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CBTF Proctor Instructions

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FAQ for prospective proctor applicants

  • Is this an on-campus only position or are there remote options? It’s on-campus only.
  • When/how often would I work? You decide when you work. We post proctor shifts as soon as we know exam schedules (we always try for at least 2 weeks in advance, though sometimes we need more help at the last minute) and you sign up for the shift(s) you want. A typical shift is 2 hours.
  • Can I bring other work to do while I’m proctoring? Definitely not. Proctoring is an active job and you must be walking around and vigilant 100% of the time. You will generally not be able to do other work, use your phone/computer, etc. during a shift.
  • What if I signed up for a shift but cannot make it? It is then your responsibility to find another proctor to cover it, for example by posting on the #cbtf-proctors Slack channel, and have that person contact the CBTF Manager to change the signup. Once you “claim” a shift it is considered your responsibility to have it covered.

How to apply: the application form is here.

The two things you must absolutely not forget

There are only two things for which we have a “zero tolerance” policy:

  1. You  must be absolutely on time (not Berkeley time, nor a few minutes late) for your proctoring shifts, barring unforeseeable circumstances. (For example, construction on campus, oversleeping an alarm, etc. are not unforeseeable.)
  2. You  must be paying attention and walking around 100% of the time during your proctoring shifts; not doing other work, working on your phone/tablet, reading, or otherwise distracted.

The above two practices are essential to the whole point of proctored exams, and failing to observe them is cause for immediate termination.

Once you’ve received an offer…

If you’re notified that we have requested to hire you, watch your email for communication from ERSO (Engineering Research Support Organization) HR/Payroll regarding their required onboarding, which may include CalTime orientation and possibly some mandated online training. (It may take a couple of days for this email to arrive.) Until you complete ERSO’s onboarding, you cannot start logging paid hours, so please attend to that as quickly as possible. Once you complete it you will have access to CalTime to log your hours. If you have had a previous hourly campus job that had this onboarding, you won’t need to repeat it; you’ll just get an email confirming your CalTime access.

Once you have access to CalTime, continue with the steps below on this page for Proctor Onboarding. All time spent doing Proctor Onboarding is paid time so please track your hours in CalTime. If you forget to log your hours in CalTime properly, we don’t have the bandwidth to fix up errors for you, so please be conscientious about entering your start/stop work times in CalTime each time you do billable Proctor work.

The PrairieTest software (us.prairietest.com, where you should be able to login via CalNet) handles scheduling of students. Students show up at their self-reserved session time. As a proctor, you need to know how to navigate the UIs of this software prior to a testing session; how to behave during a proctoring session; what to do if you observe inappropriate student behavior during a session; and cases in which you as a proctor can intervene to extend a student’s exam time in exceptional situations. Training on these topics is the goal of the onboarding process below.

General note. Proctoring is an extremely important responsibility. Timeliness, reliability, and trustworthiness are paramount. With the exception of unforeseeable emergency circumstances, it is not acceptable to be late/no-show for a proctor shift or otherwise be less than 100% responsible and reliable, and is cause for immediate and permanent termination of a proctor position.

Onboarding/Preparation: before your first proctor shift

  1. You access the service used to administer CBTF exams, called PrairieTest, with your CalNet login at us.prairietest.com. This service manages exam room scheduling, proctor scheduling, and student reservations. If the CBTF manager has invited you to have the proctor role, you will find that invitation for you to accept when you log into PrairieTest.
  2. You should have received an invitation to the Slack channel #cbtf-proctors on the ACELab Slack workspace. Please contact Prof. Fox if you haven’t received this invite.
  3. Watch this PrairieTest orientation video for a comprehensive tour of navigating the interfaces you’ll use to manage Course Sessions. (Skip the part on ID cards. At the present time, the Course Sessions are configured to not require Proctors to check students in at all, not even the Proctor manual check-in method.)
  4. Watch this video starting from 2:34; some material is specific to the University of Illinois (which produced it for their CBTF), but generally good hints. NOTE: This is primarily about how proctors and students interact with each other in the exam context. This video does not illustrate the operations that Proctors are required to perform within PrairieTest to manage a Session.
  5. Participate in a 30-minute orientation with Greg Merritt, the current CBTF program manager, to understand the logistical/IT aspects of your proctor duties (how to check students in to the exam room, “open” the exam for students, etc.) If this is impossible from a timing perspective, watch this recorded Zoom call (20 minutes) of a previous session.
  6. Review the Proctor Action Binder for other “what to do during an exam.” Some material is specific to University of Illinois, who kindly supplied it, but most of the advice is generically applicable.
  7. Communicate with the course staff to understand how to get physical access to the CBTF room you’ll be proctoring in, if applicable, and familiarize yourself with how to get to those facilities in time for the start of your shift. The two facilities currently used as CBTFs are Evans B3A, in the basement, and Wheeler 210, on the north side of the building.
  8. Be familiar with the instructions given to students taking exams in the CBTF.

