Exam Proctoring

Exam proctoring is the process in which guidelines are put in place for the Systems Engineering Distance Learning students to complete the program/ course(s) exams from their current locations (not on Cornell Campus in Ithaca, NY) while still adhering to the accreditation standards. 

The student is asked to select a third party to supervise the administration of each of their exams. The position of Proctor is not a paid employee position although it may be carried out by Cornell employees as part of their position duties. Past Cornell students are encouraged to become Proctors but Proctors cannot be currently taking any courses at Cornell. Proctors also may not be relatives, employees, or under the working supervision of the students. The same person may be a Proctor for Several students and for several courses provided that there is no overlap in the examination times for the exams that the Proctor is overseeing.

Students are asked to submit their selected proctor at least 48 hours prior to each of the exam dates. The Systems Engineering Program Faculty or Staff reserves the right to reject any potential Proctor for any student or course, if a Proctor is rejected, the course instructor and the affected students(s) will work closely with the Distance Learning Coordinator to establish an acceptable Proctor for the student as soon as possible and prior to the examination time.

Exams for distance learning students are required to be completed within 24 hours of the on-campus schedule exam time frame. An electronic copy of the exam, the proctor verification form, and any exam restrictions and/or instructions is emailed to the proctor. Both the student and the proctor are required to sign the “Exam Proctoring Verification Form (PDF)” attesting to the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity was upheld. Immediately upon completion, the SAME DAY, the proctor will return the finalized exam and signed proctor verification form electronically or by fax and will place the hard copy of the completed exam and all accompanying documentation in the mail to the attention of the Systems Engineering office, 204/ 206 Rhodes Hall. The exams are both shared with the faculty and teaching assistants for grading and kept on file for the duration that adheres to the Cornell University Record Retention policy. To ensure that there are no copies of the exam in anyone else’s possession, students are prohibited from keeping any exams or leftover exam materials – destroy any leftover exam materials, electronic and/ or hard copies.

Graded exams are returned to the student electronically or can be found through the course Black board site. The grading criteria are identical for distance learning students as for on-campus students.