Dear Staff,
We wanted to make you aware of the below message that was sent to all instructors this past Friday.
Dear Instructor,
Academic integrity is vital to our institution. There are differing opinions on how to maintain an examination system that promotes honesty and integrity. Some instructors would argue that emphasizing the importance of the honor code is the best strategy. Others will argue that proctoring is a better strategy. To complicate matters, both instructors and students are concerned about academic dishonesty and the resulting effects it has on grading policies. With remote assessment, the challenges of proctoring are considerable. In addition, the resources needed for remote proctoring are considerable and take away from resources that could be used to help educate students. A successful proctoring policy based on the honor code is easier to manage and, more importantly, better serves our most vulnerable students.
In response to queries from instructors regarding the use of remote proctoring tools for exams and in an effort to evaluate academic integrity, the campus has formulated the following pair of policies for instruction during Summer Sessions and the Fall Semester. Instructors and GSIs will be surveyed at the end of these instructional periods to evaluate the effectiveness of the remote proctoring option.
For both Summer Sessions and Fall instruction, regardless of whether an instructor chooses to use remote proctoring, discussions of the honor code, and what constitutes academic integrity should occur at the beginning of the course and throughout. We also recommend using tools such as Turnitin to support academic integrity. Best practices and alternatives to zoom proctoring, can be found on the Academic Senate's website.
Summer Sessions
For Summer Sessions courses, instructors in Colleges and Schools who wish to remotely proctor final exams may use the zoom video conferencing tool. Should instructors decide to use this proctoring option, they are required to:
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Inform students at the beginning of the term, either on a syllabus or in a separate written communication, that remote proctoring will be taking place for the final exam.
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Provide accommodations for students with letters of accommodation from DSP services. Please be advised that some student’s letters of accommodation will state that they are exempted from remote proctoring.
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Provide at least one optional time for the exam so that students in time zones that are markedly different than UC Berkeley’s are not at a disadvantage.
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Provide guidance to the students on the types of virtual and physical backgrounds permitted. The guidance should be based on a determination of the backgrounds that work best with the zoom video conferencing program.
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Establish procedures to help students with limited wifi access or wifi access that may be disrupted during the exam.
Instructors and GSIs will be responsible for implementing the remote proctoring. The campus will survey instructors and GSIs at the end of the summer to acssess remote proctoring.
Fall Semester
Similar to Summer Sessions, during the fall semester the Colleges and Schools have the option to use the zoom video conferencing tool for remote proctoring of final exams as part of a pilot program. The campus will track remote proctoring and assess GSI feedback at the end of the semester. Instructors whose courses are part of the pilot program are required to:
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Inform students in a prompt manner that remote proctoring will be taking place for some or all of their exams.
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Provide accommodations for students with letters of accommodation from DSP services. Please be advised that some student’s letters of accommodation will state that they are exempted from remote proctoring.
-
Provide at least one optional time for the exam so that students in time zones that are markedly different than UC Berkeley’s are not at a disadvantage.
-
Provide guidance to the students on the types of backgrounds permitted. The guidance should be based on a determination of the backgrounds that work best with the zoom video conferencing program.
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Establish procedures to help students with limited wifi access or wifi access that may be disrupted during the exam.
Staffing costs for the proctoring service are to be borne by the instructional unit. Colleges and Schools that wish to be part of this proctoring option in the fall must submit their request to evcp@berkeley.edu before August 1, 2020. No such authorization is needed for Summer Sessions.
With our best wishes and appreciation,
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
A. Paul Alivisatos
Oliver O’Reilly
Chair, Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate
This message was sent to all Faculty, Instructors, and Graduate Student Instructors.
If you are a manager who supervises UC Berkeley employees without email access, please circulate this information to all.
