Exam Adjustments and Responsibilities

UNSW teaching staff are required to honour additional time adjustments that are included in a student’s Equitable Learning Plans (ELPs) for exams, short tests and quizzes. This is applied by either the faculty or the exam team for all timed tasks depending on if they are faculty-managed or final exams. The student does not need to request for any extra time. 

Time adjustments need to be confirmed by email to the student at least 2 weeks before the exam. 

Additional time for take home exams is a separate adjustment which will be written in a student’s ELP as a percentage (%). If the student does not have this adjustment in their ELP and has a take-home exam, please encourage them to reach out to ELS or email the student directly and have ELS cc’d.

To adjust times on Moodle quizzes please see the ‘Grant Extension for a Quiz’ section on Moodle.

Suggested steps to follow: 

1. Review extra time on students ELP and add this to the exam schedule/information
   
   Extra time is only added to the working time.  Extra time is not added to reading time.  E.g. For a 2-hour exam with 10 mins reading time - a 30 min per hour pro rata time extension (50% extra time) would be: 3 hours total exam time and 10 mins reading time (reading time stays the same)
    
2. If the exam is online, let the student know how to submit their exam if this changes with the additional time.

Some students may require an alternative assessment format. This will need to be communicated via email and arranged with students (with ELS cc’d) at the beginning of the term. Staff are encouraged to confirm by email to students as early as possible, no later than 2 weeks prior to the original exam/short test/quiz.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. At the beginning of term, reach out to students to discuss appropriate alternatives. If this is a verbal conversation, follow up with an email (with ELS cc’d) confirming agreed upon decisions. 
2. If required, provide an alternative assessment, weighing the same as the original assessment. 

Alternative Exam Format

For exams that need to be provided in an alternative format please review sources here:

• Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET)
  • Creating Accessible Content
  • How to Structure Documents Correctly
     
• UNSW Moodle (Enrolment key: Student_UDL)
  • Universal Design for Learning Hub for UNSW Faculty

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Contact student (with ELS CC’d) to discuss the specific format requirements. These will often be specified on the ELP, but it is good practice to check in with the student
    
2. Provide the exam in the necessary format as agreed upon with the student.

Examples: printed on different coloured paper, accessible electronic document, specific text size, specific font etc.

Students may require an alternative exam room (group room, small group room or individual room). Staff will need to confirm the updated location with the student via email a minimum of 2 weeks before the exam.

If you are unsure how to arrange an exam invigilator or would like assistance for this adjustment, please contact the UNSW Exams team for support: [email protected].

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Find alternative room based on description - group room, small group room or individual
    
2. Book room for time of exam, using the room management system in myUNSW
   Learning Environments - UNSW Sydney
    
3. Arrange exam invigilator if required.

Faculty are responsible for making all necessary arrangements for the student to access, complete, and submit the exam using the computer. Staff will need to confirm with the student via email a minimum of 2 weeks before the exam. 

Please make sure Safe Exam Browers is disabled as it may block the use of assistive technology. It is recommended to conduct a test run in advance with the student to check that the technology is working smoothly. 

If the student is to use their personal computer, it may be subject to checking before the exam. Students can also request ELS to provide a computer for them.

For more information, contact ELS or the central exam team.

Inspera Accessibility features

Staff should activate the text-to-speech feature in Inspera for students to use as it is not turned on by default. Please instruct students to bring in their own headphones.

Instructions to activate the text-to-speech feature:

1. Click the option menu on the top right corner of your test page to access the appearance options
    
2. You can change the colour of the screen, adjust the text size, and use "Text to Speech" if this feature is made available for your assessment or exam
    
3. For more details, download the information guide or watch this short video on Inspera's appearance and accessibility features.

Further information:

• Inspera: In-Term Assessments | UNSW Current Students
• Text to Speech – Inspera Help Center

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Reach out to the student to confirm whether they will use their personal computer or require UNSW to provide a computer for them. Please let ELS know if the latter is the preferred option and if you require ELS to provide it
    
2. Check with the student if they will be using any assistive technology. If yes, Safe Exam Browers may block this and may need disabling.

Exam Frequency adjustments can look like any of the following examples:

• No 2 exams in the same day
• No 2 exams on consecutive days
• Time-specific exams (e.g. AM/PM only exams or no evening exams).

An exam frequency adjustment can only be used for mid-term or final exams that are 1 hour or longer. This does not apply to tests or quizzes held within regular lecture, tutorials or labs.

This will need to be communicated via email to the student as early as possible.

For mid-terms, student need to identify any clashes and contact their convenor.
For final exams, the exam team will make the recommendations. 

