All tests need to be online, especially proctored tests. There is a big difference, however, with an online test that may be taken at home and one that is proctored. Students sometimes complain that the instructor said that all tests were to be online and they do not think they should have to come to a campus for a proctored test! They interpret everything online as everything available from home.

Be careful in how you describe your tests and the manner of the course in your syllabus.  If you assign a proctored test that is online but must be taken at a test center or with a proctor, be sure to explain clearly up front that the test is a proctored online test and may not be taken from home. Students would rather not come to campus; this is why they chose Virtual College courses.

If you need accountability of a major test being proctored, please include one. You do not need to give a proctored test if you can determine that the students have mastered the learning objectives in other ways:

• successful completion of a variety of small assignments and/or major research project or paper,
• student writing and thinking skills and comprehension of the content, show improvement through participation in discussions, 
• over the term student work is collected into e-Portfolios and is evaluated, 
• and enough online, timed quizzes and tests are given to evaluate the mastery of the major course concepts.

The VC recommends that if you need to give a proctored test, limit it to one and make it worth at least 30%. Students do not have to pay for proctored testing at the MDC campus Virtual College testing sites.  Students who do not have access to Virtual College testing sites pay from $20-50 for proctored testing. Approximately 15% of your students live outside of the South Florida area.

Paper tests are not as secure as online tests and are much harder to send to and receive back from proctors that are located all over the world.   However, if you receive Virtual College permission to give paper tests you must email them as attachments to the VC Student Services Coordinator who will in turn send them to the campus VC testing sites and to your students' out-of-area proctors.

Special Note: Good news for instructors that need equation editors for mathematics and scientific formulas, WebCT 4.0 has a built-in equation editor that works in the discussion area, quizzes, and even for the students when giving quiz answers. The drop box for assignments has greatly improved too!

The process for getting a proctor is described in the Student Center on the Testing information page.  Also, a link to the form is provided.  Visit the Testing page and view the Request for Proctor Approval.

The proctor can be faculty members of accredited colleges or universities, high school counselors and principals, and military educational officers. Your employer, co-worker, relative or friend is NOT a qualified proctor and may NOT proctor exams. However, a major company that has a human resources department may do so.

Exams must be administered in an educational or professional environment such as a classroom or the proctor's office. Any test proctored in a private residence will be deemed invalid. All paper tests must be stored in a secured environment.

The Virtual College gives the final approval on proctor selection.  Once located, the student must put the proctor in touch with the Virtual College Administration to arrange for approval. This, however, needs to be done immediately after the student begins the course to make sure the proctor is approved and ready in time for the proctored test.

Sometimes it takes a while for a student to find a proctor we will approve. Sometimes there is a language barrier with the proctor or the proctor is having difficulty with email. We deal with countries from all over that may not have the best Internet and emailing services.