Online examination rules

Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the online examination rules before they
commence with their examinations. Students are advised to refer to their module arrangements
for summative assessments that are not scheduled on the official examination timetable.
Examination sessions commence at the time indicated on the final examination timetable. You
are required to adhere strictly to the specified times.
Students are advised to complete the Course: Basic Skills for Online Exams (unisa.ac.za) and
complete the mock assessment Course: ADOVH001: Mock Exams (unisa.ac.za).

i. For file upload/take-home examinations

1. Students must upload their answer scripts in a single PDF file on the official
myExams platform (answer scripts must not be password protected or uploaded as
"read-only" files). The university only marks one submission received from a student.
Priority is granted to scripts received via the myExams platform.

2. NO e-mailed scripts will be accepted.

3. Students are advised to preview submissions (answer scripts) to ensure legibility

and also to ensure that the correct answer script file has been uploaded.

4. Students are permitted to resubmit their answer scripts, but only within the stipulated
submission duration, should they regard the initial submission to be unsatisfactory.
Resubmissions after an examination's closing time are not permitted.

5. Scripts with an incorrect file format will not be considered for marking.

6. Wrong answer scripts that are uploaded, that is, any file other than the exam answer
script (e.g. uploading the exam question paper instead of the exam answer script)
will not be marked and a 0% will be awarded. No opportunity will be granted for
resubmission.

7. Unisa relies on an automated synchronisation system that elects scripts to be

marked in accordance with its prioritisation rules. Unisa awards 0% to incorrect
submissions made on the official platform irrespective of the correct submissions
made on alternative platforms.

8. A mark awarded for an incomplete submission will be the student’s final mark. No
opportunity for resubmission will be granted.

9. A mark awarded for an illegible scanned submission will be the student’s final mark.
No opportunity for resubmission will be granted.

10. Only the last answer file uploaded on the myExams within the stipulated submission
duration period will be marked.

11. Submissions will only be accepted from registered student accounts.

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12. Students who have not utilised the prescribed invigilation or proctoring tools will be
deemed to have transgressed Unisa’s examination rules and will have their marks
withheld.

13. Students who have more than one Unisa student number should ensure that the
relevant student number/s is/are registered on the Invigilator App for the module/s
requiring invigilation through Invigilator App before their examination session.

14. Assessments invigilated by the Invigilator App require a student to activate the QR
code. The QR code is available for activation 15 minutes before the start time of the
examination and 30 minutes after the official start time of the examination. Students
who fail to activate the QR code within the available 45 minutes will be deemed not
to have utilised the invigilation or proctoring tools and will have their final marks
withheld.

15. Any student found to have been outside the Invigilator App (by exiting or minimising
the Invigilator App) for a total of 10 minutes during their closed-book examination
session will be considered to have violated Unisa's examination rules and their marks
will be withheld. Students writing closed-book examinations should activate flight
mode on their phones or switch off their network/Wi-Fi, after scanning the QR code
on the invigilator App, to prevent background applications overriding the running of
the Invigilator App during their examination session. The network/Wi-Fi should be
switched back on to enable uploading of the answer script on myExams after
completing the examination.

16. For examinations which use the IRIS invigilation system, IRIS must be recording
throughout the duration of the examination until the submission of the examination
script.

17. Students are advised to complete writing at the scheduled examination end time.
Students have 10 minutes after their scheduled examination end time to upload their
scripts on the Invigilator App. Failure to upload within the stipulated 10 minutes will
result in the Invigilator App being non-responsive. In such cases, students are
advised to stop attempting to upload their answer scripts on the Invigilator App and
immediately submit their answer script via the myExams platforms.

18. Students who complete their assessment earlier than their stipulated examination
duration period should confirm the completion of their assessment by clicking the
"finish assessment button" on the Invigilator App. Failure to do so will result in
students been flagged as being “Out of App” for the remaining duration of their
assessment and rule 12 above will apply.

19. Students have 48 hours from the completion of their examination session to upload
their invigilator pending uploads from the Invigilator App. Failure to do so will result in
students deemed not to have utilised the invigilation or proctoring tools and their final
marks will be withheld.

