Texas A&M-San Antonio Testing Center offers proctoring services for make-up exams and large group exams for Faculty that are teaching an A&M-SA online, hybrid, and/or flex course.
Faculty will need to submit all exam requests through the RegisterBlast professor portal available in Blackboard.
The Professor Exam Portal is linked to our scheduling system and will allow faculty to receive faster approval of exams and immediate access to live student scheduling data. Please review the Professor Exam Portal Reference Guide for instructions on how to submit exams. All requests must be made 3 business days prior to the first testing date.
Before submitting an exam, please have ready the following information:
Large Group Exams: For faculty that have more than 10 students needing to take the same exam for the same class.
- Class Roster or list of students that are authorized to take the exam
- Exam details - length and dates
- Authorized materials
- Exam - for paper based*
- Program and Password information - computer based exams*
- Any additional information or special instructions
*Please note, the exam itself can be submitted later, but must be received at least 48 hours prior to the first available exam date.
Make-Up Exams: For faculty that have 1 to 10 students that need to take the same exam for the same class, due to missing the exam in class.
- Name of students taking the exam, only these students will be able to register for the exam (please spell their first and last name correctly)
- Exam details - length and dates
- Authorized materials
- Exam - paper based
- Password - computer based exams
- Any additional or special instructions
Please note, we do not allow students to download software onto our computers or bring outside computers or electronics of any kind into the testing rooms. If you have specialized software the student will need access to for his or her exam, please contact us at least 48 hours prior to the exams opening date with information about the required software and/or testing platform needed.
Faculty FAQs for Proctoring Services
1. Who can use the Testing Center for proctored exams?
Any Texas A&M-San Antonio faculty member teaching an online, hybrid, and/or flex A&M-SA course can use the Testing Center to proctor classroom exams. Any faculty member can use the Testing Center to proctor a make-up exam. Please note that during peak periods not all requests will be able to be accommodated.
Non-A&M-SA faculty may also utilize the A&M-SA Testing Center to proctor make-up exams; however, their students will be required to pay an administration fee.
2. How do I request exams to be proctored?
A&M-SA faculty must submit through RegisterBlast directly. Instructions on this process can be found in the Professor Exam Portal Reference Guide. This allows exam submissions and all documents to be upload for each large group exam and/or make-up exam.
3. How do I access the Professor Exam Portal?
Faculty will need to login to Blackboard and select their course. Under the tools link, click on RegisterBlast.
4. Is there a deadline to submit exam requests?
To allow students to register for exams in timely manner, the Testing Center asks that each exam request be submitted at least 3 business days prior to the exams opening day. This will allow time to update the online registration system and prevent delays in students scheduling their exams.
5. How do students schedule course exams?
Students will schedule through RegisterBlast, this link is available in their course's tools link on the left hand menu.
6. What are times and dates available to students to take exams?
The normal testing times and dates for testing, with the exception of Holidays and special campus events, are Mondays through Thursday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM; Fridays 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturdays 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM. The Testing Center's operation hours do change depending on staff availability and campus operations. Please contact the Testing Center to verify exam hours or visit our website's home page at www.tamusa.edu/testing-center.
7. How do I make changes to previously submitted exams?
Email all exam changes to testing.center@tamusa.edu.
8. What if a student missed an exam? How do I provide an extension?
If the student scheduled and missed their appointment, faculty will need to resubmit their request. If the student did not schedule and missed the deadline date, faculty must send an e-mail to testing.center@tamusa.edu approving student to test after the testing window has closed. Please include the name of student, the name of the exam, and the date the exam should be extended to.
9. What testing formats can be used?
The Testing Center can proctored paper based and computer based exams. Faculty may utilize online tools such as Blackboard, RESPONDUS, Connect, etc. Students may not take exams via Examity in the Testing Center.
10. What measures are in place to ensure the security of tests and to deter academic dishonesty?
- Examinees must provide a valid photo identification to take an exam.
- All examinees are made aware of all policies and procedures, including specific instructions for their exam, prior to testing.
- Testing rooms are monitored through security cameras, computer software, and test proctors. The monitoring is done through the entire duration of the testing session to prevent exam irregularities.
- All test materials are kept secure in locked location that is only accessible by professional staff until test administration.
- The Testing Center utilizes computer monitoring software to deter and prevent academic dishonesty.
- If an irregularity occurs, a formal report is sent to the faculty e-mail with date, time, detailed description of incident and supporting documents, if applicable.
11. How can I assist the Testing Center in a seamless process?
- Provide all testing information and materials to the Testing Center well in advance of the testing session.
- Encourage students to register early for their exam.
- Encourage students to review and adhere to the Testing Center's policies and procedures prior to their testing session.
- Remind students of upcoming testing periods for exams scheduled through the Testing Center, this helps reduce the number of reschedules and no-shows.