Disability Service

Exam Arrangements

  • Exam arrangements are entered onto Websurf by the Disability Service on behalf of students registered with the service.  
  • All specific exam arrangements must be approved by Clerk of Senate 

Temporary Disabilities

For students with a temporary disability, departments are responsible for putting exam arrangements in place and organising separate accommodation, if necessary. This must also be approved by Clerk of Senate g.caie@admin.gla.ac.uk

 Registry Deadlines for Exam Arrangements

Procedure for use of separate accommodation in an examination


  • Registry organises separate rooms and sends out a list to departments of students who need exam arrangements before each exam diet.
  • Registry delivers the papers to the separate exam rooms to be received by the invigilator. 
  • The Academic Department is responsible for organising invigilators.
  • Calendar regulations 24.10 state the necessity for a separate invigilator “ An arrangement to provide separate accommodation to sit an examination may be required to meet the needs of a range of students with a disability, but is most usually required when the use of a scribe or a reader is recommended. The presence of a separate Invigilator is always required in these circumstances.”

Use of a Computer in an Examination

Calendar Regulations 24.18 Where the Clerk of Senate has given permission for a student to use a computer in an examination the Departmental Disability Coordinator shall ensure that the current guidelines are followed. The guidelines for the use of computers by students in examinations are under review. Revised guidelines will be available in due course.

Computer Cluster for Exams 

Room 735 in the Library is set up with 12 standalone machines i.e. no network connection, with software consisting of the operating system and MS Office.  A separate machine provided with a local printer and material for printing is transferred via pen drives supplied by the cluster manager John Buchanan J.Buchanan@compserv.gla.ac.uk
Map to the exam computer cluster

CALENDAR REGULATIONS  http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/senateoffice/calendar/calendar2010-11/

XXIV EXAMINATION AND OTHER ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Procedure
24.1 A student with a disability or specific learning difficulty should contact the University's Disability Service at the earliest opportunity to allow adequate time for appropriate arrangements to be made. Supporting evidence should be brought to the interview with the Disability Adviser.
24.2 Students with a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, should provide the Disability Service with recent professional evidence which includes recommendations for support in examinations. The assessment report should normally be dated not more than three years prior to entry onto the course. The dyslexia assessment should have been conducted by a Chartered Educational Psychologist accredited by the British Psychological Society. If the report is considered not fit for purpose, the University will require the student to be re-assessed. Arrangements can be made with the Disability Service for students to have an updated re-assessment carried out.
24.3 It is the responsibility of the Clerk of Senate to approve all examination or assessment arrangements for students with disabilities, both temporary and permanent. In the absence of the Clerk of Senate this responsibil¬ity is delegated to the Director of the Senate Office. The approval will normally remain valid for the student's graduating curriculum, provided the circum¬stances remain broadly similar. If there is a significant change in the student's circumstances, or in the arrangements needed, fresh evidence and new approval is required.
24.4 Following the Clerk of Senate's approval the necessary information will be entered in the WebSURF student record system. This will trigger an electronic email alert to the Exams section of Registry as well as the student’s Adviser of  Studies and the Disability Co-ordinators within his/her academic School. http://www.gla.ac.uk/disability/contactinformation/dcs/

