Dear Students, 

Ahead of the Summer exams we just wanted to get in touch to outline some key points.

Timetables

Your timetables will be released no later than Monday 15th March. Please visit the Exams Office website for your timetable. Once they are published we ask that you click on the relevant timetable, and check it carefully.  

 

Moodle exams

All Level 6 - 8 exams will be hosted on your Moodle page. These will be populated with instructions at least 2 weeks prior to your exam, including a practice upload area so you can ensure you are comfortable uploading your answer document(s). Any of you who attended DBS last year and sat online exams in 2020, or in January 2021 will be familiar with online exams through Moodle.

Support during your exam

If you run into any issues during the exam, there is a team of people online to assist. You can call the number at the top of the exams section on the Moodle page, or contact us via Live Chat in Moodle. If you are having technical difficulties, we will stick with you to resolve them. Please do not email your lecturer as they may not be online during the exam and may miss your mail. It is important that all queries are managed centrally.

Are exams open book?

Online exams are effectively ‘open book’. This means that you can refer to notes during the exam. The online team can see from Moodle logs and through the proctoring platform where that is used for your exam, but there is no problem with using notes in an appropriate manner. 

However, you should not copy-and-paste from course notes, texts or websites - this remains plagiarism and will be picked up by Urkund/proctoring software. It is important that all work presented is your own words. Remember it is your job to demonstrate understanding of the material in order to be awarded marks in the exam.

Key points:

• If you use a source, it should be referenced. A full bibliography is not expected in exam conditions but you should as minimum note the author(s) and year of any materials you draw on. 

• As above, answers should be written in your own words. 

• Answers should be of an extent that could reasonably be expected to be written within the timeframe of the exam and should be tailored to the specific question. Generic, pre-prepared answers are unlikely to be sufficient to gain high marks. Excessive word counts that indicate the work is not original may result in Academic Impropriety proceedings being instigated.

• It is your responsibility to ensure you upload the correct files before the allotted time expires. You will have 30 mins of administration time in addition to the scheduled time for your exam to upload your files, and you must contact us within this time via the phone number or Live Chat if there is a problem. The team can assist you with technical issues but contact must be made during the exam period.

• Further information on online exams can be found on the Exams Office website.

Remember, online exams are an alternative to those taking place in an exam-hall.  As much as possible, the same conditions should apply. While we cannot decide where you take the online exam, we can advise that you must do your best to create the right conditions. You should endeavour to be in a quiet place, with good internet connectivity. You should minimise the risk of others interrupting you during the exam and you must not use your phone other than to call the DBS exams helpline if required. 

We will be sending more detailed guidance separately to Level 9 students whose exams will be administered through the online proctoring system..

 

In the meantime, we wish you the very best of luck in your upcoming exams, and as always we are here to help if you have any concerns. The exams office can be contacted at exams@dbs.ie

 

Good luck!