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CBTF General Information for Instructors

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Instructor FAQ

The CBTF is not a generalized proctoring service. It is a facility and service enabling students to take computer-administered exams in a controlled proctored environment, under specific constraints and circumstances designed to enable operation at scale. You may find that these constraints do not fit your needs, though we’ll be happy to talk to you about it! This information is for instructors considering using the CBTF. If you’re already committed to using the CBTF, please read the more detailed Course Staff Guide for CBTF Usage.

The basics

  • Your assessment must be 100% delivered online. (See below for policies about turning in scratch paper.) It does not necessarily need to be machine-graded. Various tools can be used to deliver it, though we have found PrairieLearn exceptionally useful. Gradescope may also be possible.
  • In general the CBTF schedules one-hour “sessions” (really 50 minutes with a 10-minute “shift change”). Longer exams can bridge across consecutive sessions, but the recommended “sweet spots” are quizzes (50 minutes) and midterm/final exams (110 minutes). (Below we discuss the effects of “extra time” accommodations.)
  • You’ll designate a window of 1-3 days (longer for a double-length exam) over which several sessions will be available for student self-scheduling at fixed times to take the assessment. The assessment must be designed so that its integrity is not compromised by this fact.
  • There are mechanisms for dealing with many but not all DSP accommodations that largely relieve you of scheduling responsibility, although advance coordination is required.
  • The three physical spaces for Spring 2025 are Evans B3A (25 seats), Wheeler 210 (28 seats), and Sutardja Dai Hall 200 (30 seats). Operating hours vary for each space.

Uses of the CBTF

  • What software is available for authoring the exams?
    • We’re currently using PrairieLearn, but Gradescope may be possible.
  • What restrictions are there on software/network access on the CBTF computers?
    • We do not have “lockdown browsers” such as Respondus, but the firewalls limit Internet access only to the exam server itself.
  • Is there training and/or funding available to create computer-based assessments for my course?
  • Can I provide my own proctors, e.g. from my course staff, to staff a CBTF session dedicated to my course?
    • No. Our proctors on onboarded in the use of the software and are centrally hired, paid, scheduled, monitored, and trained on incident-reporting procedures. There are many advantages to proctors who are explicitly not course staff. For that matter, you cannot in general have a session dedicated to your course—the space may be shared with other course(s) whose exams overlap yours.
  • Can I “reserve” one or more CBTF sessions solely for my course or specify which room will be available for my exam??
    • No. Multiple courses share the CBTFs and students will self-schedule on a first-come basis, so you should assume your students will be mixed in with students from other courses. When students self-schedule, they can choose slots in any available staffed physical facility.
  • Given the modest room capacities, does this mean my students may not all take the exam at the same time?
    • Correct. You must design your exam so that its integrity is not compromised by being asynchronous. There are various ways to do this, including the use of randomization  for short-item exams, having different versions of the exam, or others. Reach out to us to discuss your situation!
  • Can your staff proctor my exams in my classroom, on Zoom, or somewhere other than the CBTF?
    • No. They are exclusively there to work in the CBTF.

DSP-related considerations

  • What if I have students requiring extra-time accommodations and/or reduced-distraction accommodations?
    • Your TA staff will identify these needs at the beginning of the semester; the CBTFs are configured to support these accommodations automatically after one-time setup on your part.
  • What if I have students requiring special accommodations the CBTF cannot meet, such as a scribe, special assistive hardware or software, etc.?
    • Our goal is to eventually handle as many types of accommodations as possible so your staff doesn’t have to, but as has always been the case, your staff is ultimately responsible for proctoring those students’ exams outside the CBTF.

Exam environment and facilities

  • Can students bring their own computers (e.g. with special courseware on them) into the CBTF?
    • No, all students in the CBTF use CBTF-configured computers. Talk to us about special software needs and we’ll see what we can do to make it available on those systems. We are looking at making exceptions for students with specific  DSP accommodations that are best met by having them bring their own hardware.
  • Can the CBTF computers have special software installed for my exam?
    • No, your exam must be available via a Web browser. (If you’re not using PrairieLearn we may also need to adjust the firewall rules.)
  • Are tablets available for students to hand-draw/hand-enter responses that are too awkward to do with keyboard and mouse?
    • Not at this time; we’re working on it. But a lot of symbolic notation can be achieved with a keyboard and mouse. Talk to us about your assessment goals and we’ll help you brainstorm a solution that doesn’t require specialized hardware.
  • Can students bring cheatsheets or other study aids to the exam with them?
    • No. Outside paper, devices, books, notes, etc. are never allowed on the exam desk, since proctors can’t keep track of different rules for every course. Students can use the built-in Windows Calculator app if they wish. It is easy to embed a cheatsheet within most exam software, including PrairieLearn, that the students can access while taking the exam.
  • What about scratch paper?
    • Proctors have a supply of scratch paper for student use that is color-coded to each exam room and session. Students may not bring their own. No paper enters or leaves the room.
  • Can students turn in their scratch paper for possible partial-credit or manual grading later?
    • You can choose to do this, but we don’t advise it. Ask us about the protocols. But keep in mind: someone from your course staff must ultimately collect the paper (remember that students from other courses may be taking their exams in the same room at the same time); proctors cannot enforce/remind students to turn in scratch paper, nor that everyone remember to put their identifying information on them, so you should place these instructions inside the exam itself; and if a student or your staff later reports an issue of any kind regarding student scratch paper, the responsibility for resolving it will be entirely on your staff, not on CBTF proctors or the CBTF manager.
  • Can students take their scratch paper out of the room with them and turn it in to us themselves?
    • No. Absolutely no paper leaves the room with a student that didn’t come in with them.

Other

  • Who pays for/supports this?
    • At the moment, the operational costs of this effort, including paying the proctors, IT operations, etc., are funded as part of a larger research project on Mastery Learning. We are working with CITRIS and RTL to make it a permanent and fully supported service; at the moment, it is a pilot program and does not have the same level of institutional support as bCourses, for example.
Other questions? Email Armando Fox (ACELab PI) and we’ll add the answers here.