If you have an oral exam, it will be conducted in Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
The choice of programme will be made by your study programme – based on which is most suitable for your exam and in some cases based on which programmes have been used for online teaching.
When you receive information about your exam, you will be informed about choice of programme. It is important that you read the instructions below for the relevant programme before your exam.
An online oral exam follows the same general exam rules as an ordinary oral exam, but there are some extra procedures that must be followed.
Requirements to your equipment
It will be taken into account that this is an extraordinary situation, but it is your responsibility that you can participate with the equipment you are using when you have an online oral exam.
In order to conduct the exam satisfactory the examiners must be able to both hear and see you. We strongly recommend using a computer for the best experience, but using a smartphone is also an option.
You will therefore need to have:
- A computer with a webcam/external webcam or a smartphone with a camera
- A steady internet connection
We also recommend using headphones or a headset for the best possible sound quality (but this is not essential).
Information about your online exam
Together with a timetable for your exam you will receive information about which programme will be used for your exam and a link for the exam. This information will be sent to you by either Student Services or your teacher.
Following the technical instructions that you find on this page, you will be asked to use you VIAid. This is the same as you use to log on to Itslearning and other VIA systems.
Exam using Zoom
You will receive a link to the exam.
For further information on installing and participating in an exam in Zoom read this guide (pdf): Participate in a Zoom exam
The Zoom version used in VIA is different from the free version. It is in compliance the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Therefore it is a safe system and not as the free version where there is no control over which data is collected.
Exam using Microsoft Teams
You will receive a link to the exam.
For further information participating in an exam in Microsoft Teams read this guide (pdf): Participate in a Microsoft Teams exam
The exam
Get ready early on the day of your exam to make sure you are ready and with the relevant programme open when the exam begins.
Please note:
- There can be delays in the oral exams, so you might not be allowed access into the exam at the scheduled time. As long as you have access to the waiting room/lobby you just wait until being let in.
- You must be able to identify yourself by showing a passport, driving license or other identification with a recognisable picture of you, e.g. your VIA Student card (if you have a digital student card to a “print screen” photo that you can share)
- Make sure you are sitting in a quiet room with good lighting. Avoid sitting in front of a window as it influences the light.
- If you are going to use a Power Point or something similar at the examination you must follow the instructions given from your study programme concerning presentations at the exam.
- Ordinary oral exams are open to the public, which means you that can normally invite friends or other people to watch the exam.
- Oral exams online are closed to the public in order to avoid cheating. You must therefore be alone in the room you are sitting in during the exam (except group exams – see below). The examiners can ask you to show them the room by webcam to ensure you are alone.
- Audio-visual recording of the exam is not permitted unless it is a part of the examination itself. If that is the case, VIA will do the recording (Executive order on examination regulations)
- When you and the examiners have all joined the meeting, the exam will be conducted as an ordinary oral exam.
- When the exam is completed, the examiner will let you out of the meeting again. Please make sure, that you follow the technical instructions on how to prepare yourself to regain access into the exam immediately after the exam. When the assessment is done you will again get access to the exam meeting in order to get feedback and grading.
Technical problems during the exam
If the exam is interrupted due to technical issues and the connection is not quickly restored, you must call the examiner from your phone. You must always be the one to make the call, even if the problems are not at your end - and you must do it without unnecessary delay.
You will get the phone number along with the link to the online exam.
The examiners will decide whether the exam is be continued, discontinued or postponed – and you will be told before you hang up the phone, what is going to happen next.
If the exam cannot be completed
We have meticulously prepared this period with online exams and are sure, that you will do the same. However, sometimes unexpected things can happen in relation with online exams, as is the case with exams held at VIA. If an exam can not be completed online, the outcome depends on whether the reason for the discontinuation of the exam is due to you or VIA – just as is the case in all other exams.
If you cannot complete the exam due to technical issues with your equipment or the internet connection is failing at your end, you will have used one exam attempt, just as you would if you were delayed going to an oral exam because the bus was delayed or your bike had a flat tyre.
That said, it is an extraordinary situation and it will be taken into consideration if you would end up needing to ask for a dispensation for a fourth attempt.
In the case of technical problems during the exam, VIA University College will try the best to complete the exam anyway – by trying the backup system etc. As long as you make sure before the exam that your equipment is working, you have a good internet connection, and you have read the instructions, you will have prepared sufficiently with regards to the practical part of your exam.
The IT department and Study Service will also provide backup for the examinators in case of the need for support, so we will do our best to ensure that your exam will run smoothly.
In case the exam cannot be completed due to other factors than those, that you are responsible of, ie. factors that VIA is responsible of, a new exam will be offered as soon as possible in order to repair the situation. In that case, the interrupted attempt to do the exam will not count as one of your three exam attempts.