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Regulations for Synchronous Online Examinations

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Part A -  Academic Integrity Statement 

(1) Students are always expected to adhere to College regulations, as set out during the registration process, with particular reference to the Hibernia College Quality Framework. 

(2) Candidates are advised to refamiliarise themselves with the Hibernia College Student Charter, Establishing Overarching Standards for Student Conduct Policy and the Academic Integrity and Good Practice Policy prior to the examination. 

(3) Candidates are reminded that academic misconduct is any form of cheating or other attempt to seek an unfair reward for the amount of genuine effort put into an assessment task or an advantage over other students. Consequences for academic impropriety can include: 

  1. Automatic fail for an assessment task 
  2. Suspension from a programme 
  3. Expulsion from a programme 
  4. Withholding of a professional reference 
  5. Annotation of an academic transcript 
  6. Annotation of a European Diploma Supplement 
  7. Any other appropriate sanction imposed by a Discipline Committee 

(4) Please note that it is a prosecutable offence to provide, or arrange the provision of, answers for assignments or examinations to any person without authorisation from the person setting the assessment. 

(5) Consultation or collaboration with other students or individuals is not permitted. Candidates must not, under any pretext whatsoever, speak to nor have any communication with any other candidate or individual during the course of an examination.  

Part B - Preparing for Synchronous Online Examinations  

Examination Details 

(6) Candidates should inform themselves of: 

  1. The date(s) and time(s) of each examination
  2. The technical requirements of the examination(s) and ensure that they are in place and, where possible, tested prior to the commencement of the exam 

The Examination Environment 

(7) Synchronous online examinations are not invigilated. Candidates are advised to: 

  1. Take the examination in a room alone and notify members of their household of their assessment schedule in advance to avoid disruption. 
  2. Ensure that their computer battery is fully charged and will remain so for the duration of the examination. If possible, consider having a back-up device. 
  3. Check Internet connectivity and practise setting up a Wi-Fi hotspot, where possible, in advance, in case of connectivity issues. 

Part C - Regulations During Synchronous Online Examinations 

Attendance and Timing 

(8) All examinations commence on time. Candidates should be ready to take the examination 15 minutes before the scheduled start time; this includes ensuring that they have logged on to the required IT systems.  

(9) No extra time will be given to late starters. 

(10) Candidates experiencing technical issues during the examination should immediately advise the member(s) of academic staff identified in the assessment brief. The Hibernia College helpdesk should then be contacted, if appropriate.  

(11) Candidates should save their work throughout the examination.  

(12) Candidates granted extra time in examinations under the Reasonable Accommodation Policy will be provided with extra time in synchronous online examinations.  

(13) Late submissions are not accepted.   

(14) An additional 30 minutes will be added to the time allotted for the synchronous online examination – the upload period. 

  1. This additional time is for uploading the exam only – candidates should not exceed the allocated time for completion of the examination. 
  2. Any candidate who has not been able to upload their submission in the first 20 minutes of the upload period should email it to the email address identified in the examination brief, including their Hibernia College student number and name in the subject line. 

(15) It is the responsibility of candidates to ensure that examinations are successfully uploaded and submitted by the specified deadline. This includes responsibility to ensure the correct document(s) are uploaded. 

Extenuating Circumstances 

(16) Candidates may choose to defer their assessment if they are unable to participate in a synchronous online examination. There will be no academic penalty applied in these circumstances. However, deferral of assessment may lead to delayed progression and/or provision of transcripts.  

(17) If unexpected factors or emergencies arise close to or during synchronous online examinations which have a material effect on the candidate’s preparation for or performance in that assessment, and the candidate can provide evidence for them, an application can be made for consideration under the Extenuating Circumstances Policy and related procedure. 

Breach of Synchronous Online Examination Regulations 

(18) When a candidate is suspected to be in breach of synchronous online examination regulations, the matter will be progressed in line with the Academic Misconduct Investigation in Coursework Procedure.