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Requirements for remote and online student assessments

In order to ensure the integrity and reliability of students' assessment results during the ongoing pandemic, the RCVS Council Covid-19 Taskforce has approved the following requirements for any veterinary / veterinary nursing assessments that are being implemented online/remotely.

These requirements apply to any student assessment considered to be ‘high stakes’, ie for (or contributing to) a decision on progression or achievement.

Education institutions must provide assurance:

  1. of the candidate’s identity, upon starting the assessment and throughout the duration of the assessment;
  2. that the submission is entirely the sole work of the candidate, and no collusion or help has been received;
  3. that the candidate has completed the assessment in line with agreed regulations, eg no access to information resources unless an 'open book' assessment;
  4. that the candidate has been provided with clear information regarding the use of their data, and where necessary consented to its use for the purpose stated;
  5. that candidates are unable to share the content of an assessment with other candidates taking the assessment; and
  6. that the results of the assessment are sufficiently reliable for a high stakes context, and that the authenticity of results is actively considered and checked.

In addition, all assessments should be a fixed time (reasonable additional time for IT issues is permitted).

Data supporting the measures above should be available for review during accreditation and may be requested as part of the annual monitoring process.

Further information