DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

GRADING AND PROCTORING EXAMS

 

Part of the TA assignment is assisting the course instructor in grading and proctoring exams.  As in all aspects of your TA assignment, the highest standards of professionalism are expected, but it is especially important in the testing process.  We try to guide you with as much information as possible, but you will be required to exercise judgment, and we trust you to do this.  These instructions are primarily directed to the large lecture series courses, and some variations occur for smaller courses.  Exams in a particular course are held simultaneously in different rooms in different buildings during special evening sessions.  Grading must be completed in a timely fashion.  The instructor expects to return midterm exams no later than one week from the exam date.  Final grades must be turned in on the Monday following finals week.

 

PROCTORING EXAMS:

  1. Your role is to ensure that the exam proceeds according to university procedures and that all students are given equal access to information.  You also act as a conduit for communication between student and class instructor.
  2. Make sure you have learned from your instructor all pertinent information that the students have been given about the exam.  Instructors assign students to exam rooms (usually alpha-order) in the week prior to the exam, and will inform students about information that is allowed in the exam.  Calculators of a certain type may be allowed, or not.  An equation sheet may be provided on the exam, or a student-supplied formula sheet.
  3. Arrive at least 45 minutes (or more at instructor's discretion) before the test to meet the instructor who will go over the test, assign you to rooms, and give last-minute instructions.  The instructor may wish to be in cell-phone communication with you.
  4. Before the exam, pass out exam blanks and formula sheets so that students can fill in information before the exam start time.  This includes writing name and ID on the front bubble sheet (if used) and filling in the appropriate bubbles.  Prompt students to do this.  About 3 minutes before the scheduled time to start, call for silence, distribute the test as quickly as possible, and start the exam on time.
  5. Circulate during the exam, watching carefully for students who may be copying from someone else, or otherwise disobeying rules.  Do not sit and read or work, or be obviously disengaged.  Do not carry on a conversation with your fellow proctor.  No matter how quiet you try to be, you will disturb the students, and you will be distracted from your duties.  The course instructor may circulate from room to room to find out if all is going smoothly, and/or may be reachable by cell phone. 
  6. Never leave the room unattended under any circumstances, unless following emergency procedures for fire, earthquake or power outage, in which case the room must be evacuated and the exam is then aborted.
  7. Students may request clarification or ask specific questions.  In general, it is OK to clarify language or usage: "Yes, the word Ôincident' means arriving from", but not to explain further: "The Ôincident' ray refers to the one that belongs to this angle in this formula".  Any information you supply must, in principle, be given to all students taking the exam.  You may discover that some information is missing (or you think it is).  If you suspect this, or suspect an error on the test, have one TA call the instructor immediately, and advise the student to go on to the next problem until you locate the instructor to discuss the matter.  We hope such incidences will be rare, and largely dealt with before the exam when you go over it with the instructor.
  8. Students may ask for permission to leave to use the restroom.  In general, grant permission, but make a note of the student's name and note how long he or she is gone.  Restroom breaks have been a source of cheating in the past.
  9. Count the number of students in the room once the exam is underway. Check with your co-proctor that you agree.  Double check if you are alone.
  10. The exam must end on time.  This is to ensure equal treatment of the students, and also because there may well be an exam following yours and that exam must begin on time.
  11. When a student leaves, take the answer sheet from the student, check the student's OSU ID number on his or card against the number on the exam and check for a likeness with the photograph.  If these don't match, ask the student to remain until the course instructor arrives.  A student may leave without consulting you.  Try to catch the student and ask for a name and ID number.  If the information is refused, simply note the incident for the instructor.
  12. Count the turned-in exams to be sure they match the number of students.  Losing an exam is completely unacceptable.
  13. If you suspect a student of cheating, you should call the instructor immediately, but in some cases you may have to confront the student yourself.  Be polite and professional, and ask the student to remain until the instructor arrives.  Report incidences immediately.

Common sources of cheating:

A student has another student take the exam for him or her (hence the ID check).

