Updates to online assessment regulations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of changes have been made to the online test and assessment regulations. These have been updated for the winter 2021 term. Here’s a quick summary of the changes:

Contingency plans

A contingency plan accounts for issues that could come up during the assessment – such as problems with technology, caregiving responsibilities, or distractions in a student’s test-taking environment.

• In-course online assessments and tests: Assessments worth 10% or less of the course grade no longer require a contingency plan. For those worth more than 10%, each instructor will now determine a contingency plan that best suits the course, with the details provided in the course outline.
• Final exams: All courses have 50% additional time to complete all final exams (as was the case for the fall 2020 term). This is in addition to the time allowance indicated in the final exam schedule. Exams will still be due by the end time listed in the final exam schedule. Accommodation requirements through Student Accessibility Services still apply. The standard 50% extra time is in addition to accommodation requirements.

The 24-hour window

Students will generally have a 24-hour window to access and complete an online assessment. Starting in the winter 2021 term, there are several cases in which instructors may give less than 24 hours to complete an assessment. These include:

• if it is worth less than 10% of the course grade; and
• if the instructor has received prior approval from the Dean of the faculty to have an assessment where all students start and end at the same time. (Instructors will inform students if this is the case.)

You can find all the up-to-date winter 2021 regulations in the academic calendar:

• online and blended tests and in-class assessments
• online and blended final exams