Exam accommodations are only available to students who are registered with Accessibility Services and have documentation recommending the need for such accommodations. Students’ approved accommodations will be listed in the instructor letter (issued by Accessibility Services) that students are to provide to each instructor.
Accommodated exams: instructor guide
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Assessment and Exam Services
Building 255, Room 115
Nanaimo campus
AccommodatedExams@viu.ca 250-740-6276
Hours
Monday to Friday
8 am to 4 pm
Frequently asked exam questions
This depends on the student’s documentation, and may include:
- Extra Time: 50% extra time
- Scribe: software or a person to write or type answers as the student dictates
- Reader: software or a person to read exam out loud
- Computer: use of a word processor for longer answers (with or without spell check/grammar check)
- Room Alone: distraction-reduced environment
- Calculator: calculator use for all math-related courses
Exams can be written either in your department or at Assessment and Exam Services. You may be able to look after basic accommodations such as “extra time” yourself, if the student agrees. You can make these arrangements directly with the student. AES is also available to invigilate accommodated exams, but advance notice is needed.
Students must submit an exam request form (either electronically or by paper) for each exam written in Assessment and Exam Services. They require 1 weeks’ notice for midterms/quizzes. The deadline to submit requests for final exams is always 2 weeks before the first day of finals. If the student uses the online request system, you will receive an automatically-generated email in your VIU account, containing a link to the online form. Please click on the link, enter the exam information and submit the form. If a student uses a paper request form, please fill out the required details and give the form back to the student to return.
The student is responsible for generating the request, either online or by paper. The instructor is responsible for filling out the exam details.
It depends on the student’s approved accommodations, your thoughts regarding exam security, and what time the rest of the class starts the exam. You may be able to accommodate the student yourself. Please contact AccommodatedExams@viu.ca to discuss your situation. If necessary, they may be able to hire an invigilator to stay late.
We encourage students to submit requests early, so they don’t forget. If you’re not sure about the details, you can ignore the email for now. The system will automatically send you a new link 5 days before the exam date.
Please login to see your VIU Exam Accommodation Requests.
How to submit exams
- Email a digital copy of your exam to AccommodatedExams@viu.ca.
- Drop off a printed copy at the Accommodated Exam Centre (Building 255, Room 115).
- Send a printed copy via inter-office mail. Please allow extra time for campus mail delivery.
Accessibility
Check your student’s accommodation letter to see if they require exams compatible with text-to-speech software (e.g., Kurzweil). If so, please provide an accessible digital format (Word or tagged PDF). Scanned images or locked PDFs are not usable with assistive technology.
Return options include
- Instructor pick-up
- Inter-office or inter-campus mail
- Email return (available only outside peak periods)
Important
During the final exam period, we cannot scan and email exams due to high volume. Please select either “Instructor pick-up” or “Intercampus mail” when completing the exam return section of the request form.
Some Faculties may support exam return by sending a designated staff member to collect exams on instructors’ behalf. Check with your Dean or Chair to see if this option is available.
Contact the exam staff at AccommodatedExams@viu.ca for this or any other exam-related questions.
AES is certified by the National College Testing Association (NCTA) as an approved testing centre. Before an exam, invigilators lock any personal items not required for the exam (backpacks, purses, cell phones, electronics, etc.) in a cupboard. They may also ask students to show us the contents of pockets, hoods, or pencil cases. If a student is approved to use a computer as an accommodation, he/she uses an account that blocks internet. When a student has back-to-back courses, AES may slightly adjust an exam start time if the student's "extra time" accommodation would otherwise interfere with their next class. In these cases, maximum overlap with the class is maintained. If the student ends up finishing an exam before the rest of the class starts, the invigilators would have the student remain in our area with no access to phone/internet until the class exam start time