USU Testing Center opens doors
The testing center is attached to the Merrill-Cazier Library, but has a separate entrance that’s just south of the library’s entrance.
The Distance Education building has always had its own testing center for distance education and online students, but this center is available to all students.
The testing center will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Students will be required to go online to testing.usu.edu to schedule an appointment prior to the exam. Professors will be asked to give students two to three days to take the exam to ensure students have time to fit it into their schedules.
Laptops, pencils, calculators and other materials will be provided, depending on what professors feel is appropriate for their exams. When students check out a laptop from the testing center, they have the option of listening to certain radio stations with headphones, also provided by the testing center.
The testing center will save money for students because they will no longer have to buy scantrons for exams. The proctors will provide laptops and paper, depending on if the exam is online or not. The exam room holds about 200 students, and there are couches outside the exam room where students can study and charge electronic devices.
Chris Dayler, the manager of the testing center said “we want to create a more comfortable, less intimidating environment for students to take exams.”
The center will include two smaller rooms within the large exam room for students who need special accommodations to take their exams.
“We expect that the testing center will significantly eliminate cheating,” Dayler said.
There will be two to three proctors monitoring computer screens at all times to ensure students using computers are not using unapproved websites to cheat. There are also fourteen cameras throughout the testing center, which will be monitored by proctors at all times. In addition, a proctor will walk around every 15 minutes as an extra precaution.
“I think it’s much easier for students to cheat when they are in large lecture halls,” said Mitch Hamblin, a testing center proctor. “When students know they are being monitored, I think it is unlikely they will still try and cheat.”
The testing center and the resources it included costed about $1.5 million, Dayler said.
“I think when you help students succeed on their own, it’s worth the money,” said Jacie Rex, a senior at USU and a USUSA senator.
While professors are encouraged to use the testing center, they don’t have to.
“We expect that online students will use this center the most, but behind them, we expect professors who teach general classes in large lecture halls will use the center a lot as well,” said Shari Christopherson, a senior at USU and testing center proctor.
The center will also benefit professors because it gives them the option of using the days that would have been spent taking the test to continue to lecture. However, they may also choose to give students the days off to either study or take the test.
“I think this will definitely benefit the student body because it’s important that students are able to learn and be tested without the possibility of cheating,” said Jace Goodwin, a junior at USU.
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