DSS Remote Testing Procedure for Faculty
If faculty cannot accommodate their DSS student, DSS will assist by proctoring exams via Zoom for DSS students who take them online (fully online or hybrid classes). The following procedure will allow us to accommodate DSS students in need of extra test time in a manner as close to our typical in-person procedure as possible.
- DSS staff will host one open Zoom session to proctor exams for any DSS students who have the accommodation of extra time during the following business hours: Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- There will be always one to three DSS staff members in the Zoom session, and we will be watching the students in the session as much as possible. The Zoom session will be open to any DSS student who has made a DSS appointment to test, so they will be able to see other DSS students in the session. The host (DSS) will keep all participants on mute to avoid distractions. If communication with a specific student is necessary, it will be through private Zoom chat only.
- To initiate proctoring, DSS students will need to request their accommodations through the Charger Access Student Portal so that the accommodation letter is emailed to notify their professors. If a student is requesting extra test time from you, please send your student an email with the link to the DSS Remote Testing Procedure for Students. The webpage explains the remote testing procedure for students and expectations.
- Once the student initiates a request to their professor for approved extra test time via their accommodation letter, the professor should email the student with the link to the DSS Remote Testing Process for Students webpage (mentioned above). The student will follow the procedure, starting with sending an email to the DSS test inbox at dss-testing@cypresscollege.edu to schedule a test appointment. The appointment request must be made at least three (3) business days in advance. The student is required to cc the professor on the email so the professor can acknowledge the appointment and prepare their test (including the next item below), and reply with necessary student and/or DSS instructions (i.e. materials allowed or not allowed). DSS will email the exam session Zoom link to the student the evening before their exam.
- DSS requires the following of faculty:
- All exams must be preloaded in Canvas prior to the exam appointment.
- The student’s time is extended in Canvas prior to the start of the exam to meet their accommodation.
- The professor is flexible with letting the student take their exams and quizzes during DSS proctoring hours, even if it is not the same as the class.
- This will allow the student to start and end the exam within the appropriate time limits and DSS business hours. Unfortunately, we cannot receive exam copies to distribute to students or monitor every student’s individual time, since we are using a group Zoom setting to accommodate several students at once.
- We ask that faculty please understand we do our best to follow instructions set by the professor. Unfortunately, we may not be able to meet all extraordinary requests as we must accommodate several students at one time. As such, please make the instructions and exam requirements as simple as possible for the students and our DSS staff.
**NOTE: If you use an online proctoring program to administer exams, please do not ask DSS to proctor your exam. The online program monitors your students, and therefore, DSS is not needed.
Thank you for your patience while we continue to provide our new remote testing procedure, and feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you to accommodate your DSS students in this virtual environment.
DSS Staff