Exam Support

This tool is only available for off-campus digital open book exams where the exam is centrally timetabled.

Your subject coordinator may choose to not use this tool during the exam. If this is the case, they will advise you via an Announcement how they can be contacted for exam related questions during the first 45 minutess of the exam.

Exam Support is an online communication tool accessed within the Canvas LMS. It allows you to start an instant one-on-one text-based interaction with teaching staff during an online exam to seek support relating to exam content. This is a private exchange between you and teaching staff, and no other students can view this interaction. Teaching staff will be available for the first 45 minutes of an exam, unless they advise otherwise.

This tool will only be used for exam content related questions and issues. Only access the Exam Support tool, if you have an exam content question. There is no need to access it if you do not have a question. For technical support, please refer to the exams page for advice for help with technical issues.

If teaching staff need to clarify or advise all students of any exam related content, they will post an announcement via the LMS in the relevant subject. Please ensure your announcement notifications are set to 'notify immediately'.

More information:

This tool will only be accessible 30 minutes prior to the start time of your online exam and teaching staff will only be available to respond to exam related questions for the first 45 minutes of the exam.

Access Exam Support

On the day of the exam, a notification email is sent to you approximately 30 minutes before the commencement of a scheduled exam, inviting you to join Exam Support in your relevant exam subject. Only access the tool if you have a question about the exam.

  1. Navigate to your subject in the LMS.
  2. Click Exam Support in the subject navigation menu.
  3. Click Join to enter the ‘in progress’ Exam Support tool. The Exam Support opens in a new tab.

Exam support

  1. From the pop-up screen, select Play audio.

Play audio

Send a private exam question to teaching staff

Your interactions with teaching staff are private and will not be visible to any other students.

Do not close the Exam Support window until you are sure your interaction is complete. All interactions transcripts and data will not be saved and cannot be retrieved. Please ensure you have taken screenshots of the messages, if necessary.

  1. Click on a teaching staff member’s name from the left-hand menu.
  2. Click Start a Private chat.
  3. Write your exam content related question into Send message.
  4. Click Send message.

Send a private exam question to teaching staff

Turn on notifications

  1. Click the 3 vertical dots icon in the top right corner of the screen.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Toggle the Audio Alerts for Chat and Popup Alerts for Chat to ON.

Notifications and alerts settings

  1. Click Save.

Important: Do not close the Exam Support window until you are sure your interaction is complete. All interaction transcripts and data will not be saved and cannot be retrieved. Please ensure you have taken screenshots of the messages, if necessary.

This guide was last updated 27 Sep 2023.
Please report any errors or omissions in this guide by submitting an LMS support request.