20. Students must complete the online declaration of their work when submitting their
examination script. Students suspected of dishonest conduct during the examinations
will be subjected to disciplinary processes. Students may not communicate with any
other person or request assistance from any other person during their examinations.
The use of Telegram, WhatsApp, or any other instant messaging services with any
other person (except when asking for technical assistance via official channels of the
SCSC or the Invigilator WhatsApp line) are strictly prohibited. Plagiarism is a violation
of academic integrity and students who plagiarise, copy from published work, or
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 use Artificial Intelligence Software (e.g. ChatGPT) or online sources (e.g. course
material) will be in violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity and the Student
Disciplinary Code and may be referred to a disciplinary hearing. Unisa has a zero
tolerance for plagiarism and/or any other forms of academic dishonesty.

21. Selected assessments requiring the usage of Turnitin software will require students
to submit typed responses only (scanned handwritten scripts or scanned typed scripts
will not be accepted for marking). Any students whose module has indicated, prior to
the examination sitting, that the use of Turnitin software is a requirement and fails to
provide a typed response, will have their submission disregarded. In such cases,
students will be awarded a non-compliance with proctoring tools outcome on their
academic records. Students are also required to accept the mandatory End User
License Agreement (EULA) pop-up to activate the Turnitin software. Students who
have not accepted the EULA will be considered to have violated Unisa's examination
rules and their answer scripts will not be marked.

22. Listening to audio (music) and making use of audio-to-text software is strictly
prohibited during your examination session unless such usage of the software is
related to a student’s assistive device which has been so declared. Failure to do so
will be a transgression of Unisa’s examination rules and the student's marks will be
withheld.

23. Students with a disability who have been granted additional time to complete their
examinations, or who are incarcerated, are exempted from using proctoring tools.
Only students who have declared their disability with supporting documentation
(doctor's note indicating the disability and the additional time that will be required for
the completion of the examination) during registration will be exempted. Students who
have not so declared may provide the declaration (doctor's note indicating the
disability and the additional time that will be required for the completion of the
examination) to [email protected] at least 7 days prior to their examination
sitting for processing of their exemption. Incarcerated students are advised to submit
their proof of incarceration to [email protected] at least 7 days prior
to their examination sitting for processing of their exemption.

24. Students who are negatively affected by their examination scheduling on

religious/holy days are requested to apply for alternative examination arrangements.
A student's religious organisation must communicate directly with Unisa on a
letterhead informing Unisa of (1) Name, surname, and student number of the enrolled
member of the religious organisation; (2) Module code affected by the examination
scheduling (dates of religious days) on the holy day; (3) Nature of objection. The letter
should be sent to [email protected] at least 7 days prior to the
examination sitting for processing. Letters received directly from students will not be
processed.

25. Students are provided 30 minutes to submit their answer scripts after the official
examination time. Students who experience technical challenges should report the
challenges immediately to the SCSC telephonically on 080 000 1870 and choose
option 4 for exams, or their College exam support centres (refer to the Get help during
the examinations by contacting the Student Communication Service Centre
[unisa.ac.za]) within 30 minutes. Queries received after 30 minutes of the official
examination duration time will not be responded to. Submissions made after the
official examination time will be rejected according to the examination regulations
and will not be marked. Only communication received from your myLife account will
be considered.

26. Non-adherence to the processes for uploading examination responses will not
qualify the student for any special concessions or future assessments.

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 27. Queries that are beyond Unisa’s control include the following:
a. Personal network or service provider issues.
b. Load shedding/limited space on personal computer.
c. Crashed computer.
d. Non-functioning cameras or web cameras.
e. Using work computers that block access to t h e myExams site (employer
firewall challenges).
f. Unlicensed software (e.g. license expires during exams).
Postgraduate students experiencing the above challenges are advised to apply for
an aegrotat and submit supporting evidence within ten days of the examination
session. Students will not be able to apply for an aegrotat for a third examination
opportunity.
Postgraduate/undergraduate students experiencing the above challenges in their
second examination opportunity will have to re-register for the affected module.

ii. MCQ/Quiz examinations

1. This is a fully online examination.

2. Students are provided with one submission opportunity for their MCQ/Quiz
examinations. No additional time will be allocated for resubmissions.

3. Students are advised that the examination duration time commences as stipulated on
the official examination timetable. Examination duration is limited to the session
duration as reflected on the official examination timetable.

4. No additional reading time is provided during MCQ/Quiz examinations.

5. If utilising your cellphone to respond to your MCQ/Quiz examination, update your

cellphone operating system before commencing with your exam. Also, clear the
cache and cookies memory before starting your exam.

6. DO upload your profile picture on the myModules application prior to the

commencement of your MCQ/Quiz examination. Unrecognisable, obscured, faint or
incomplete full facial images uploaded on myExams/myModules will be deemed a
transgression of Unisa's examination rules, and students’ marks will be withheld.

