Guidelines for digital examinations at the Faculty of Medicine

1. Examination planning

The teacher responsible for the examination coordinates the setting of questions together with the other course teachers.

If students can choose the language of the examination (Finnish/Swedish/English), the person who sets the examination questions must translate them or have them translated. Teachers can log in to Sisu to view the languages chosen by the registered students.

The examination platform is created at the same time as the Moodle platform for the course. The teacher responsible for the examination adds the quiz activity (i.e., examination) in Moodle. The person who sets the questions enters them together with the grading criteria (e.g., model answers) into the Moodle question bank. The teacher responsible for the examination agrees with those setting the questions on who will select the questions to be used in each examination.

2. Registration for examinations and initiation of examination preparations

The teacher responsible for the examination agrees on its date and time with a timetabling officer and provides the other information on the examination to be entered into Sisu (see below). Timetabling officers are responsible for booking facilities. The recommended start time for examinations is at half past the hour, not on the hour, to ensure that there is sufficient time for arrangements both before and after the examination session. Timetabling officers submit information on examinations to Examination Services before the beginning of term as agreed. Timetabling officers enter each examination into Sisu before the beginning of term. Students register for examinations in Sisu at least 10 days before the examination date. The following information on each examination must be entered into Sisu:

• Date, time and place
• Duration
• Whether the examination is held remotely or on site
• Whether the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is used and what materials, if any, are permitted (e.g., Oppiportti)
• If known, whether students are permitted to use certain material in the examination (what material and how?) 

If necessary, a question about the language of the examination (Finnish/Swedish/English) can be added to the registration section. Students registering for an examination can also be asked about the course component they are completing or the books set for the examination.

The teacher responsible for the examination makes sure that the questions have been compiled in Moodle’s quiz activity by either the person who set the questions or the teacher responsible for the examination. The teacher responsible for the examination sends a link to the examination area to Examination Services no later than three working days before the examination date.

3. Preparation of the examination session 

The teacher responsible for the examination must ensure that the examination type (Examinarium, remote examination, on-site examination) has been indicated in the teaching programme. The same teacher makes sure that any additional instructions related to the examination (task instructions, permitted aids, material) are available in the examination area in Moodle. Examination Services ensures that the additional instructions are forwarded to the invigilators.

Examination Services is responsible for the submission of technical examination instructions (e.g., date, time, place, rooms, Moodle link, SEB instructions) to the students registered for the examination. These instructions must be submitted no later than the working day before the examination. In addition, Examination Services verifies the settings and defines the password no later than the working day before the examination.

If an examination includes a drawing task, Examination Services must be informed of this at least three working days before the examination. If the examination is held remotely, students save their drawings electronically. If the examination is held on site, students complete the drawing task on paper. In both cases, the teacher assesses the task electronically. Examination Services instructs students in accordance with the implementation method.

4. Examination session

The invigilators recruited by Examination Services start, invigilate and end each examination session, and assemble any supplies required. Examination Services instructs students before and during the examination. If necessary, Examination Services also provides technical support during the examination session. Examination Services provides technical support for 30 minutes from the beginning of the examination session, after which technical support is provided by the invigilators.

5. After the examination session

Arrangements after the examination session

Examination Services delivers any drawing tasks for assessment and, if necessary, forwards or archives the examination attendance list.

6. Examination feedback and review of assessment

Students have the right to obtain information on how assessment criteria are applied to their study attainments (Universities Act 558/2009, section 44).

Organising a feedback session

It is recommended that course teachers organise a general feedback session on each examination for students. The teacher responsible for the examination, together with a timetabling officer, coordinates the organisation of a general feedback session for the students who took the examination. The examination grading criteria are presented at this session.

When the examination has been assessed, students must have at least two weeks to independently compare their examination answers to the grading criteria in Moodle or as separately described in Moodle. Students have the right to submit an appeal against the grading of studies within 14 days of the publication of the examination results and the grading criteria. The teacher responsible for the examination determines the Moodle settings for reviewing the answers. Educational Technology Services provides support and information on the options available.

Examination consultation hours

Course teachers can hold examination consultation hours, as separately agreed. Students must have the opportunity to review their examination answers for six months after the results were published.

1. Examination planning and preparation

The course coordinator determines the examination date and time together with a timetabling officer and provides students with this information no later than when classes begin. The teacher must provide students with sufficient information and instructions for preparing for and taking the examination. Information on, for example, permitted materials or aids must be provided in advance. The booking of a facility for the examination is coordinated together with the timetabling officer of the degree programme. The examination can also be held remotely, in which case facilities do not need to be booked.

If students register for a course, they do not usually need to register separately for the examinations organised by the teacher. However, if registration is required, the teacher must give the students clear instructions on this.

2. Examination session

The course coordinator ensures the smooth running of the examination session and addresses any disturbances or cheating.

3. Examination feedback and review of assessment

Students have the right to obtain information on how assessment criteria are applied to their study attainments (Universities Act 558/2009, section 44).

