Please note that this document provides essential information regarding production of examination question papers, and should be distributed within your School to all academic and administrative staff involved in the examining process.
SUBMISSION DATES:
Schools are requested to submit examination question papers to Assessment as early as possible. Below are the latest dates for the submission of examination question papers for examinations to be held within the period 1st September 2008 to 31st June 2009.
Once received, examination question papers are centrally logged in order to link them to scheduled examination dates, and then forwarded to an external printing firm for production. Where there is failure to meet latest submission deadlines, Assessment cannot guarantee production of these papers, in which instance Schools will be asked to photocopy exam question papers and arrange for them to be delivered directly to exam halls.
Where it is necessary to substitute an exam question paper that has already been submitted to Assessment, the substituted paper can be accepted no later than one week in advance of the written examination. Where substituted examination question papers have already been printed, any additional printing costs will be charged to the School.
EXAMINATION SESSION: / LATEST SUBMISSION DATE:End of Semester I 2008/2009
End of Semester II 2008/2009 / 31st October 2008
31st March 2009
Examination Question Papers should be addressed to:
Simon Williams
Assessment
c/o Student Service Desk UCD Registry
Tierney Building.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE FOR
PRODUCTION OF EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPERS.
1) THREE ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS of each examination question paper should be delivered by hand or via Services staff directly to Simon Williams, Assessment, c/o Student Service Desk, UCD Registry,Tierney Building. A second copy is requested to facilitate scanning of past examination papers for our Website. The third copy will be archived in the Library. Please note that the examination question paper templates must be used or the paper will be returned.
2) Internal mail must NOT be used for delivery of examination question papers.
3) MCQ/Essay: An examination question paper that is submitted to Assessment which is a combination of essay and MCQ will be posted to the UCD website after the exams for access by students. If the MCQ component is to be withheld from publication, it must be submitted as a separate paper.
4) SIZE: All examination question papers should be A4 size and delivered to the Assessment and Logistics Unit in A4 envelopes.
5) CAMERA-READY COPY: Examination question papers must be submitted in camera-ready format. Questions should be printed on one side of the paper only (i.e. not back to back which can lead to problems with reproduction). Examination question papers submitted to the office creased, folded, amended by use of correction fluid, back to back or stapled will NOT be accepted. Schools will be contacted and asked to resubmit their examination question papers.
6) SUBSTITUTE EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPERS: All substitute papers must be labelled as such and should be used only in an emergency, with no less than one weeks advance notice. Assessment cannot take any responsibility for substitute examination question papers submitted without adequate indication of the paper as a substitute
7) All examination question papers submitted to Assessment should be accompanied by a cover letter giving listings of envelope contents.
8) SECURITY OF EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPERS: To ensure security of examination question papers at all times, the following procedures are recommended:
· Examination question papers should not be held on any of the School’s mainframe computers or on the Network server (except in the case of a folder to which only that user has access and which can be seen by no other user).
· Personal computers should be locked and physically secure. Password protected directories should be used. Alternatively, security can be assured by downloading the file from the hard disk to floppy disks or CDs and deleting information from the hard disk. Where floppy disks or CDs are used in this way, they must be kept in a securely locked cabinet. Special care should be taken when printing to a Network printer to ensure that the machine is currently on line.
· Draft examination question papers should not be faxed to an external examiner unless complete security can be guaranteed. Externs should be instructed not to fax back corrected drafts unless to a secure and attended fax machine.
9) Required Layout: The template for modular examination question papers is accessed via the following link http://www.ucd.ie/registry/assessment/info_staff.htm It shows the required layout containing information required by students and invigilators.
10) FORMAT OF EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPERS Examination Period: Note that for University purposes:
Modular “Semester I” exams are held at the end of semester one and “Semester II” exams are held at the end of semester two.
11) Modular Papers must include correct module codes and corresponding title. e.g. (1) ACC30050 Corporate Governance & labour law
(2) SPAN10050 Spanish Language 1b
NOTE:
Assessment cannot accept examination question papers without module code/title. Examination question papers cannot be sent to examination centres with incorrect information on the cover page as this creates confusion and leads to errors in the examination hall.
12) Numbering: Questions should be numbered consecutively, regardless of Section
e.g. Section A: Questions Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Section B: Questions Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Section C: Questions Nos. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
13) Pagination:
Each page should be numbered at the bottom of the page. Indicate the end of the examination question paper with “oOo” at the bottom centre of the last page.
14) Module co-ordinator: The module co-ordinator/nominated contact person in the school should be indicated by * after his/her name in the list of academic staff.
15) Exam duration: Please ensure that the duration of the examinations correspond to UCD regulations:
All modular examinations should be of 1 or 2 hours duration (with the exception of 10 credit modules which may be of 1,2 or 3 hours duration).This is critical to ensure there is minimal disruption to candidates from large groups of other candidates exiting the examination hall.
16) Notes to assist Invigilators: The following where applicable must be specified on the cover page:
“S1760 Sheets will be used for Multiple Choice Questionnaire” “Open Book Examination” ** etc. etc.
“A separate answer book should be used for each section”- where separate answer books are required, please indicate the exact number required to assist exam hall set up and ensure that candidates get the required number of books