A student copies from another, usually with the cooperation of the student who is being copied from.  Both students are in violation of the rules.

Students deliberately or inadvertently see another's multiple choice answers while waiting in the line to check ID, and alter their own answers.  For this reason, multiple versions of the exam are often given in large-format classes.

A cheat sheet or worked problem has been left in the bathroom or outside somewhere, and a student uses a bathroom break to find the answer.

A student uses a bathroom break to call a friend on a cell phone.

Students in the exam communicate by email or instant messaging with an outside person or with each other during the exam (hence the need to circulate, and closely monitor calculator use).  Cell phones are expressly forbidden, even for use as a clock. 

A student alters exams after grading and return exams for a regrade (hence the need for careful grading procedures – see below).

Worked problems are left on the floor before the exams, and look like trash.  Make sure the room has been cleared beforehand.

 

GRADING EXAMS:

  1. Exams are graded in Weniger 330 and nowhere else.
  2. The instructor assigns responsibility for grading particular problems to a TA or group of TAs.  The grading may begin in joint session right after the exam, or you may grade in non-class times in the following days.
  3. Exams must be locked in the cabinet in Weniger 330 if you are not in the room.  If you are grading the same exam with another TA, you may turn over responsibility for the exams to that TA when you leave, but you must say so formally.  If another TA is in the room but grading another exam, you may not assign that TA responsibilities for your exams, even for a short time.
  4. Weniger 330 may never be left unlocked when there is no one in it, even if the exams are locked in the cabinet.  Lock the door if you leave even for the briefest period.
  5. No undergraduate students are allowed in Weniger 330 at any time for any reason.
  6. Grade the problem you have been assigned carefully, according to the procedure you and the instructor have agreed upon.  Consistency is important and often difficult to achieve.  Read a fair number of exams before you begin grading in earnest. 
  7. Grade in red ink.  There should be a supply of red pens in WGR 330.  If not, replenish the supply from the main office.
  8. Put an "X" through, not next to, incorrect answers.  Indicate where an error occurred if you assign less than full credit.  Extensive comments are not necessary, but a word or two helps the student, and also helps the instructor during the regrade process.  Discuss the issue of providing feedback to students with the course instructor.
  9. Write legibly and never insult the student or write disparaging comments.  A smiley face next to a disparaging comment does not make it less disparaging. 
  10. Record partial credit on the work, and record the total score on the problem page and make sure it is clear what the total score is.  This is the only record the students has.  Record the total score on the bubble sheet on front of the exam.  Write the score, and bubble it in using 2H pencil.  Double check.  These bubble sheets are scanned and the grades recorded this way.  (If a final exam is late in the week, the bubble sheet will not be used because the university cannot process it in time.  In this case, your instructor will have an alternative plan.)
  11. Put a red line through unused space on an exam, including backs of pages.  A common cheating mode is for students to write on the exam after grading and claim the TA missed the work.  A red line indicates you have looked at the page and not seen anything on it.  If just a small space has been used, draw a boundary around the used space, and put a line through the unused space.  This does not completely eradicate the problem, but at least lessens it.  Discuss with your instructor the extent to which this policy should be enforced.  Consistency among the graders is essential.
  12. If you are the last person to grade the problems, please double check to see that all problems have been graded and entered on the front cover sheet.  If some questions have been left ungraded, please notify the TA who is responsible for the particular question and have them finish grading these exams, or notify the instructor.
  13. Return the answer key to the instructor, who has to deal with regrade requests.
  14. Students may ask you whether a regrade of a particular question is warranted.  You may advise the students, but written requests for regrades must be submitted to the instructor, who has sole authority to change grades after the initial grades have been assigned.

Other notes:

Some fraction of the tests (randomly chosen) are copied by the office staff.  This helps cut down on incidences of cheating.

The instructor must have the bubble sheets scanned, receive the number grades, decide on letter grades, and, in the case of the final, process the entire term's grades, so there is still much work to do after you have graded the exams.  Please work as fast as possible.

 

Thank you for helping!