eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

Transcription

1 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments Certificate in Treasury Diploma in Treasury Management Units 1 & 2 Certificate in International Cash Management The Association of Corporate Treasurers 0 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

2 The ACT eassessment Centre is an online website where ACT candidates can schedule and sit their online assessment. This guide will provide you with all the information you need to use the ACT eassessment Centre as well as how to book and take your assessments. Please use this guide as a point of reference. 1 Deadlines and dates You decide when you want to opt in and take the assessments. Please keep up to date with the booking deadlines and assessment dates on the ACT website. Make sure you book by the published deadlines or you will have to wait for the next available opportunity. 2 Reasonable adjustment for taking an assessment It is important that you inform the ACT if you have any permanent or temporary condition that you wish to be taken into consideration when taking your assessment. Please ensure you have read the Reasonable Adjustment Policy to check if you are eligible. If you are you will need to provide specific details on the adjustment and your requirements and supporting documentation, such as medical evidence (certificate) and/or a psychological or other assessment report. If you are in doubt, please contact assessment@treasurers.org. You must submit your request no later than 2 weeks before the assessment date. If you have previously applied for reasonable adjustment for an ongoing condition, you do not need to provide this information every time you book an assessment. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 1 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

3 3 Logging into the eassessment Centre The eassessment centre is accessed here. Enter your username and password. You will find these details on your booking confirmation . If this is the first time you have logged in, you will be prompted to update the password immediately: Enter the Old Password this is the one provided on your confirmation . Enter the New Password this is your choice of password but please follow the password policy. Confirm the New Password again and press SAVE. If you have forgotten your password, please click on the forgotten password button and a new password will be sent to the address we have on file to contact you. Click on the link provided in the and reset your password. Enter your address and select Request password change Enter a new password, confirm and save. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 2 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

4 4 If You Need to Change Your Username ( Address) If you can no longer use the address you provided e.g. you used a work address and you have now moved companies, then update your address via your ACT web account at Select Login and enter your ACT username and password. Please note that your ACT username and password may be different to your eassessment Centre username and password. Click My Profile in the and social media section, update your new address and ensure you select this as your preferred . The eassessment Centre uses your preferred as your username when you first create your profile with the ACT. If you wish for your new address to be incorporated as your username in the eassessment centre please assessment@treasurers.org. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 3 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

5 You will then receive two s. The first will be sent to the old address informing you that this address has just been removed from your account as the primary way to contact you. The second will be sent to your new address informing you that this address has just been added to your account as the primary way to contact you. Click on the link in the . This will take you to the eassessment Centre and login with the new username and password provided in the . You will then be asked to change your password. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 4 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

6 5 Your Journey in the eassessment Centre If we have any news items or alerts we need to make you aware of, these will be posted on the eassessment centre, so please check it regularly. What does each icon represent? Info Hub included in the hub are: ACT eassessment guides Specimen assessment papers Frequently asked questions ProctorU information Notes to Results Instructional videos Schedule exam this is where you go to select the start time with the remote invigilators (ProctorU), and start your assessment on the day. Please refer to sections 9 and 10 for more information on how to do this. Equipment test you must do this before you take the assessment, please refer to section 11 for more information. If you have any problems with this, ProctorU will be available to assist you. Practice test Here are some specimen papers that we strongly advise you to take a few times in advance of the assessment day to give you a feel for the live assessments. Take exam this will show the assessments you are booked to take but they will not become available to you until the assessment start time. The proctor will unlock and start the assessment for you once you have connected with them via Schedule exam. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 5 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

7 My Assignments - this is where you will download and upload your pre-seen case study assignments. My results your grade/result (be it a pass, merit, distinction or fail), feedback and completion certificate will be available here on the results release date. You can also see the results here of any specimen (practice) assessments you have taken. You will not be informed of which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly as these are marked scripts. If you wish to change the contrast for your assessment then click on the cog icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen for the following options: The Association of Corporate Treasurers 6 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

