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West Virginia University University Testing Center
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Faculty and Instructors

Welcome to the University Testing Center, a secure place for your students to take online exams on new, hardwired computers to help reduce the likelihood of hardware or connection failures during testing.

A Quiet Room is also available for more focused testing. However, it is not a fully accessible testing space, so please work with your students if they need special accommodations authorized by the Office of Accessibility Services. The OAS Testing Center is open and available.

Benefits of using the University Testing Center

  • Use the Testing Center to provide a window of availability for exam scheduling, which can free up the class period for additional learning activities.

  • Choose to book the entire space/class exams during your pre-assigned course or test schedule, or open a window of availability to allow students to schedule seats at their own convenience.

  • Design (and repurpose) exams through Blackboard.

    • Blackboard-based exams are housed directly in the eCampus course shell where they are easily accessible to students.

    • Easily enable enhanced security features, including randomized questions, randomized answers and IP restrictions that limit the availability of the exam to specific locations, such as the University Testing Center.

    • Once designed, Blackboard exams may be stored in your course content for future use or revision.

    • Easily accumulate large banks of test questions per course, creating exam scenarios that are unique to each section or term, and randomized across many students.

    • Automatic grading is available for certain question types, which expedites the assessment process and means students see results sooner.

Best practices to design your exam for the Testing Center

Exams and questions can be imported, exported and stored in Content Collection for easy reuse. Once the exam is created, various settings may be configured, and the exam can be assigned a location within the course shell. Ensure the exam is released to students.

For optimum function and security in the University Testing Center, please refer to the recommendations below.

  • eCampus Credentials. Remind students to confirm their eCampus credentials prior to visiting the University Testing Center.

  • Test taking materials. You may choose to allow scratch paper, calculators or other materials during the exam. Please notify Testing Center staff in advance if such materials will be allowed, otherwise, staff will not permit the use of any materials during the test period.

Test Settings

  • Create your exam. Refer to this Knowledge Base article or this Blackboard article for assistance in creating an exam.

  • Restrict IP access. Setting the IP address protocols will make the exam available in some locations and unavailable in others. To limit access to the Testing Center, open the Test Options associated with the exam. Look for the Custom IP Filter box and type the following in the blank box:

    • Type ALLOW, a Space and 157.182.185.6 to allow the range of addresses within the Testing Center.

    • Type BLOCK, a Space and then an Asterisk (*) to ensure the test is only accessible through the approved IP addresses.

    • Click Submit.

    • Once the Custom IP Filter is configured, it should be available within your preferred test settings for reuse

  • Do not select Force Completion as a test setting. Force Completion causes the exam to be forcibly submitted if the browser window is closed for any reason. Leave this option unchecked, and the student may be able to continue from the last save in the event of technical issues.

  • Consider allowing two attempts. In the event of a technical issue, having the option of another exam attempt means the student may be able to complete the exam without rescheduling or seeking permission from the instructor.

  • Consider exam availability. You may restrict the availability of an exam to specific days and hours. Consider allowing a little extra time before or after the intended exam period to allow for delays or technical issues. At least a 48-hour testing window is recommended.

  • Timers. You may set time limits for the exam. If choosing this option, a timer will display in the lower corner of the screen. You may choose to force exam submission at the end of the timer or allow students to work over. See test settings for details.

  • Access codes. Instructors may further restrict exams with access codes that must be entered before the exam begins. If using an access code, the instructor or other designated proctor must have the access code available in the Testing Center throughout the scheduled test period. Testing Center staff will not have access to the codes or the ability to troubleshoot them.

  • Randomized questions and answers. See this article for assistance.

  • Confirm test settings. Review and confirm the various test settings configured within the exam. These settings are determined at the instructor level. Testing Center staff cannot see or modify any settings or access codes assigned.

Additional information

  • Resolve issues in Grade Center. Incomplete or improperly submitted exams will be flagged as In Progress in the Grade Center. Instructors must choose to Clear Attempt or Submit Attempt to resolve the issue. Instructors or designated proctors may resolve issues in the Testing Center during live testing, or review issues later. If a problem requires a student to retake an exam, the instructor is responsible for notifying the Testing Center to reschedule.

  • Special accommodations. Be sure to allow for exam accommodations by exempting timers, location restrictions, exam availability, etc. for specific students. Students with accommodations authorized by the Office of Accessibility Services may discuss with instructors about taking their exams at the OAS Testing Center.