The exam frequency adjustment can be used for take-home exams if there is significant overlap or in adverse circumstances. Please contact ELS to discuss specific details and arrangements.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Review required frequency adjustment
    
2. Make arrangements to honour the specific frequency adjustment/s
    
3. Confirm new time/date with student via email at least two weeks before the exam.

Faculty are responsible for arranging an exam scribe or reader when running their own exams. If you have difficulty obtaining a scribe or reader please contact the UNSW exams team via the following email: [email protected]. 

The provision of a scribe or reader needs to be confirmed by email to the student at least 2 weeks before the exam. The Equitable Learning Service (ELS) needs to be cc’d into this email.

ELS can fund the cost of a scribe or reader if the faculty cannot. Please contact ELS via email to discuss further: [email protected].

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Check with students if they require the scribe/reader for this exam
   1. E.g. “Would you like me to arrange a scribe for you” or “Would a scribe be helpful for you”?
       
2. Source reader/scribe and ensure they have completed the HR onboarding requirements
    
3. Make sure they are allocated a seat next to the student during the exam.

Formal Exams (Run by the Central Exams team)

This adjustment will include all formal exams that are run by the UNSW Central Exams team. The Central Exams team will contact faculty to help arrange this adjustment and provide suggestions.

Formal Exams (Run by Faculty)

ELS will contact faculty to help arrange this adjustment and provide suggestions. ELS wil run a report of students with the home location exam and contact the course convenor to discuss logistics and preferences. This will include any formal exam that falls in the 2 week formal exam block.

Mid-term Exams (Run by Faculty)

ELS will contact students with the required adjustment. If the student requires a home location adjustment, ELS wil contact the course convenor to help arrange this and provide suggestions. 

This adjustment is only provided for students in rare circumstances and does not apply to all other faculty-run exams. If additional assistance with logistics is needed please contact the Central Exams team or ELS.

Some students may require the use of assistive technology. Staff are encouraged to set up a test run in advance with the student to check that exam technology is working smoothly. In some cases, Safe Exam Browsers (SEB) may block assistive technology and may need to be removed for the student. This action can be completed via Inspera - each faculty will have their own Inspera interface. For more information on this please contact ELS, the Central Exams team or the EdDevs team.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Engage in discussion with the relevant team. Inform ELS of any accreditation requirements
    
2. If agreed upon, make necessary arrangements for the exam to be taken at home (e.g. access, set up etc.).

Students may require medication, food, drink, or other special needs. Staff will need to ensure lighting and seating adjustments are arranged before the exam and confirm with the student via email a minimum of 2 weeks before the exam.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Confirm these adjustments have been arranged with the student when providing them with the time and date of their exam.

Students are allowed to use a word or formula list during the exam.

Permitted types:

• Single words
• Acronyms
• Formulas
• Images
• Graphs
• Diagrams

It should NOT contain any sentences or definitions. You may ask the student to remove any content that does not meet the above criteria. It should be a one-sided A4 page.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Ensure the student provides the list/formula sheet to the staff at least a week before the exam– Please remind the student in advance, so that the necessary arrangements can be organised
    
2. Review the list/formula
    
3. Once approved, ensure you provide this to the staff member running the exam so they can provide this to the student on the day of the exam (the student will not be able to bring it to the exam themselves).

Faculty are required to make necessary arrangements to allow the student to complete the exam in 2 parts as per the adjustment description. Generally, split exam adjustment is offered for exams that are over 3 hours (this is not including any additional time required by the student) in duration. However, there may be special circumstances based on medical needs. Staff will need to confirm the adjustment with the student via email a minimum of 2 weeks before the exam.

ELS will run a report closer to the formal exam time of all students with this adjustment and will reach out to the student and course convenor to assist with this arrangement.

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Review ELS communication
    
2. If adjustment is required, confirm logistics with the student via email including the start and finish time for both sections, location, etc.

Students are permitted to bring in their personal equipment as stated on their Equitable Learning Plan. Equipment can be investigated by invigilators if needed. Staff will need to confirm with the student via email a minimum of 2 weeks before the exam.

UNSW is required to provide equipment to students for use during exams.

ELS can loan the following equipments to students:

• Ergonomic keyboard
• Ergonometric mouse
• Desk raisers
• Monitors
• Electric height adjustable desks

Suggested steps to follow:

1. Check if your faculty can provide the necessary equipment to the student. If not, check if the student can provide their own
    
2. If neither your faculty or the student has the specific equipment required, please contact ELS to discuss sourcing this a minimum of 2-weeks before the exam.

If your faculty does not have the capacity to set up the equipment, please contact ELS for assistance, with plenty of notice in case we need to purchase an item.