8 6 Register with Proctor U ProctorU is a live online proctoring (invigilation) service for test takers taking assessments online. The proctors use a three-step process to replicate the face-to-face proctoring experience over the internet. ProctorU are based in the USA, but you have the flexibility to take the assessment anywhere. 1) They connect with the test taker via web cam. 2) They monitor the test taker's computer screen in real time. 3) They authenticate the test taker's identity using a multi-factor process. Through this process, the proctors can see the test taker, see what they are doing, and know who they are monitoring. ProctorU do this while adhering to the highest accreditation standards in the industry. ProctorU provide the proctors, the technical support, the scheduling, the customer service, and the setup. You book the assessment with the ACT but you must schedule the date and time with ProctorU, via the eassessment centre, in Schedule exam. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 7 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

9 7 How to register with ProctorU via the eassessment centre If this is your first online assessment with the ACT, you will need to register with ProctorU. You only need to register once. Do not register direct with ProctorU via their website. Select Schedule exam from the homepage of the eassessment centre. Go to Account Settings under My Account at the bottom of the page. Step 1: Register first add details as requested. Your first name and last name. Your address will default into the form for you. Make sure you provide phone numbers and your address. It is also extremely important that you add your time zone to your profile as this will determine what times are shown to you when you get to the stage of scheduling your preferred start time of the assessment. Do not Remove Enrolment Your home telephone number is mandatory as most candidates will take the assessment at home. Please include the dialing code so that ProctorU can contact you if they need to. If you enter the telephone number incorrectly or need to change it, you can edit this by going into My Profile on the ProctorU tab once you get to the schedule screen. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 8 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

10 Step 2: Select your Time Zone from the drop-down list on the Account Settings page. It is important you select the correct time zone of the location where you are sitting your assessment as this then gives you the correct available times when you go to schedule. If you select the wrong time zone you can edit your selection. You do this by going into My Profile on the ProctorU tab once you get to the schedule screen. Step 3: Accept the Terms of Service for ProctorU and select Submit. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 9 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

11 You will see a message to say you have successfully enrolled and you can now schedule the date and time for your assessment. You can click on Proceed and schedule now or go back into Schedule Exam at a later date on the eassessment centre. 8 Schedule the Date and Time with ProctorU When you select Schedule exam from the eassessment homepage it will open the ProctorU schedule screen in a new window. Do not schedule direct with ProctorU via their website, only schedule in the eassessment Centre. Schedule no later than 3 days before the date you want to sit the assessment or you will be charged a fee payable to ProctorU Step 1: You will see the assessment you have booked and the last available opportunity to take the assessment. To schedule click on Schedule Now. If you are on the My Profile page then select My Sessions. Step 2: The calendar will show you the assessment window dates, e.g. if the assessment window is July then a selection of dates and times will appear on the screen. You do not have to select one of these. You can choose your own start date and time. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 10 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

12 Step 3: Choose when you would like to take the assessment by selecting a time from the dropdown list. This is not a 24-hour clock, so please use the arrows to scroll up to change AM into PM. Select find available times. The time slots available will then be listed on the right-hand side of the page. Please avoid booking an assessment start time of GMT on the last day of the assessment window. You should be aware that if you do not book within 3 days of your assessment date you will be liable to pay a late booking fee, which needs to be paid directly to ProctorU with a credit or debit card. If you go to the my preferences screen you can choose to receive a text message up to an hour before your assessment. Step 4: Select the time you want by clicking Select next to the time. You will be asked to confirm the time by clicking on Schedule. The countdown begins with the number of days/hours/minutes until your assessment. This is confirmation that your assessment has a scheduled start time The Association of Corporate Treasurers 11 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

13 9 Change the Date and Time To change the date and/or time of your assessment select Edit next to your booking. You can only change to another date and/or time within the same assessment window. Follow steps 2-4 again. 10 Changing your scheduled assessment start time If you need to change the assessment date and/or time within the same window, please go back into Schedule Exam in the eassessment centre and click on reschedule. If you no longer intend to take the assessment then please do not cancel this in ProctorU. You will not receive a refund by cancelling the assessment in ProctorU. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 12 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

