Undergraduate Testing

Purpose

Establishes criteria for didactic content testing.

Scope

This policy applies to undergraduate students and faculty.

Policy

Testing processes have been established to ensure consistency in testing practices for didactic course content.

Exam Construction

1. Tests /exams are defined as 50 or more questions that evaluate the application of content from this course and previous coursework to patient situations. Nurse in Professional Practice I, II, & III, and Population Centered Care I are exempt from the exam requirements.
2. Each didactic course will give a minimum of 2 tests/exams
   1. Sem 1 & 2: to contain a minimum of 50 items on exams and 75 items on a final,
      Sem 3 & 4: to contain a minimum of 60 items on exams and 85 items on a final.
3. Category tags shall be entered in the exam software so that student strengths and opportunities reports can be generated.

Exam Delivery

The University of Nebraska College of Nursing prepares students in a similar testing environment and style as the current licensure testing (NCLEX). Exams are computer based with no backward navigation enabled. This is a strategy for student success.

1. Unit and final exams are proctored and administered in a secure environment.
2. Unit and final exams will be given using the UNMC specified exam/evaluation software. Quizzes (e.g., iRAT, gRAT, med math) are exempt from this requirement.
3. Exams will be taken on either a student’s device, a UNMC College of Nursing issued device, or at a campus testing site. For students testing on their own device, students must download and register their testing device within the UNMC specified exam/evaluation software. If there are difficulties in downloading the software, students are expected to work with technical support from the company to resolve issues prior to taking exams.
   1. Students who are not able to take the exam as scheduled are expected to notify the course coordinator as soon as possible prior to the scheduled start time for the exam.
   2. Exams start on time and students are expected to be present.
      1. Students who arrive more than 5 minutes late will need to work with the course faculty to either reschedule or complete the exam.
      2. Students who begin the exam after the start time will need to complete the exam at the same time as the rest of the class who began on time, unless otherwise determined by the course faculty.
   3. If students experience an urgent issue (e.g., technical issues or illness) during the exam, they are required to notify the exam proctor immediately.
   4. Students who are unable to complete the exam once started will be required to make-up/retake the exam and may be given an alternate format exam.
   5. Students can leave the exam room during the exam only with proctor permission.
   6. Students are required to upload their exam file upon completing the exam and prior to leaving the exam room. Exams not uploaded may receive a zero for that exam.
   7. Incorrect exam responses are shared with students via the review option in the exam/evaluation software immediately following the exam.
   8. If a passing score is not achieved, students will be required to meet with course faculty to review incorrect exam responses.
   9. Students have the right to seek clarification about exam items and must contact faculty within 72 hours after the completion of the exam.
4. Make-up exams will be scheduled at the discretion of the course coordinator and will follow the guidelines published in the course syllabus.
   1. An alternate exam format may include essay, short answer, and multiple choice. The test/exam shall be worth the same number of points as the original.
   2. The date and time for a make-up exam will be determined by the course coordinator/instructor. See CON Policy 5.2.18 in related documents.
5. Students are only allowed items needed for testing at their computer. See Students section below for specific examples. Faculty reserve the right to inspect any items that are at the testing location with the student.
   1. Needed testing items will be provided by CON personnel.
      1. Scratch paper provided by the proctor and used during the exam is not an official document and will not be considered in determining a student’s exam grade. Proctors will collect all scratch paper and dispose of appropriately.
      2. Unit and final exams and exam questions are to remain in the testing environment.
   2. Device attachments (i.e., chargers) can be used only for the sole purpose of completing the exam.
   3. No excessive attire is allowed during testing. Students must submit a written request for an attire exception to the assistant dean on the student’s division. Written documentation of the approved exception must be shared by the student with CON personnel as needed.

Accommodations

1. Students are required to adhere to the Accommodation Policy (ADA Policy) that is listed in the UNMC Student Policies and Procedures (see policy in related documents).
2. Students with accommodations must present their letter of accommodations from the UNMC Accessibility Services Office to the course coordinator at least one week prior to any exam for which accommodations are requested. Once the letter has been provided to the coordinator, the accommodations will remain in effect for the length of time specified in the letter or until the student in writing indicates the accommodations are no longer needed.
3. Accommodated students are expected to comply with timely arrival at the location for testing identified by the course coordinator.
4. Faculty will prepare accommodation materials and resources as specified in student letter.