7. DO NOT open your examination in multiple browser windows or tabs at the same
time. If you do so, the system will automatically submit responses on your behalf
without your knowledge. Marks awarded for automatic submissions will be final
marks. No additional opportunity for resubmissions will be given.

8. DO NOT click your browser's back button while taking your examination. Students
are at risk of losing previous responses should they utilise browser navigation
buttons. Students are advised to always use Moodle navigation buttons to move to
the next and previous (if allowed) question, and to "Save" and "Submit".

9. The system will automatically save your responses as you click on the next question.

10. Students who have not utilised invigilation or proctoring tools will be deemed to
have transgressed Unisa’s examination rules and will have their marks withheld. For
examinations that use the IRIS invigilation system, IRIS must be recording throughout
the duration of the examination until the student makes the final submission of the
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 answers.

11. Students must ensure that the proctoring display window contains their full facial image
throughout the duration of the online quiz examination for modules proctored by the
Moodle Proctoring tool. Any proctoring images found to be unrecognisable, obscured,
faint or not containing a full facial image will be deemed to be a transgression of Unisa's
examination rules, and students’ marks will be withheld.

12. Students must complete the online declaration of their work when submitting their
examination script. Students suspected of dishonest conduct during the examinations will
be subjected to disciplinary processes. Students may not communicate with any other
person or request assistance from any other person during their examinations. The use
of Telegram, WhatsApp, or any other instant messaging services with any other person
(except for when asking for technical assistance via official channels of the SCSC or the
Invigilator WhatsApp line) are strictly prohibited. Plagiarism is a violation of academic
integrity and students who plagiarise, copy from published work or the unethical use of
Artificial Intelligence Software (e.g. ChatGPT) or online sources (e.g. course material),
will be in violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity and the Student Disciplinary Code
and may be referred to a disciplinary hearing. Unisa has a zero tolerance for plagiarism
and/or any other forms of academic dishonesty.

13. Listening to audio (music) or making use of audio-to-text software is strictly prohibited
during your examination session unless such usage of the software is related to a
student's assisted devices which have been so declared. Failure to do so will be a
transgression of Unisa’s examination rules and the student's mark will be withheld.

14. Students who are differently abled, have a disability and have been granted additional
time to complete their examinations, or are incarcerated are exempted from using the
proctoring tools. Only students who have declared their disability with supporting
documentation during registration will be exempted. Students who have not so
declared may provide the declaration (doctor's note indicating the disability and the
additional time that will be required for the completion of the examination) to
[email protected] at least 7 days prior to their examination sitting for
processing of their exemption. Incarcerated students are advised to submit their proof
of incarceration to [email protected] to qualify for exemption at least
7 days prior to their examination sitting for processing of their exemption.

15. Students who are negatively affected by their examination scheduling on religious/holy
days are requested to apply for alternative examination arrangements. The student's
religious organisation must communicate directly with Unisa on a letterhead informing
Unisa of (1) Name, surname, and student number of the enrolled member of the religious
organisation; (2) Module code affected by the examination scheduling (dates of religious
days) on the holy day; (3) Nature of objection. The letter should be sent to
[email protected] at least 7 days prior to the examination sitting for
processing. Letters received directly from students will not be processed.

16. Non-adherence to the processes for submitting MCQ/Quiz responses will not qualify
the student for any special concessions or future assessments.

17. Queries that are beyond Unisa’s control include the following:
a. Personal network or service provider issues.
b. Load shedding/limited space on personal computer.
c. Crashed computer.
d. Non-functioning cameras or web cameras.
e. Using work computers that block access to t h e myExams site (work
firewall challenges).
f. Unlicensed software (e.g. the license expires during exams).
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 Postgraduate students experiencing the above challenges are advised to apply for an
aegrotat and submit supporting evidence within ten days of the examination session.
Students will not be able to apply for an aegrotat for a third examination opportunity.

Postgraduate/undergraduate students who experience the above challenges in their

second examination opportunity will have to re-register for the affected module.

18. Students experiencing technical challenges should immediately contact the SCSC
telephonically on 080 000 1870 and choose option 4 for exams or via e-mail at
[email protected], or refer to the Get help during the examinations by
contacting the Student Communication Service Centre (unisa.ac.za) resource for the
list of additional contact numbers. Only communication received from your myLife
account will be considered.