Remote invigilation for candidates unable to attend in-person exams

For Trinity term 2022, remote invigilation will be available to whom one or more of the following apply:

• Students who have received a positive result following an LFD or PCR test, and one or more exams will fall within the recommended ‘stay at home’ period (5 days with negative tests on days 5 and 6 or up to a maximum of 10 days).The student should otherwise be well enough to sit their exam; exam excusal should be sought if the student is unwell.
• Are residing outside of mainland UK, with approved residency dispensation via the Proctors for Trinity Term 2022.
• Part-time students residing outside of mainland UK who are unable to travel to Oxford due to local pandemic restrictions.
• Are residing within mainland UK, with or without a residency dispensation, but are immunosuppressed, or have specific other medical conditions meaning they may have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases.
• Are returning for assessment only and have already fulfilled residency requirements during previous study, but are unable to return to Oxford for exams due to Covid-related or other travel restrictions.

Students with a residency dispensation for Trinity Term 2022 but who are residing within mainland UK are expected to travel to Oxford for exams unless one of the above criteria apply.

Students who have been following the ‘stay at home’ guidance due to a positive test result  but ‘test out’ with two consecutive LFD tests from days 5 and 6 onwards would be expected to attend in-person any exams scheduled from the day after their second negative test (e.g. day 7 if testing negative on day 5 and day 6). 

Students who are unable to attend their exam due to illness or other urgent cause, but to whom none of the above apply, will need to follow the normal exam excusal process.

As soon as a student is aware that they will not be able to attend an in-person exam and they meet the eligibility criteria above they should notify their college and department. 

• Applications on the basis of an approved residency dispensation or on the basis of medical grounds have an application deadline of 5pm on Friday of 0th week Trinity term.
• Applications for students testing positive, or part-time students resident outside the UK affected by new local travel restrictions would need to be made in time to be approved by the Proctors by midday up to two working days prior to the exam. Beyond this point, excusal should be sought for that exam. However, if a student has exams on later dates, an application can be made for remote invigilation for those.
• The college should complete the online form for remote invigilation of an in-person exam on the Proctors’ Office website. Once approved, notification will go to the college, E&A and the department to be actioned.
• The Medical Sciences Division, working with their Learning Technologies Team, will make remote invigilation arrangements for computer based exams directly, for courses within the Division.
• There is limited capacity for remote invigilation (up to 27 candidates per exam session). If, despite best efforts, remote invigilation cannot be arranged or if a student is not able to access the exam remotely (e.g. unsuitable accommodation or lack of technology), colleges should apply for exam excusal for the student in the normal way.

This is the outline protocol under which these exams will take place. Detailed practical guidance will be shared directly with students.

• This is parallel to an in-person exam and as far as possible the same regulations and policy apply. Exams will take place as scheduled (regardless of the student’s time zone).

• Exam papers will be hosted in Inspera using the same system for open book online exams. Candidates will access the exam paper on a screen in front of them.

• Exams will be handwritten (unless exam adjustments are in place for the use of a PC) – this is to ensure parity with candidates undertaking the parallel in-person exams and also as a security measure reducing the likelihood that a candidate would be able to have any meaningful access to resources or communication tools.

• Candidates will have to sign up to an honour code specific to remote invigilated closed-book exams.

• The exam will be remotely invigilated using Zoom via a second device camera. Each invigilator will be able to supervise a maximum of 9 candidates.

• Writing time for the exam will be the same as for the in-person exam, including for candidates with individual exam adjustments who will receive their normal allowances.

• At the conclusion of the writing time, candidates will photograph and upload their answer sheets. When they have confirmed with the invigilator that they have done this they can leave the exam. Candidates will need to retain their scripts until they have been marked.

• Candidates will not be able to leave the room in which they are sitting the exam for the duration of the exam with the exception of toilet breaks. Candidates will have to notify the invigilator and the time taken will be recorded.

• For technical or other reasons, if a candidate does not attend the exam on the day the exam excusal process should be followed. If the candidate leaves or does not complete the exam or their exam is interrupted, the mitigating circumstances notice to examiners (MCE) process can be followed.