Students

Pre-exam

1. Students are expected to download the exam prior to arriving in the testing room so the test can begin on time. Students unable to resolve technical issues shall let the course coordinator know well in advance of the scheduled exam time so that a CON issued computer may be made available to the student for the exam.
2. Students shall bring a fully charged device and the charger to the exam.
3. Students will not be able to access the exam until provided the password by exam proctors. If students discover technical difficulties after the exam has been downloaded, students shall notify the proctor immediately.
4. Students shall arrive with sufficient time to stow personal belongings and be in the seat ready to begin at the designated start time.
   1. No study notes shall be accessible in the exam room.
   2. Student phones and smart watches are in off mode and stowed with other personal items.
   3. Personal calculators including cell phone calculators are not allowed.
   4. Winter wear, scarfs, hats, and visors removed, and hoodie head wear removed and stowed with other personal items.
   5. Personal items such as tissues, water, and cough drops are at the discretion of the proctor.
   6. Students can use personal noise-cancelling earplugs/headphones. No devices with Bluetooth capability or attached cords are allowed.
   7. No gadgets or electronic devices are allowed during testing unless specifically included in an accommodations letter.

Exam

Students will be provided a pencil, scratch paper, and calculator, if needed, during testing.

Faculty/Proctors

Accommodations

Faculty will work with On-line Testing Coordinator and any other personnel needed to facilitate testing accommodations for students (e.g., low distraction room, additional testing time).

1. On campuses that use affiliated university testing services, complete the accommodated testing form.
2. Students testing via a paper copy will use a specified excel form to record exam answers. Once the exam is completed, the student will transfer the exam answers to the exam software, or the excel form data will be uploaded into the exam software by College of Nursing personnel. Transferring of the exam answers is not included in the allotted exam time.

Exam Construction

1. Faculty will create a faculty exam blueprint for each exam per course that includes the number and types of questions per concept, exemplar and level of assessment using Blooms Taxonomy.
2. Faculty will create a student exam blueprint indicating the concepts and number of questions per concept to be shared with students at least one week before the exam.
3. Exam questions shall be peer reviewed for content applicability, spelling and grammatical errors, and appropriate distractors/responses.
4. For each exam item a rationale shall be provided.
5. Exam questions shall be retired after 5 years of use or if exam statistics analysis does not support continued use of the question.
6. All questions shall mirror NCLEX style questions (e.g., no true/false, negative worded questions, avoid always/never responses).
7. Randomized responses and/or question order are encouraged.
8. Questions shall not include “slang”, prejudicial statements, biases, or stereotyping.
9. Faculty may include up to 10 comprehensive test questions per unit exam that tests content from earlier portions of the course and/or prerequisite and coursework relevant to the course content.

Pre-Exam

1. Faculty shall determine proctors for main testing room and any accommodation testing rooms.
2. Exams shall be available for posting one business day prior to the scheduled exam time so students can download the exam prior to the testing time.
3. Course Coordinator will provide proctor with exam details including the password and universal resume code in case of technical issues.
4. Arrange for any needed supplies during the exam (e.g., calculators, scratch paper, writing utensils, UNMC devices for testing).
5. Proctors shall enforce restrictions on items in the testing room. (See student section for examples.)

Exam

1. Proctors will respond to technical issues but will not answer questions related to exam content.
2. There shall be more than one proctor in the main testing room or an alternate support person available on campus.
3. Faculty shall verify the number of students taking the exam in all testing sites.
4. Proctors shall check for exam submission via confirmation screen prior to student leaving the testing site.
5. For ATI proctored exams, faculty must follow ATI requirements.

Post-exam

1. Course Coordinator/ Faculty will review the exam statistics, determine any scoring adjustments needed, and make any adjustments to the exam in the exam/evaluation software.
2. Course Coordinator shall push adjusted grades to the learning management system from the exam/evaluation software.