14 11 Technical Requirements and Equipment Test PLEASE NOTE: Please ensure that the eassessment URL has been added to trusted sites and trusted sites is set to windows defaults. The Safari browser found on Apple products is not compatible with our eassessment platform and will prevent you from using the online calculator. We do not support the following: Google Chromebooks, Android tablets (Nexus 7, etc.), ios tablets (ipad, ipad mini, etc.), Linux operating systems and Microsoft Surface RT. The ACT does not recommend you take the assessment in a work environment nor use a work laptop. If you are planning on using a Wi-Fi connection, check no-one else is using the Wi-Fi at the same time as their usage may affect your connection. A wired connection will ensure a stable connection. If your equipment(s) does not meet the criteria above, we cannot guarantee that your assessment session will run successfully. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 13 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

15 Your THREE checks to complete when testing your equipment: Do you meet the above criteria? Do you meet the criteria for the eassessment centre? Have you requested a full compatibility check with ProctorU? 12 ProctorU Equipment Test You need to carry out an equipment check on the PC you will be using to take the assessment in advance of every assessment. When you select Equipment test from the homepage this will open the ProctorU page in a new window. It checks whether the computer is fit to use or not. In some instances, there are false positives where the check will falsely pass a certain type of equipment. Proctor U asks that you connect to a Help Desk technician and request a full compatibility test. You can do this by selecting Connect with a live person on the ProctorU page and asking for a full compatibility check. If any equipment fails, you will get a cross on the relevant icon as shown below: The Association of Corporate Treasurers 14 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

16 If you fail your equipment check connect to one of the ProctorU help desk representatives, via Live Chat for a full compatibility check. The ACT will be unable to help with the equipment test, testing your equipment works with ProctorU only. 13 ProctorU Chat Functionality When you are undertaking your assessment you will see two live chats; The chat on the left-hand side is the live chat where you will communicate with the Proctor during your assessment. The chat on the right-hand side is the live chat where you can communicate with the support team at Proctor U if you have any technical issues. PLEASE NOTE: For the support team live chat on the right-hand side you may see an Idle message appear when a member of the Proctor U support team is away. This is in no way linked to the Proctor live chat on the left-hand side as the Proctor will be available for any questions or concerns during the assessment. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 15 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

17 14 Practice tests We have provided a number of specimen tests available within the Practice test section of the eassessment Centre homepage. We advise you to take these specimen tests several times before the live assessment so that you can test your knowledge and become familiar with the features available, in an online assessment, specifically the calculator, and what to expect on the day. Firstly, you will see the assessment introduction explaining the assessment rules and methodology: When ready to start, select from the bottom left hand corner. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 16 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

18 Flag a question You can flag questions to remind you to go back and answer or to check the response you have given. Select Flag from the top right-hand menu bar. When you have flagged a question, a diagonal line will show up in the box relating to the question and the total number of flagged questions changes at the top of the screen. You can remove a flag from a question by selecting Remove flag from the top right-hand menu bar. Answering questions The top of the screen is comprised of the question and then the main body of the screen is the answer box where you type the answer. You have standard features available such as undo, bold, italic and text centre/justification etc. When you have finished entering your answer select screen to proceed to the next question., located at the bottom right of the The Association of Corporate Treasurers 17 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

19 Some questions will require you to complete an existing table located within the answer box. You can still answer the question in the same way, just select the part of the table you wish to amend and enter the text. Inserting new tables When answering some questions, you may need to build a table within the answer box. To do this you will need to select the table button, then insert table and, like you would in a Word file, select the number of rows and columns you would like within your table. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 18 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

20 To extend the table, you will then need to drag and pull the edge of it. If you wish to type anything under a table in the main body of your answer you must click at the end of the table and press return. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 19 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

21 Case study questions You will see the case study information supporting the question on the right-hand side of the page. You still type your answer in the same way on the left-hand side. You can also select question. located in the bottom left of the screen to return to the previous The Association of Corporate Treasurers 20 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