If something goes urgently wrong

If something unexpected happens during your shift (locked out, unresolvable IT issue affecting the whole setup, physical issues with room, etc.), and you can’t get help via the #cbtf-proctors channel, you can call the classroom AV helpdesk at 510-643-8637. This helpline is only active from 8am-5pm Monday through Friday.

Your shift

The facilities shared with RTL (Evans B3A, Wheeler 210) may often have student assistants on duty who work for RTL. (You can ask them if they work for Natalie Montañez.) These students do not have any roles/responsibilities in CBTF proctoring and are only there to “take care” of the room when nobody else is using it, so you should not ask them to do any proctor duties.

  1. The start time of your shift as shown in Sling is the time you should be at the room and working. You may get started a few minutes early if you like, but the shift start time for the first shift of the day is intended to allow for setup.
  2. When you arrive:
    1. Clock in with CalTime
    2. ➡️➡️➡️Clock in with Sling
  3. The end time of the last shift of the day is intended to allow time for shutdown / cleanup, but these closing tasks may wrap up a little before or a little after your scheduled end time.
  4. You will be paid for any time you arrive early (within reason, i.e. please don’t show up an hour early and expect to get paid for the hour) or if you have to stay beyond the end of your assigned shift (e.g. if the next proctor is late).
  5. Proctors are scheduled to work in pairs. ➡️➡️➡️In most cases, your replacement will be scheduled to start “exactly” at the time that your shift ends. However, the proctor with whom you’ve been paired will have their shift end (and be replaced by their replacement) at a different time. If the person relieving you isn’t showing up, message the #cbtf-proctors channel. Be prompt about this: it’s important for us to maintain room staffing, so we may need to look for a quick substitute or shut down the CBTF.
  6. Note that losing track of time, sleeping through an alarm, etc., are neither emergencies nor unforeseeable. Barring unforeseeable and documentable emergencies, there is a zero tolerance policy for being late to a shift.

Opening the CBTF

  1. If you’re the first proctor of the day, you will need to retrieve the room key from its lockbox, so be sure you have obtained the lockbox code from the pinned messages in Slack. Once you’ve unlocked the room, immediately return the key to its lockbox. The key should always be stored in the lockbox when not being used to unlock the room; don’t put it in your pocket and forget about it!
  2. Log into the proctor workstation using the proctor login credentials from the pinned messages in Slack.
  3. One of the proctors needs to log into Slack from the proctor computer, so that the #cbtf-proctors channel is available for communication of any incidents or issues during your shift. (You may also communicate in Slack from a personal device.)
  4. One of the proctors must log into PrairieTest from the proctor computer. Access the current day’s Sessions from the Sessions page. (Fall 2024 Sessions page link)
  5. Open the supply cabinet using the cabinet lock code from the pinned messages in Slack.
    1. Deploy a partition behind every student workstation monitor in the room.
    2. ➡️➡️➡️Pick a scratch paper color for the first Session; deploy in the paper tray at the proctor workstation, along with the little pencils.
    3. Grab several of the passive silent earmuffs to have at the proctor workstation, to be offered to students with Reduced Distraction accommodations, as marked in student reservations in each Session.
  6. Write the student student login credentials on the room’s boards (and/or project it on a screen in the room). The credentials are pinned in Slack.

