Online Quiz, Test & Exam Support

Individual Help

Feel free to reach out to our Accessibility Assistants, for help at sas.assist@uoguelph.ca. 

Online Quizzes, Tests & Exams - How does the process work?

For CourseLink Quizzes, instructors can turn on a tool that automatically applies students' extra time accommodations.

Sometimes instructors manually input accommodations (e.g. for Dropbox or other platforms). They can sign in to our system and access a list of students with extra time accommodations. This is usually done about a week ahead of a test or exam.

There are some quizzes, tests and exams that use Universal Design, which means extra time is already built in.

How do I check on the status of my accommodations?

Check the course outline and course announcements on CourseLink to see if the instructor has provided students with instructions for accommodations. Some instructors require students to email them directly. It is important to follow the instructions they provide.

Look at the instructions for your quiz, test or exam. Confirm that it will be timed and that there isn’t already additional time built into them. Many profs are following Universal Design and extra time is already included. For some quizzes, students have unlimited time.

For a quiz in CourseLink:

• Click on the Quizzes tab in the navigation bar
• Click on the name of the assessment from the quiz list
• Read the instructions. If extra time has been applied, it will be reflected in the "Time allowed" field.

Sometimes extra time is not added until an automated process runs the night before the quiz.

For a drop-box submission:

• If it is a timed assessment (usually up to an hour or two), the submission deadline may have been modified for you.
• If you have all day or several days, and need accommodation, please speak to your SAS Advisor.

For all other software platforms:

• Look for instructions from the professor.

What should I do if my extra time-based accommodation has not been added?

If an approved accommodation is not available to you at the time that you go to write the test or exam, get help before you start writing.

For other accommodation issues or if you are planning in advance, please email your instructor and copy your SAS Advisor to ask about arrangements. Make sure you have checked that the professor has not given other instructions first.

Extra 15 or 30 minutes

Occasionally students get a specific number of additional minutes regardless of the length of the test (usually 15 or 30 minutes). This is only applied automatically to quizzes, tests and exams when the class is given 30 minutes or more. If you need these extra minutes for shorter assessments, please contact your SAS advisor.

Finishing by 9 PM

The academic day finishes at 9 pm. If you have a test or exam where your accommodations would extend past this time, you may be able to start a little bit earlier. For CourseLink quizzes, this should be reflected in the "quiz period" when your accommodations are set up.

Respondus

Respondus Monitor uses your webcam as a way to invigilate your exam. If you have a quiz, test or exam that uses this technology, and it creates a disability-related barrier, please speak with your SAS Advisor.

Respondus LockdownBrowser is software on your computer that prevents other programs from interfering while you are writing your exam. Instructors may use only one or both Respondus tools with CourseLink quizzes.

If your instructor provides a sample quiz, it is important to complete this ahead of time to ensure there are no technical problems with your computer set-up.

When using Respondus, you must complete the entire set-up process and be working on the first question before the end of the "quiz period". Otherwise, you will be locked out of the assessment.

What about writing on campus?

If the class is writing a test or exam on campus and you have approved accommodations, then you can make a booking to write in the SAS Exam Centre. You must make the booking at least 10 business days in advance, and not later than November 1 (fall), March 1 (winter), or July 1 (summer).