Webster University: Testing Center

Webster’s Testing Center (part of the Academic Resource Center complex in Loretto 6) exists to provide a distraction-reduced environment for students to test outside the classroom.

We offer this service gratis to students taking Webster course exams or Webster-based placement tests; we charge a $15 proctor fee per test to students taking non-Webster exams (such as CLEP, DSST, or correspondence courses for another university). We cannot offer proctoring services for in-class exams, and we do not ordinarily schedule make-up exams for an entire class (unless it is exceptionally small).

Our hours of operation during Webster’s standard semesters are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday; during breaks and throughout the summer, we close daily at 4:30 p.m. with evening hours by appointment only. During summer 2008, we have evening hours available until 7pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

We have four private testing booths in two rooms, each equipped with a password-protected computer hooked up to the Webster network, and each visible through one-way glass from the main Testing Office, where tests are kept in a locked file cabinet. In the event that two students are taking the same test at the same time, we will seat them in separate rooms. (During midterms and finals, we sometimes seat overflow testers at tables in the adjacent ARC Staff Lunchroom, but we prefer to avoid this, as it makes the tests more difficult to monitor.)

When a student calls for an appointment, we will try to schedule him/her at the date and time requested. We will then check our files for the test, and if we do not have it already, we will place a call to the department through which the test is given. The department usually contacts the individual instructor, who can send us a test directly, send it through his/her department, or let us know that the student does not have permission to use the Testing Center for his/her course. We will follow up with additional calls if we are waiting for the test and the student’s appointment is less than 24 hours away.

When a student arrives for a test, we check his/her photo ID (unless we know him/her personally from previous tests!), confirm that s/he is here for the test we have on file, then ask him/her to leave all belongings – except books and notes permitted for use on the test – in the Testing Office until the test is completed. Unless another method of delivery has been requested, a work-study assistant will return the completed test to its department of origin by the next day. We do not keep copies of completed tests except briefly, as insurance, when we send the test by fax or USPS; these copies are subsequently shredded. Untaken tests are returned to the departments after a semester has passed.

Instructors’ responsibilities are as follows:

To identify students who will need to test outside class (for whatever reason). Please remember that, unless the student has a relevant ADA accommodation, it is up to the instructor whether or not to allow the student to test outside class. We will make an appointment at a student’s request, but we can only administer a test with the instructor’s permission!
To send us one copy of the test for each student who needs to take it, ideally well in advance of the date when the student is expected to take it. We accept tests delivered to our office, via fax (314-968-5919), or via e-mail (arc@webster.edu). In cases where there is an open retake policy for an entire class, please contact Wendy Love Anderson directly (314-246-8225, wendyanderson73@webster.edu).
To enclose a completed cover sheet along with each test, or to include the relevant information in the body of an e-mail message. This will tell us whether/what the test is timed, what materials the student can use on the test, how and where you’d like the test returned to you, and what the student’s name(s) is/are! (If we don’t have a student name, we can’t give out the test; if we don’t have the other information, we’ll default to an un-timed, closed-book test hand-delivered to the course’s home department. Also, please note that we normally return a test by only one method; we simply do not have enough staff to routinely fax-then-mail or scan-then-deliver. Let us know if you need an exception.)
To respond promptly to requests for tests, either by sending us a copy of the test with a cover sheet, or by letting us know that the student does not have permission to take that test in the Testing Center.
To let us know as soon as possible if the test does not arrive when/how you expect it; we keep files indicating how and to whom each test was delivered, so we can often help you trace an errant test.

Students’ responsibilities are as follows:

To contact the instructor for approval to test outside class or to notify the instructor that the student has the right to test in a distraction-reduced environment as part of his/her accommodations under ADA.
To make an appointment with the Testing Center at least 48 hours in advance, and possibly as much as a week ahead if the student needs a specific time during midterms and finals periods. Students can call (314-246-8225), e-mail (arc@webster.edu), or come by in person to make their appointment.
To notify the instructor, if possible, of the date and time by which the test needs to arrive at the Testing Center. (We will also go through the department to notify the instructor once an appointment has been made, if we do not already have the test in our possession.)
To arrive on time for the testing appointment, carrying some form of photo ID and any books/notes required for the test. (We can provide paper, writing implements, and even calculators if the instructor has specified that they are to be used on the test.)

The Testing Center administered over 1700 tests during the 2006-07 academic year, and we are constantly trying to improve the efficiency and integrity of our procedures. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or other feedback for us! The Testing Coordinator, Wendy Love Anderson, can be reached at 314-246-8225 or wendyanderson73@webster.edu.