Information for Faculty

The e-Testing Lab is now available to all Penn State instructors for computer-based classroom testing. No paper exams are given here. Use our web submittable form to set up your exam online. Check our electronic calendar for available dates and times. We'll verify availability and let you know if there is a conflict. Email us at etest@psu.edu with any questions or concerns you may have about scheduling.

Frequently Asked Questions from faculty

• Testing hours
  • Fall - Spring Testing Hours
    • Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
  • Summer Testing Hours
    • Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• ITS Lab hours
  • Monday through Thursday, 10:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m.
  • Friday, 10:00 p.m. through the weekend until 7:00 a.m. Monday
• Software-specific issues
  • ANGEL users
  • TestPilot users
• Testing Center use, Spring 2008, by week, day, and hour
• Testing Center use, Fall 2008, by week, day, and hour

• You are strongly encouraged to provide paper back-up of your exam for at least one testing period. There may be instances where technical problems, power outages, or other unforeseen situations, interrupt testing. In these cases, we will move the students to your provided paper copies of the exam. If there are no paper copies, the exam must be rescheduled.
• Your exam must be created and ready to administer at least seventy-two hours before it is scheduled to be administered. The Testing Center is not responsible for creating your exam.
• Instructors are responsible for informing students and Testing Center staff about resources that are allowed for the exam. Examples include calculators, books, notes, headphones, or scrap paper and pencils.
  • If scrap paper usage is allowed for your exam, you must provide it to us far enough in advance of the exam to allow Testing Center staff to print bar-codes, which will enable our new scrap paper tracking system. The paper may be plain or colored copy paper. Tablets of paper are not allowed.
    All scrap paper is collected upon exit. With our new tracking system, students cannot swipe out without scanning their assigned sheet. If instructors wish to review any scrap and/or data sheets, please let us know in advance, as the bar-codes are verified at the end of the day and the paper is recycled.
  • If your students are allowed the use of calculators, please specify the type allowed and remind them to bring their own.
• Exam questions and answers can be edited up to twenty-four hours prior to administration.
• If we have evidence that a students has cheated, we will record it and provide the instructor with the evidence.

Scheduling
To schedule an exam in the Testing Center, you will need to provide the following information:

• Instructor's name and phone number
• Emergency contact number. You or someone you designate must be available during the testing period.
• Course name and section numbers
• Dates and times you wish to offer the exam
• Approximate number of students taking the exam
• Length of the exam in minutes
• Testing engine: ANGEL or TestPilot
• Materials students are allowed to use during the exam

• We recommend that you submit your scheduling requests prior to the beginning of the semester. Requests will be honored on a first come, first served basis.
• Although the scheduling program will automatically send email to students informing them of their exam schedule, the instructor should also inform students of when and where to take the exam.
• In the event of a technology failure, you are strongly encouraged to provide paper back-up of your exam for at least one testing period.
  Note: For some exams using advanced item types, a paper back-up is not possible.
• If no back-up is provided, the instructor will need to reschedule the exam for the class unless he/she has provided another alternative.

• The scheduling system will allow you to select a timeframe for each scheduled exam. This may be a few hours or several days. (e.g. Wednesday, May 16 at 8:00 a.m. until Friday, May 18 at 5:00 p.m.).
• The scheduling system will automatically reserve a number of workstations in the e-Testing Lab for your students based on your course’s enrollment and the timeframe you selected to give the exam.
• An email will be sent to your students reminding them to schedule a time to take their exam. It is recommended that you also announce the need to schedule in class.
• In the event of a technology failure, you are strongly encouraged to provide paper back-up of your exam for at least one testing period.
  Note: For some exams using advanced item types, a paper back-up is not possible.
• If no back-up is provided, the students will need to reschedule the exam unless he/she has provided another alternative.

Finals
Finals will be scheduled through the University Registrar. Please request a final through your department and let them know you wish to use the Testing Center for your final.

Accommodations for students with disabilities
Any student who requests accommodations to an exam procedure must make the request through the Office for Disability Services. That office will contact you and work with you (and the facility) to provide the necessary accommodations. The Testing Center can accommodate students requiring wheelchair access, height adjustable stations, large screens, quiet environments, and extra time. All other accommodations will be offered through the Office for Disability Services.