It is the responsibility of Disability Coordinators to ensure that the approved examination or assessment arrangements are made at School level, including any invigilation, accom¬modation or equipment requirements. Disability Coordinators must also ensure that all relevant internal and external examiners are informed. The Disability Service and the Registry can be consulted should any enquiries arise.
24.5 Before each examination diet the Registry will extract from the student record system a list of all current disabled students for whom examination arrangements have been agreed and this list will be sent to Schools.
Disability Coordinators will also be sent a list of students taking courses in their Schools for whom arrangements have been approved. (This list will normally accompany the final version of the timetable for each diet of examinations.)
24.6 In cases of temporary disability the Clerk of Senate should be notified by the Head of School as soon as he or she becomes aware of the problem. All arrangements for students with temporary disabilities must be approved by the Clerk of Senate. The remit of the Disability Service does not extend to students with a temporary disability.
Range of Provisions
24.7 Examples of examination arrangements include:
extra time
separate accommodation
use of a scribe
use of a reader
use of equipment or materials
Each of these is described in the paragraphs below.
Extra time to sit an examination
24.8 Depending on the student's disability and any recommendations made by an assessor, the student may be granted extra time to sit an examination. This is likely to be fifteen minutes extra in each hour. The extra time granted will in most cases be before the start of the examination or, failing which, after the end of the examination. In the case of some disabled students, it may be necessary to grant rest breaks for the candidate at intervals during the course of the examination.
24.9 Heads of School and Invigilators should ensure that students granted extra time experience as little disruption as possible as a result of the arrival or departure of other candidates.
Separate accommodation to sit an examination
24.10 An arrangement to provide separate accommodation to sit an examination may be required to meet the needs of a range of students with a disability, but is most usually required when the use of a scribe or a reader is recommended. The presence of a separate Invigilator is always required in these circumstances.
Use of a scribe
24.11 A scribe may be employed when recommended in a needs assessment by the Disability Service. A student who requires a scribe for a temporary disability should seek advice from their School in the first instance.
24.12 Selection of a scribe. School staff (not the student) are responsible for the selection of a scribe who:
is familiar with the subject(s) concerned;
has no personal interest in the success of the candidate;
is not a relative of the candidate;
is not a teacher who is involved in the candidate's study of the subject;
is not a student taking the same course as the candidate;
is of good hearing;
has clearly legible handwriting;
is a person acceptable to the candidate;
should be selected in good time prior to any examination.
The Disability Service can be consulted if there are difficulties with the recruitment of a suitable scribe.

24.13 Duties of a scribe
The scribe's duty is to transcribe only what is dictated or written by the candidate;
The scribe may exercise discretion regarding spelling, punctuation etc;
Except with the agreement of the Disability Coordinator or when specifi¬cally employed as both scribe and reader, the scribe may not read the question paper rubrics or the questions to the candidate;
The scribe may read back the candidate's responses to the candidate, as requested;
The scribe should converse with the candidate only insofar as this is necessary to clarify his or her instructions;
If it is deemed necessary, the scribe may be instructed by the candidate to draw maps, diagrams, graphs, etc., but in such instances, the scribe should do no more than follow the student's explicit instructions;
Generally speaking, the aim of the scribe is to ensure that the candidate is not disadvantaged by his or her disability or condition, while getting no unfair assistance. http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/disability/informationforstaff/informationaboutexamarrangements/

 
24.14 Practice with the candidate
It is advisable for the scribe and the candidate to have the opportunity to practise answering a question paper under examination conditions.
Scribes should be selected sufficiently far in advance of the examination to allow for such practice.
24.16 Change in intention to use a scribe
If permission to use a scribe has been granted, but the student does not use the scribe, the student should be referred back to the Disability Service for a review of exam arrangements before the next diet of exams.
Use of a reader
24.17 In some circumstances, a reader may be employed in place of a scribe or as well as a scribe, and in such circumstances similar arrangements to those above will apply.
Use of a computer in an examination
24.18 Where the Clerk of Senate has given permission for a student to use a computer in an examination, the Disability Coordinator shall ensure that invigilation is arranged. A computer cluster is available for use in examination diets in room 735 in the Library. Printing facilities are also provided via pen drives supplied by the cluster manager. At present Schools may also make local arrangements to facilitate a student’s use of a computer.
Anonymous Marking of Scripts
24.19 The overriding principle is fairness to all candidates. This requires that, as far as possible, a uniform and consistent approach be adopted in the marking of anonymous scripts in credit-bearing examinations.
24.20 The script books used by disabled students for whom examination arrange¬ments have been approved should not be identifiable in any way. (Sometimes, though, as when the use of a word-processor has been approved, breaking of anonymity may be unavoidable.) Coloured paper will not be approved for use in script books; coloured overlays should be used instead, if required. Question papers may, however, be printed on coloured paper.
24.21 Appropriate information about a candidate's disability will be made known to and taken proper account of at, and only at, the meeting of the relevant Board of Examiners.
24.22 If, for any reason, a candidate is not provided with the approved arrangements (e.g. extra time) the Invigilator should report the circumstances to the Head of School concerned who will inform the relevant Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners will determine the appropriate compen¬sation.