York University -- The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies -- eServices Office -- Distance Education

Information for Students Writing Off-Site Examinations

Many Internet and Correspondence courses require formal, supervised in-class exams on campus. Students residing more than three hours travel time from the York University Keele campus (i.e. out of province/country) can make arrangements with the eServices Office (eSO) to facilitate an off-site supervised exam.

Steps for Students

FILL OUT THE OFF-SITE EXAM REQUEST FORM

Students are required to fill out and submit the ONLINE Off-Site Exam Request Form TEN BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR to the exam date. Failure to meet this ten day requirement will jeopardize your off-site exam facilitation. A separate request form is required for each sitting.

PAY THE OFF-SITE EXAM FEE

There is an administrative fee payable to York University to cover administrative arrangement costs. The cost for students writing within and outside of Canada is $30 for each exam. Fees must be paid TEN BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR to the exam date and must be submitted directly to eSO. Detailed fee information can be found below, under OFF-SITE EXAM FEES.

In addition to the $30 per exam cost charged by York University, invigilation fees can range from $35 to $150 per examination. Students are required to pay these fees directly to the host institution. If your course has two midterm exams and a final exam, the total cost to write your exams off-site could range from $200 to $500, possibly more.

INFORM YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Inform your instructor as soon as you enrol in your distance education course that you are writing your exam off-site, and that your exam is arranged through eSO (distance education).

CONFIRM THE EXAM FORMAT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Students are required to inform our office, the host institution (invigilator), and the instructor prior to the off-site exam date and time. Failure to notify the parties listed above before the off-site exam date and time will result in the loss of your off-site exam payment.

Off-Site Exam Requirements

In order to qualify to write offsite, your travelling time (1 way) would exceed three-hours. Once approved to write off-site, you are expected to travel up to three hours (one way) to your remote site.
Exam must be scheduled with one of our contact centres from our listing. Students are not permitted to appoint their own invigilator without approval by eSO.
Invigilators who are not connected to one of our published off-site centres will not be considered, unless chosen by our Office.
Your examination date and time must coincide with the on-campus exam and not precede it.
If you decide to cancel your off-site exam, you are required to inform eSO, the host institution (invigilator), and your instructor before the off-site exam date.
Your off-site request form must be submitted TEN BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR to the exam date.
Student must supply both their current address (remote residential area) and their permanent address in contact information.

Off-site Exam Cancellations

Invigilator Contact Centres

For an invigilation contact centre near you please refer to our post secondary and government contacts listing available at: www.yorku.ca/laps/disted/invigilator.

If you require assistance with arranging an invigilator at one of these above centres, or, if there is no centre within 3 hours' travelling time of your address, please contact us.

Remote Locations

In some remote locations it will be impossible to write supervised examinations due to lack of infrastructure. Please consult with the eServices Office before you enrol in your distance education courses if you will be residing remotely.

Important Information -- Please be informed that during the exam, invigilators will be required to:

Provide their signature certifying that they
a) will comply with the off-site exam regulations during the examination procedures, including faxing and mailing/couriering the completed exam documents back to eSO within two business days;
b) are neither a relative nor friend of those whom they supervise
Document and report any suspicions of academic dishonesty
Photocopy both York YU card and Government photo IDs to be returned with original examination documents.

Important Notes

When providing us with the invigilator’s contact information, please ensure it is accurate. Double check e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers. Incorrect information can interrupt your examination arrangements.
Be certain that you do not jeopardize your examination sitting by contravening any of the above criteria.
Once your off-site exam request form is received by eSO, the invigilator and the instructor will be contacted to confirm your off-site exam arrangements. Once confirmed, you will be notified via e-mail.
Your exam will be sent to the invigilator along with the invigilation rules and a sign-in form for both the invigilator and student.

The eServices Office must approve changes to any confirmed exam arrangements.

Off-site Exam Versions/Formats

Students writing Distance Education Exams outside of York University may be given a different version/formats of the exam in comparison to the on campus exam. On campus and off site exams are comparable in content and complexity, however they might differ in format and questions/problems included. Please confirm with your instructor the format of the exam prior to writing (multiple choice, case study, essay etc).

