Suffolk Law Student Handbook

LAPTOP EXAM – PROCESS FOR INVESTIGATING AND RESOLVING CLAIMS OF

MISSING EXAM TEXT

The Examsoft program is designed with many safeguards (such as redundant data back-up and

an extensive exam-activity audit trail) to protect the integrity of the exam process and to ensure

that even in the unlikely event of a malfunction, the student’s exam data is protected and

accessible. As with the numerous jurisdictions that use Examsoft for bar examinations, the law

school believes this to be a very safe and reliable way for students to complete exams.

In the unlikely and rare circumstance that a student believes that all or a portion of an exam

answer that he or she believes to have properly typed during the examination while using

Examsoft is missing, the law school will investigate and resolve the matter in accordance with

the following process:

The Assistant Dean for Academic Services will conduct an investigation of the matter, including

reviewing the Examsoft logs and available reports associated with the exam at issue. The

Assistant Dean for Academic Services will notify the student of the results of the investigation

within 2 business days. If the Assistant Dean for Academic Services determines that further

investigation of the matter is necessary, then the Assistant Dean for Academic Services will

notify the student by e-mail that he/she must bring the laptop to Suffolk University Tech Support

Services.

Once notified by the Assistant Dean for Academic Services that the laptop must be brought to

Tech Support Services, the student has 3 business days to bring the laptop used for the

examination to Tech Support Services. If the student fails to submit the laptop used for the

examination to Tech Support Services within 3 business days, no further investigation will take

place and the exam will be submitted to the instructor for grading.

Once it has access to the student’s laptop, Tech Support Services will work with Examsoft to

retrieve any missing data from the laptop and/or to investigate the student’s claim. If during the

investigation, the missing text or exam is found to be accessible, then the exam will be submitted

to the instructor.

Upon the conclusion of the Tech Support Services investigation, the Assistant Dean for

Academic Services, Dean of Students and an Academic Associate Dean will review the findings

of the investigation, including the detailed reports provided by Examsoft regarding keystrokes

and user initiated commands. Absent indication of an

Examsoft-caused

computer-caused

malfunction out of the control of the student, no relief will be granted and the exam will be

submitted to the instructor for grading.

If, after conducting their review, the Assistant Dean for Academic Services, Dean of Students

and an Academic Associate Dean believe by a preponderance of the evidence that:

there was a malfunction;

the malfunction was not a result of the student’s failure to follow the laptop exam rules;

and