Test & Exam Instructions
All tests and exams for each of my courses, traditional classroom and Web courses, are available at the beginning of the semester via NS Online: therefore, you may complete them ahead of schedule if you wish. Questions are derived from the assignments for the semester. The Final Exam will emphasize assignments after the Mid-Term Exam. Tests and exams must be completed absolutely no later than the deadlines listed in the assignments/semester calendar for your course.
Important Requirement: The Respondus LockDown Browser is required to complete and review the required tests and exams for our course. Click here for instructions. After reading the instructions and installing the browser, complete the "Respondus LockDown Browser Test” which is available in the Tests & Exams section of our course. This short test (no studying necessary) is worth 20 extra-credit points, and it will give you an opportunity to be certain that you are able to install and use the browser successfully prior to completing the required tests and exams. Please contact the Computer Help Desk @ 615.353.3678 if you have problems downloading, installing, or completing an assessment with Respondus LockDown Browser.
Pop-up blockers and firewalls may prevent access to tests and other items in NS Online; therefore, you should configure them to grant access to NS Online.
Two
Options for Tests and Exams
Online Testing 24/7: Same
as above except that you may complete the online tests (not exams) anywhere that
you have Internet access. The tests are available 24/7 until the posted
deadlines. The online tests and exams are timed and one attempt is allowed. The
amount of time allocated begins when you click the link to begin;
therefore, you must be prepared to complete the test or exam when you access
it. The
test is locked if the time expires and the test is not submitted, and you will
be unable to do anything further at that point. It is imperative that you save
answers as you enter them.You will be allowed 80 minutes and may use one page
of notes (8 1/2 X 11 both sides) for each test or exam. The notes may be
configured as you wish - hand written, typewritten or a combination of both. You
should schedule a full hour to complete each test or exam. The Mid-Term and Final Exams require a
password and must be completed in a testing
center. A testing technician will enter the password necessary for you to
complete the exam.
Tests 1-4, the Mid-Term and Final Exams ARE REQUIRED and DO count toward your
semester grade. The practice tests are optional for extra
credit. You may complete the practice tests as many times as you wish, and only
the highest grade will count for extra credit. Each attempt will generate a
random set of 20 questions.
Printing the tests/exams and copy/paste are disabled for security reasons. I
did not like to do that but I was having quite a few security problems. I have
attempted to find some middle ground between not making them available at all,
as some professors do, and trying to maintain a degree of integrity for the
tests and exams. I trust that you will understand. You can print and copy/paste
the practice tests.
There are definite advantages to online testing:
1) The online tests may be completed wherever you have access to the Internet;
2) You may access and complete the tests 24 hours a day until the deadline;
3) You may complete the tests and exams ahead of schedule and finish the course
early;
4) Trips to a testing center are required only for the Mid Term and Final
Exams;
5) The tests and exams are graded electronically and available for immediate
review; and
6) Completed tests are always available for review as you prepare for the
Mid-Term and Final Exams.
Proctors
You may make arrangements with an acceptable proctor if you have truly
extraordinary circumstances, rather than mere convenience, and cannot come
to campus or an off-campus site to complete the Mid-Term and/or Final Exam.
Most towns and cities have acceptable proctors which could include: school
teachers, college professors, school administrators (e.g. principals), and
librarians. Most community colleges and universities have testing centers which
are usually willing to proctor an exam. The proctor
must have an email address which clearly reflects the name of the
institution and the proctor's name. Please have the proctor contact me
for arrangements via email (Quenton.Pulliam@nscc.edu). The proctor must contact
me and express a willingness to proctor your exam(s) before I contact her/him.
This is a matter of courtesy to the proctor. Additionally, the proctor must
have the Respondus LockDown Browser installed on the computer to be used for
the exam, be willing to install it, or you will need to furnish a computer with
the browser installed. Your arrangements must be completed by the third week of
the semester for a 14-week semester course, and by the end of the first week
for a 5 or 7-week course.
Missed Test/Exam Policy
The dates published in the Assignments/Semester
Calendar page are not the due dates, they are
the last opportunity to complete a test or exam. I expect that students will
not wait until the last opportunity, but some always do and often run into
unexpected complications. The usual last-minute difficulties each semester
include: computer malfunction, had to work late, illness, car troubles, read
the calendar date wrong, etc. Additionally, the testing center on the Nashville
campus is usually very busy in the late afternoons and evenings and may not be
able to get you in before closing time. The off-campus testing centers usually
require that an appointment is made in advance of the test date. Believe me,
something will happen if you wait until the last day, and I do not approve
extensions! Tests and exams will not be available after the date published in
the semester calendar. The only exception to
this policy will be if you can document a severe, personal tragedy such as
hospitalization or death. Do not ask for an extension unless you are able to
document such an event. The lowest test grade for the semester will be
substituted for the first missed test. Subsequent missed tests will receive a
score of zero. Missed exams will receive a score of zero. Clearly, this is to
encourage you not to procrastinate until the deadline. Occasionally, a student
will complete all four required tests and have one low score which will lower
the semester grade. As a matter of equity, I do not allow that to happen. I look closely at all test scores for each
student before submitting final grades. If one low score will reduce the final
grade by a letter, I adjust the student's final grade accordingly.
Questions About Test & Exam
Questions
I am available to help with any questions which you may have about
questions and answers from any of the tests (required and practice) and exams.
Please post your question along with the complete test question and answer (or
a specific reference where I can find the question) in the discussion forum
related to the particular test or exam. I will explain answers to questions
from the required tests/exams in the appropriate forum after the deadline for
the test or exam has passed.
Reviewing
Tests
I strongly encourage
reviewing prior tests as you prepare for the mid term
and final exams. Start the Respondus LockDown Browser, log in to our course,
click Tests & Exams, click the submission icon (a question mark) to the
right of the test or exam you wish to review, and then click the attempt. You
can use any browser to access the practice tests.