FAQs for Faculty

To submit a testing agreement, follow the steps posted on the testing center website or watch the demonstration video. Testing agreements can be submitted in AIM before students require their accommodations.

Only head instructors can view all course information in AIM and add a Testing Agreement. If a Head Teaching Fellows or another faculty require access to complete the Testing Agreement and support management of the alternative testing responsibilities, the head instructor should email dao@fas.harvard.edu with the course number (e.g., ECON 10A) and ID (e.g., 246802) and the following information for each additional instructor:

• Full Name
• HUID
• Harvard email address

Alternatively, the head instructor can follow this workflow or watch the demonstration video on how to manually add a teaching staff member in AIM.

Both options may take 1-2 business days to be processed.

To add additional exam dates, please view the workflow or watch the demonstration video.

It is highly encouraged that the exam upload is done during completion of the Testing Agreement. Only one exam upload is needed per exam date. Please refer to the workflow or watch the demonstration video. All exam files must be uploaded in AIM at least 3 business days before the first scheduled exam.

Exam file(s) should be uploaded in AIM at least 3 business days before the first scheduled exam date (view how to upload exams in AIM demonstration video ). If you have physical copies of an exam, you must bring them to the testing center located in the lower level of Hilles, 59 Shepard St, Cambridge no later than 3 business days before the exam to allow enough time for processing. 

When exams are completed, you will receive an email with a link to schedule a pickup time at the testing center located in the lower level of Hilles, 59 Shepard St, Cambridge. 

To submit a testing agreement for a given course, the teaching staff must be added to that course in AIM. 

The head instructor must email DAO with (1) the full name, (2) the HUID number, and (3) the email address of the teaching staff member they wish to add to their course in AIM. 

Alternatively, they can follow the workflow or watch the demonstration video on how to manually add a teaching staff member, posted on the testing center website. 

Both options may take 1-2 business days to be processed.

No. The students are responsible for submitting their exam requests as soon as possible but no later than 3 business days before the exam date.

The testing center does not send reminders to students to schedule exams. We recommend adding the testing center website link to the course’s Canvas page.

If a student does not submit an exam request at least three business days before the scheduled exam, they are assumed to have chosen not to use their accommodations and are expected to take their exam with the main class.

No, the testing center does not administer oral exams, including those conducted on Canvas. Oral exams must be administered by the course staff.  

No. Final exams will continue to be managed by the Registrar’s Office and will not be administered by the testing center.

The teaching staff may prepare and upload a timed slideshow, presentation, or audio file in AIM, which our staff will then provide to students on thumb drives. Students can complete the exam on their own computers using personal headsets. Unfortunately, due to the nature of self-scheduling and the logistical and technological constraints, the testing center proctors are unable to administer these types of exams.

Instructors have an option to reuse the same exam or to create different versions. If there are multiple versions, they must include the student’s name in the file name to ensure students receive the correct version of the exam.

Exams completed on a computer are printed out and placed with all other completed exams to be collected in-person during the scheduled exam pickup appointment.

First, notify your students as soon as possible about the exam date change. After that, please update the exam date in the Testing Agreement on AIM. Make sure the date change is done at least 5 business days before the new exam date to allow the students to add/update their exam requests in AIM.

Communicate to your students that the course is utilizing the testing center for all DAO-approved testing accommodations for term-time written tests. They should schedule their exams in AIM as soon as possible, but no later than 3 business days before the exam date. Furthermore, due to space limitations, you can encourage your students to schedule all of their exams for the rest of the semester to ensure securing a seat for their exam at the testing center.

If the status of the exam request says “processing”, that means the testing center is still working through exam requests and the student will get an email when their exam request has been processed.

Teaching staff must ensure that students have access to their exam from their start time and for the entirety of their extended exam time. Failure to set up online exams appropriately before the exam starts may impact the student’s ability to complete that exam at the testing center and result in the teaching staff having to work with the student(s) directly to administer the exams with all students’ accommodations in place. If there is a password or a passcode for the exam, please share it with the student at least 15 minutes before the exam begins. Instructors may also provide the password when submitting the testing agreement for the testing center to provide to the student.