Organising a feedback session

It is recommended that course teachers organise a general feedback session on each examination for students. The teacher responsible for the examination, together with a timetabling officer, coordinates the organisation of a general feedback session for the students who took the examination. The examination grading criteria are presented at this session.

When the examination has been assessed, students must have at least two weeks to independently compare their examination answers to the grading criteria in Moodle or as separately described in Moodle. Students have the right to submit an appeal against the grading of studies within 14 days of the publication of the examination results and the grading criteria. The teacher responsible for the examination determines the Moodle settings for reviewing the answers. Educational Technology Services provides support and information on the options available.

Examination consultation hours

Course teachers can hold examination consultation hours, as separately agreed. Students must have the opportunity to review their examination answers for six months after the results were published.

1. Registration for examinations and initiation of examination preparations

The Faculty organises general examination sessions, whose dates have been determined before the beginning of term together with Examination Services and the degree programmes. A timetabling officer agrees with the teacher responsible for the examination on the general examination sessions in which course resit examinations will be organised. When deciding on the dates of resit examinations, it must be taken into account that the time allocated to marking an examination and publishing its results is one month, in addition to which students must be able to register for the examination no later than 10 days before the examination. Before the beginning of term, a timetabling officer enters examinations and related information into Sisu for use with the bulk editing feature. The following information on each resit examination must be entered into Sisu:

• Duration
• Whether the examination is held remotely or on site
• Whether the Safe Exam Browser (SEB) tool is used
• If known, whether any material (e.g., Oppiportti) can be used during the examination or a specific section of the examination

If necessary, a question about the language of the examination (Finnish/Swedish/English) can be added to the registration section. Students registering for an examination can also be asked about the course component they are completing or the books set for the examination.

Students must register for resit examinations no later than 10 days before the date of the examination. Late registrations will not be accepted. If students have registered for an examination after the registration deadline, Examination Services will send information on the registered students. Examination Services will also send a reminder three working days before the examination if it has not yet received a link to the examination area. Examination Services will send the course coordinator information on the number of registered students, a link to Sisu and instructions for using Sisu. The teacher responsible for the examination can also track the examination registration situation in Sisu.

2. Examination planning and preparation

The teacher responsible for the examination coordinates the setting of questions together with the other course teachers.

If students can choose the language of the examination (Finnish/Swedish/English), the person who sets the examination questions must translate them or have them translated. The teacher responsible for the examination can log in to Sisu to see the language in which students are taking the examination.

The examination platform is created at the same time as the Moodle platform for the course. The teacher responsible for the examination adds the quiz activity (i.e., examination) in Moodle. The person who sets the questions enters them together with the grading criteria (e.g., model answers) into the Moodle question bank. The teacher responsible for the examination agrees with those setting the questions on who will select the questions to be used in each examination.

Examination Services is responsible for the submission of technical examination instructions (e.g., date, time, place, rooms, Moodle link) to the students registered for the examination. These instructions must be submitted no later than the working day before the examination. In addition, Examination Services verifies the settings and defines the password no later than the working day before the examination.

 3. Examination session

Examination Services and the invigilators it has recruited start, invigilate and end the examination session, and assemble any supplies required. Examination Services instructs students before and during the examination. If necessary, Examination Services also provides technical support during the examination session. Examination Services provides technical support for 30 minutes from the beginning of the examination session, after which technical support is provided by the invigilators.

4. After the examination session

Arrangements after the examination session

Examination Services delivers any drawing tasks for assessment and, if necessary, archives or forwards the examination attendance list.

5. Examination feedback and review of assessment

Students have the right to obtain information on how assessment criteria are applied to their study attainments (Universities Act 558/2009, section 44).

As a rule, no feedback session is held on resit examinations. However, students must be informed about how they can gain access to the grading criteria (e.g., Moodle).

When the examination has been assessed, students must have at least two weeks to independently compare their examination answers to the grading criteria in Moodle or as separately described in Moodle. Students have the right to submit an appeal against the grading of studies within 14 days of the publication of the examination results and the grading criteria. The teacher responsible for the examination determines the Moodle settings for reviewing the answers. Educational Technology Services provides support and information on the options available.

Examination consultation hours

Course teachers can hold examination consultation hours, as separately agreed. Students must have the opportunity to review their examination answers for six months after the results were published.

Both course examinations and resit examinations can be held in an Examinarium examination facility. Examinarium is an electronic examination system, in which students select their examination date, time and place during a predetermined examination period. Students take their examination in a separate examination facility (see list) that has computers and a recording invigilation system. The Examinarium facility in Meilahti is located in Biomedicum 2 (16 seats), but students can also take their examination in an Examinarium facility on another campus. An Examinarium facility cannot be booked exclusively for a single examination. Drawing tasks cannot be completed in the Meilahti Examinarium facility, but they can be completed in the facilities in Kumpula and Viikki.

Detailed instructions for creating an Examinarium examination can be found here.