Proctored Assessments in Online Courses

1. Best Practice:  To comply with Federal regulations regarding student authentication Online courses must have at least one, but not more than two proctored assessments. Without completing one proctored assessment, the student will fail the course. Unless your course has special requirements, schedule one proctored event prior to the week of finals to allow time for re-testing if the grade from the proctored assessment is incompatible with the rest of the grades.
    
2. FCC Testing Center: The FCC Testing Center strongly recommends that you schedule a proctored event between Thursday of one and Wednesday of the next week. The reason is to avoid crowding in the Testing Center and to give students the most favorable testing environment possible.
    
   1. Post and password protect the assessment on your course website in Blackboard. Set the assessment up for two attempts.
   2. Inform the students of the nature and timeframe of the assessment.
   3. Email the Testing Center a list of names, the timeframe and the password. (The quickest way to get the list of names: go into BB course email, select 'All Users', the list of all users will appear, copy the list and paste it into your email to the Testing Center. Delete unwanted names).
       
3. Externally Proctored Exam:
    
   1. ​​Individual Student Anywhere: Assessments should be proctored at the request of the student in some official institutional setting such as a college or Education Office in the US Military. Your assessment is posted on your course website in Blackboard with password protection.
   2. Ask the requesting student to provide the name of the institution as well as the name, position, and email address of the proctor.
   3. Contact the proctor for a "professional courtesy' service with name of the student, time frame and description of the assessment (any possible charge must be paid be the student) Send confirmation and password to the external proctor.
       
4. MOL Students
    
   1. If you have students from another college in Maryland in your course, tests and exams will be proctored at the student's home college. Your assessment is posted on your course website in Blackboard with password protection. At the beginning of the semester get the address and email of the partner college's Testing Center from FCC's Office of Distance Learning
   2. Contact the Testing Center to confirm timeframe, type of test and test procedure.
   3. Send password and details to the Testing Center a week prior to the beginning of the test period.