing Agreement completed. Under your course number and title will show the status. Click on the “Specify Testing Agreement” link for the course you want to work on.
  8. Once you select the course you want to complete a Testing Agreement on:
    • The first thing to do is to read through the contents in the box titled: “Proctoring Your Own Exam”.
    • If you plan on proctoring your own exam or you don’t have exams, you will need to select the appropriate Exam Management Method in the “Available Options for…” box and then Confirm Task right below it (“Confirm to Proceed” mandatory entry). Click on the “Submit Your Selection” box to continue.
    • If you are wanting Testing Services to proctor your exams, select "Testing Services Will Proctor Exams" in the Exam Management Method in the “Available Options for…” box and then Confirm Task right below it ( “Confirm to Proceed” mandatory entry). Click on the “Submit Your Selection” box to continue.
  9. The next screen will be “Testing Agreement – Details”.
    • The Testing Agreement – Details screen will have three main sections to review and provide input:
      Course Information, Contact Information, and List of Questions.
  10. Once you have completed the necessary information on the Details screen, click on the “Submit and Continue to Specify Exam Dates” button towards the bottom of the page.
    • Specifying exam dates is now a mandatory entry for your course(s). Don’t worry, you can modify your exam dates at any time during the semester. It is in this section where you will need to also fill out the “List of Exam Instruction Questions”. It is here where you tell us how your exam(s) are delivered to your students.
  11. Once you have set your first exam date and have answered the listed questions, you must click on “Save Exam Date”. If your exam is ready for upload, please do so before clicking on “Save…”
    • The next page will be where you input your next exam date and will have to answer the listed questions again. This is so you can change exam parameters for other exams; changing paper-based to computer or vise-verse.
  12. If you’ve done everything right, you will get a green check mark and a “Success! Your Action Has Been Completed” at the top of the screen.
    • You will also see the exam date entry you made.
    • Remember! After adding each exam date and possibly uploading the paper exam, please remember to click on “Save Exam Date”.
    • Please know you can come back to the programmed exam dates and upload your exams later. Just click on “Modify” at the left of the information line for the date and upload the exam file. You can also change anything you need in the “Exam Detail” section or the list of questions.
    • Remember! Exam dates must be programmed into the system. They can be changed/modified later.

How to Provide Paper Exams to Testing Services

There are three ways to get us the exam:

  1. Upload exam through AIM (Preferred and most secure method)
    • This will be done through the “Alternative Testing” page.
    • Upload exams at least two business days before the exam during the semester. Deadlines for finals will be at least four business days before Reading Day. Exact dates will be sent out in the weeks leading up to finals.
  2. Drop off the exams to Testing Services.
    • Drop off exams at least two business days before the exam during the semester. Deadlines for finals will be at least four business days before Reading Day. Exact dates will be sent out in the weeks leading up to finals.
  3. Email the exam file(s) to testing@uark.edu with any additional instructions for the exam.
    • Email exams at least three business days before the exam during the semester. Deadlines for finals will be at least four business days before Reading Day. Exact dates will be sent out in the weeks leading up to finals

How to Retrieve Completed Paper Exams

There are two ways to get completed paper exams back:

  1. Scanned and uploaded to student’s appointment.
    • Only you will be able to retrieve it from AIM. An email with instructions and numerical code will be sent to you from AIM.
    • If you lose the email, you can retrieve the uploaded exam by clicking on “Send Code To Your Email” button on the “Upcoming Exams” screen. *See next slide for visual representation of the screen.
  2. Picked up by faculty or a designated representative from Testing Services. You can specify this information when you are completing the “List of Exam Instruction Questions”.

Communication about exam requests

  • An email from the AIM system will be sent to you when a student with testing accommodations schedules an exam.
  • Please pay close attention to these emails and the date/time the student has scheduled the exam for because they might be for a date you did not specify when filling out the testing agreement.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with you on any changes to their scheduled appointment. 
  • If you do not approve of the date/time, please contact Testing Services immediately so it can be removed from the system and contact the student to find out why it was scheduled as such.
  • If a student makes changes to the original appointment, you will be notified.
  • Again, if you do not approve of the change, please contact us and the student.

 

If you have any questions regarding your accommodations or need to add an accommodation, please contact the Center for Educational Access.

Center for Educational Access

209 ARKU University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
479-575-3104
ada@uark.edu
cea.uark.edu
Hours: Monday – Friday: 8 am – 5 pm

If you have any questions regarding making exam appointments, please contact the Office of Testing Services.

Testing Services

97 N. Razorback Road
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

testing@uark.edu
479-575-3948
Hours: Monday – Friday 8 am to 5 pm