22 Using the calculator For those questions where a calculator is required you can select the tab in the top right of the screen. A calculator will then appear on screen and using your mouse, you can drag the calculator to wherever you want it to appear on the screen. This is a scientific calculator that contains all the functions needed to take the assessment, you cannot use your own calculator in the assessment. To remove the calculator, you must click on the calculator tab again, or the x in the top right corner. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 21 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

23 You can press the? icon on the calculator at any time to bring up the instructions as well. Show workings and rough workings You click on the workings tab to bring up a blank workings window where you can type any notes or workings for your questions. This can be moved around the screen using the drag motion and will close upon clicking the workings tab again. The workings are saved when you close the window. Please note that any workings made in the workings tab will not count towards your final grade. Should a question require you to show your workings, this will be indicated within the question. You should copy or re-type your workings within the main answer box. If you would like to add symbols you can do so by selecting Insert and then special character. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 22 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

24 Features in the top menu bar of the screen Here you can see a close up of the top of your screen. The clock will show you how long you have left. In this test you will be reminded of the time left 15 minutes before the end, as an example. In the CertT assessments, you will be reminded 60 minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes before the end of the assessment. this shows the number of questions unread. this shows the number of questions unanswered. this shows the number of questions answered. this show the number of questions flagged. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 23 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

25 Review If you click on the review tab, you will get an overview of each question and if you have answered, left, or flagged a question. To return to the assessment, you must click on Return to current question DO NOT click on Finish as this will end your assessment. Finishing the assessment Once you have completed the assessment, you can choose to review your questions if you still have time. You can then choose to end your assessment by clicking finish in the top right of your screen. Before you end your assessment, you will be given a summary of your assessment and any questions you have left unanswered or flagged. You can then go back through your assessment here if you have time or choose to finish. Once you click on Finish the test, you will not be able to go back through the assessment. 15 Specimen papers There are specimen papers for each of the unit assessments which are available in the Info Hub in the eassessment Centre. The specimen papers have been produced by the Assessment Department at the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) to assist you in preparing for the assessments. They contain a specimen assessment as well as specimen answers. You should allow the given amount of time to complete the assessment and then review your performance to identify areas of weakness on which to concentrate the remainder of your study time. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 24 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

26 It should be noted that it is not possible to test every single aspect of the syllabus in any one particular assessment. To prepare properly you should make full use of the workshop and webinar options where available and read as widely as possible to ensure that the whole syllabus has been covered. 16 Guidance for assessment set up Please follow the guidance below. Failure to do so may mean you are unable to take the assessment. There should be no material relating to the assessment on the walls, floor or desk in the room; No one else should be present in the room, unless pre-arranged with the ACT; Any books within the room should be closed and away from the desk area; The desk area should be clear of all paperwork; Do not have any radios/music/television devices on in the background; No communication devices, including phones, should be available to you for the duration of the assessment; No watches should be worn during the assessment; a timer clock is built into the assessment showing the time left; You may use a headset during set up phase to liaise with the invigilator (proctor) but this must be removed during the assessment; If your webcam is attached to your computer, make sure to have a mirror or reflective surface such as a cell phone or electronic tablet screen available so the proctor can inspect the computer monitor edges and keyboard. Cell phones cannot be used as your webcam. The room should be well-lit. Make sure the room s light source, such as a window or lamp, is in front of you in order to avoid shadowing or glare; You should be appropriately and decently dressed for the assessment. No hats or sunglasses are permitted; Make sure your internet connection is fast and reliable. If you are connected through a Wi-Fi connection, we recommend plugging in to the modem to avoid poor or unreliable connectivity during the assessment; You will need photo ID (Passport/driving license) to sit the assessment. You will not be able to take the assessment without showing photographic ID; No calculators are allowed - you are provided with an online calculator as part of the assessment; The Association of Corporate Treasurers 25 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