Student check-in

  1. Each arriving student must show a photo ID. Check the student’s ID, and click the “Check In” button for that student on the Sessions page for the current Session. Never “Check In” any student who is not on-site and presenting their ID.
  2. If the student has RD (“Reduced Distraction”) marked on their reservation, offer them a pair of passive silent earmuffs.
  3. Direct the student to…
    1. Go to the workstation you indicate
    2. Log into the workstation with the generic login credentials you’ve written on the board
    3. Double-click the “PrairieTest” shortcut on the desktop
    4. Log into PrairieTest with the UC Berkeley login link (CalNet login, Duo on their phone)
    5. Leave their bag / belongings / phone to the front of the room, away from student workstations.
    6. Log out of the workstation when they leave.

Starting the session

  1. Watch the clock for the Session start time.
  2. When it’s the start time of the Session, finish checking in and seating any students who have already arrived and may be queued at check-in…
  3. …and click “Start exam” on the Session page. Do not wait for any students who have arrived after the Session start time!

During the session

  1. Late arrivals
    1. Students arriving late may be checked in, but they will have lost the time between when you clicked the “Start exam” button and they actually start their exam. If the student wishes, you may cancel their missed reservation; this will allow them to reserve a later session, if available.
    2. ➡️➡️➡️A student with a multi-session reservation arriving after their first session is over will not be able to access their exam, even if you check them in to one of their reservation’s later linked “bridged” sessions (marked with a “B”). You may delete their original reservation if they want, and they may make a new reservation if there are spaces available. Alternatively, they may contact course staff regarding their missed exam.
  2. ➡️➡️➡️No re-entry for hour-long sessions: a student who leaves the room before their exams end must have their reservation’s “End exam” button clicked by a proctor. A student who has left may not re-enter and resume their exam. Check with supervisors regarding restroom policy.
  3. Walk around a lot and try to avoid predictable walking patterns. This is important as it shows students we are watching. Don’t just sit at the proctor desk and do your own work. Each proctor should make at least three circuits of the room during a 50-minute session. This is a core, required job function; not doing this is reason for immediate termination without the possibility of reinstatement.
  4. ➡️➡️➡️Possible cheating:
    1. Document the activity (e.g., photograph cheat sheet)
    2. Ask the student to stop the suspicious activity; let them continue their exam
    3. Report the incident on Slack and identify the student; course instructors will be notified
  5. Proctors cannot give hints/answer questions about exam, even if they happen to be connected to the course. If an exam question seems buggy or ambiguous, instruct students to do their best to answer, and use the “Report issue about this question” button in PrairieLearn to notify the instructors directly.
  6. Workstation malfunctions:
    1. Have the student log out (if possible)
    2. Assign the student to a different station, and have them log in to continue their exam. (We schedule so that there are 3-4 free stations in the room.) Any answers they had either “saved” or “saved & graded” will be preserved when they restart.
    3. This usually takes several minutes, typically 3 to 5 minutes. Note the duration of the interruption, and manually adjust that student’s exam end time on the Sessions page by that many minutes so that they get back their missed time. (For example, if their exam end time was originally 14:02 and the interruption lasted about 4 minutes, edit that student’s end time to 14:06.)
    4. Report the malfunction and workstation number on Slack.
  7. Other trouble? Post to Slack.

Between sessions

Between sessions, ➡️➡️➡️rotate the color of the scratch paper in the tray at the proctor’s check-in station. Your choice of color!

Student check-out

  1. When a student’s time is up, their exam will close.
  2. Students may choose to finish their exam and leave before their time is up. Click the “End exam” for early finishers as they leave.
  3. Collect from all exiting students…
    1. Scratch paper
    2. Pencils
    3. Earmuffs

Closing the CBTF

  1. Return supplies to the locking cabinet…
    1. Monitor partitions
    2. Earmuffs
    3. Scratch paper & tray
    4. Pencils
  2. …and lock the cabinet.
  3. Close and secure windows.
  4. The room key should have been returned to the lock box when the room was opened; if this was forgotten, then return the key to the lockbox now.
  5. Turn off room lights
  6. Lock and close the door
  7. …and don’t forget to:
    1. ➡️➡️➡️Clock out from Sling
    2. Clock out from CalTime