Remote Locations

Off-site Exam Special Needs/Accommodation Instructions for Students

If you are a student registered with the offices noted below, please forward the official documentation that confirms your registration and accommodation/special needs to our office.

Counselling and Disability Services

Invigilator Fees to your Host Post Secondary Institution:

Every external post secondary institution has varying invoicing and payment policies for exam invigilation (supervision) fees. Please inquire about these ahead of time to determine if they are acceptable to you. Invigilation fees can range from $35 to $150 per examination. Students are required to pay these fees directly to the host institution. This is in addition to the $30 per exam cost charged by York University. If your course has two midterm exams and a final exam, the total cost to write your exams off-site could range from $200 to $500, possibly more.

The invigilator will be returning your exam directly to the eServices Office via fax and mail/courier. Check to see if these services will be included with your host institution fees.

Scheduling during business hours:

Please note that many institutions that supervise exams only offer day time invigilation services during business hours. Please be prepared to book time off from work in order to write during these designated writing times. In addition, many foreign countries celebrate/honour varying holidays and religious observances that will also impact the availability of services offered.

Off-Site Exam Fees

There are 3 types of fees for off-site invigilation testing:

1) Administrative fee payable to York University

There is an administrative fee for each off-site examination.

In order to process your off-site exam request, eSO requires payment in full two weeks before the exam date.

FEE PAYMENTS ARE MADE PAYABLE TO York University and are collected in Canadian Funds.

Off-site Exam Fees:

$30.00 per exam (in and outside of Canada)

Current Payment Methods:

Certified Cheque

Money Orders

Personal Cheques, cash, credit card or online payments to York University Student Accounts are not accepted.

Payments are to be submitted directly to eSO via one of the following options:

In person during our business hours (by the student, friend or family)

Drop Box. There is a locked drop box located just outside of the eSO suite that is checked regularly

Mail, Registered Mail, or Courier to the address below

Your payment submission must include the following information:

Student’s name

Student number

Course ID

Payment made payable to YORK UNIVERSITY

Off-site Exam Cancellations

Students are required to inform our office, the host institution (invigilator), and the instructor prior to the off-site exam date and time. Failure to notify the parties listed above before the off-site exam date and time will result in the loss of your off-site exam payment.

2) Invigilation (supervision) fee payable to your Host institution - remote location.

Invigilation fees can range from $35 to $150 per examination. Students are required to pay these fees directly to the host institution. This is in addition to the $30 per exam cost charged by York University. If your course has two midterm exams and a final exam, the total cost to write your exams off-site could range from $200 to $500, possibly more.

3) Courier/mail services for the return of your exam. Please check ahead of time to see if this service is included with your invigilation (supervision) costs.

The invigilator will be returning your exam directly to the eServices Office via fax and mail/courier. Check to see if these services will be included with your host institution fees.

Academic Honesty

Students writing exams are required to present a valid York University photo identification card (YU-Card) and valid Government issued photo identification (driver’s license/passport) at the beginning of the exam. Invigilators will photocopy your id to submit to our office. For more information on how to get your YU-card please go to: www.yorku.ca/yucard/getyourcard.html
Students will sign in and certify that they have complied with the exam regulations; not communicating with anyone re the content/process of the exam, and will not communicate/transmit/post/or record anything about the exam content and process

“By signing your name you affirm that you are registered in the course. You also acknowledge understanding that cheating on an exam, including impersonation and plagiarism, is a breach of Academic Honesty and is punishable under the regulations of the Senate of YorkUniversity.”

Please review the York University Senate Policy on Academic Honesty #: Sen 002 at:
www.yorku.ca/univsec/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm

Good luck with your exam.

Contact Information

eServices Office
Suite 2120, Technology Enhanced Learning Building
Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3

Phone number: (416) 736-5831
Toll Free Number (in North America): 1 (866) 261-1790
Fax number: (416) 736-5637
E-mail: deexams@yorku.ca
Internet: www.yorku.ca/laps/disted