27 Make sure you have followed the ProctorU technical requirements and tested your equipment; You will require administrative permissions on your computer to allow ProctorU access. 17 Taking the Assessment 17.1 Connect with your invigilator (proctor) Ensure you have done the following before you connect: Make sure you have followed the guidance in Section 12 and 15; Have your photo ID ready (you cannot sit the assessment if you do not show Photo ID); Have the ProctorU confirmation to hand with the instructions on connecting with your proctor. Step 1: Login to the eassessment Centre five to ten minutes before your scheduled start time. Please ensure that all programs not related to the assessment are closed before logging in. Step 2: Go to Schedule exam on the homepage of the eassessment Centre, you will see the time countdown. Step 3: At the time you scheduled, a message will appear saying, Connect to Your Proctor Now. Click on this button and it will automatically take you to the proctoring room. Step 4: Next, click the button under Step 1 that says Click to Download. You will be prompted to download the ProctorU software and run a file. Instructions to run the file will vary based on your internet browser (Chrome is recommended). This allows the ProctorU invigilator (proctor) to view your computer screen, your webcam video and take control of your mouse cursor to remotely assist with the process. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 26 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

28 Step 5: Follow the instructions on-screen to complete the installation. Once finished, click Allow in the Adobe Flash Player settings shown above. ProctorU will run an applet, or temporary program, on your computer that will allow us to view your screen and programs running during your assessment session. This program will expire once you close the assessment session. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 27 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

29 Step 6: A connection chat window will appear, which connects you to the proctor. Your computer firewall may block the software; a prompt should appear requesting approval. Please allow access. Your proctor should be able to assist you with this if there are any problems. Step 7: The proctor will request permission to access your computer. Once you have granted the proctor permission to access your PC they will guide you through the process. The proctor will: Confirm the assessment you are taking; Authenticate your identity by asking you to hold up your photo ID to the webcam. The proctor will ask to that a photo of you for your file; They will quote the ACT rules of the assessment and the duration. You will have to accept these by writing that you accept them in the chat window; Approve your surroundings via a 360-degree view of your assessment environment using your webcam; Advise you to clear your desk if necessary and confirm again via your webcam; Check your display settings to make sure you do not have any duplicated displays; Advise that any additional applications must be closed before proceeding to your assessment, asking whether any work needs to be saved; Advise how to contact the proctor during the assessment if there are any issues or difficulties requiring technical assistance; They will tell you to navigate to the eassessment Centre homepage, Take exam section. If your login has timed out you will need to login again. The proctor will then open the assessment by entering the invigilator code ready for you to start. When you are logged into the assessment area, read the assessment instructions carefully and begin your assessment. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 28 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

30 17.2 During the assessment When you are taking the assessment, there are several activities which, if seen, will be reported to the ACT as suspicious and may lead to your assessment result being voided. The list below provides some examples of such suspicious activities: Accepting or making phone calls; Communication of any kind with an individual, this including instant messaging; Use of any programs/software other than the authorised assessment program; Wearing/using headsets during the assessment, you can use headsets to communicate with the invigilator (proctor) before starting the assessment but headsets are to be removed during the assessment. Talking (other than to the invigilator (proctor) if you need to; Leaving the room (unless a bathroom break has been agreed for reasonable adjustment); Reference to any unauthorised materials; Using your own calculator; Attempting to load other programs on your system during the assessment (including viewing documents, web browsing or access); Attempted use of a remote access connection or virtual environment; Insufficient or incomplete webcam footage. Please ensure your webcam is placed above your screen/monitor looking towards you, focused on your face, for the duration of your assessment; Other activities, such as repeated movement which may suggest reference to unauthorised materials, will also be reported for review At the end of the assessment Click Finish in the top right of the screen You will need to inform the Proctor via the chat box once you have completed the assessment as it is important that they guide you through the logout process and confirm your assessment has been completed and submitted successfully. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 29 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments

31 18 Assessment Result Your assessment has been submitted for marking and you will receive your confirmed result on the date stated on the ACT website. For more information about your results, please see the Notes to Results document located within the Info Hub section of the eassessment Centre. The Association of Corporate Treasurers 30 eassessment User Guide for Essay Style Assessments