• VNSG-1204 Foundations of Nursing
• VNSG-1261 Clinical (LPN Training)
• VNSG-1261 Clinical - Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
• VNSG-1400 Nursing in Health and Illness I

1.       Examinations are based on course objectives.
2.       Course content from the pre-requisite courses will be included on exams as appropriate.
3.       All unit exams, including the Comprehensive Final Exam must be taken.  Make up exams will NOT be administered under any circumstances other than a College sponsored event or with permission of the Allied Health Department Chair.  Students scheduled to miss an exam due to participation in a College sponsored event shall provide appropriate documentation to faculty in advance of the exam and are eligible to complete the missed exam.  If a student must miss an exam, they must contact the instructor prior to the exam or within twenty-four (24) hours of the exam.  A “no-call/no show” for an exam will result in a grade of “0”.  Students who miss an exam for any invalidated reason shall receive a zero on the exam.  Students may submit an appeal to this policy by presenting rationale to the Director or Coordinator of appropriate nursing program no later than two (2) business days following the exam.  The student is responsible for seeking the exception from the Director or Coordinator of appropriate nursing program.  Students who miss an exam due to an excused reason will be provided an exception to the policy and the student will be assigned the grade made on the final exam as the grade for the missed exam.  If two exams are missed, the student will be given a zero for the second (2^nd) missed exam.  An alternative plan may be proposed at the discretion of the Director or Coordinator of appropriate nursing program and/or Chair of the Allied Health Department.  The Director or Coordinator of appropriate nursing program will document all exceptions in the student’s file and notify the course leader if an exception is granted.
4.       No exams will be given in advance of the scheduled date and time without approval of the Nursing Program                   Coordinator or Director.
5.       Tests will be administered electronically.  Students will be provided with-

a.       Exam Access Code sheet that also serves as a scratch sheet
b.       Exceptions for electronic testing include paper dosage tests
 
6.       Exams will be timed based on question format and course policy.  The exam time frame will be provided on the Exam Access Code sheet.  Students will only receive credit for answers provided during the allotted time.
 
7.       Computer Lab:
a.       Students will arrive 5 minutes prior to designated location to sign-in for the exam.
b.       Students arriving 15 minutes late or more will be sent to student success center without additional time for proctored exam.
c.       Allied health staff member will call student success center to inform them of the student arrival for proctored exam.
d.       All students must wear student ID to access the testing computer lab
e.       Students will not test without Valid LSCPA ID.
f.        All belonging (e.g., backpacks, cell phones, electronic devices) will remain in an area outside of the computer lab for the duration of the exam.  Students are encouraged to lock valuables in their vehicles during examinations.  The Lamar State College Port Arthur Allied Health Department is not responsible for lost or stolen items left in the classrooms, hallways, or computer labs.  Students are strongly encouraged to take exams as scheduled.  No questions may be asked during the exam.  Students who arrive late for an exam will not be given additional testing time.  Students are prohibited from writing any notes on their scratch sheet of paper until the exam begins.
 
8.       Exam Dress Code:
a.       Students will be subject to visual inspection by the exam proctor upon arrival to the registration and/or exam room.  This includes but is not limited to inspection of the ears, hands/arms, clothing, pockets, etc.
b.       No head coverings of any kind are allowed, including hats, caps, beanies, or hoods.  Exceptions are made for religious/cultural purposes.
c.       No cardigans, coats, jackets, or any other articles of clothing that may open are allowed in exam room.  Pullovers without pockets are acceptable. 
d.       Scarves and gloves are not allowed in the exam room.
 
9.       During the exam:
a.       Drinking or eating are not permitted.  Hard candies such as peppermints or cough drops are allowed but must be unwrapped prior to the start of the exam.
b.       Electronic devices (including but not limited to phones, smart watches, and earbuds) are prohibited during examinations.  With the exception of approved earbuds for standardized testing.
c.       If the exam is interrupted due to technical difficulties additional time will be allotted for the exam.
 
10.   Students are responsible for uploading their exam to the ExamSoft System prior to exiting the examination room.  Student will notify proctor of the exam completion and exam upload completion.  Proctor will view screen to confirm successful completion of exam upload before student leaves testing room.  If a student does not upload their exam, they will be required to return to the examination room for a manual upload.
11.   A primary score will be displayed upon uploading the exam to ExamSoft.  After uploading their exam. Students are to sign out of the testing software.  Upon completion of the exam, students will submit the Exam Access Code Sheet (scratch sheet of paper) to the exam proctor.  Students who chose to review missed items will return to the registration room and wait for Exam Review with Rationale to begin at the designated time.
 
NOTE: DO NOT wait outside of the exam room if any testing is occurring in the computer labs.
 
Violation of the testing policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including possible dismissal from the nursing program.
Appropriate adjustments are made for students who meet the criteria of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
 
12.   Evaluation of Examinations:  After each exam, the faculty uses psychometric principles to evaluate the examination.  Items missed by 50% or more of the class are reviewed.  If an item is found to be flawed, the faculty may give credit for more than one answer or nullify the item.  That is, if a student answered the item as originally keyed, the student will retain the credit for the item.  If a student’s answer differs from the one originally keyed, the student is credited for the nullified item.  In other words, everyone gets credit for the item and no one loses credit.
13.   Exam Review with Rationales is conducted after each exam to allow students to review incorrect responses and rationales for the exam item.  With the exception of final exams.  This session is time limited.  Students will be allotted a specific number of minutes, based upon the length of the exam (for example, students will have 8 minutes to review missed items on a 50-item exam).  Students are not required to attend Exam Review with Rationales.  If a student chooses not to attend the Exam Review with Rationales session, the student is not eligible for an individual test review session with an assigned instructor.
14.   Students will return to the same exam room and same computer for Exam Review with Rationales.  Exam Review with Rationales must be conducted on the same computer as the exam.  The same policies listed for testing apply to the Exam Review with Rationales Session.
The following rules apply:
a.       All belongings must remain in the classroom or student’s vehicle.
b.       Students are not allowed to talk amongst themselves during this session.
c.       Students who arrive late for Exam Review with Rationales will not be given additional review time.
d.       Students will log into the Review with Rationales using the following steps:
1.        Enter the Exam Password
2.       Enter the Review Password
 
NOTE:  Students only have 3 attempts to enter the correct Review Password.  Students are encouraged to request assistance from faculty/proctor after 2 unsuccessful attempts.
 
15.   During the Exam Review with Rationales session: Disruptive behaviors will not be tolerated.  If students become disruptive, faculty will end the Exam Review with Rationales session for all students.  Upon completion of the Exam Review the students will sign out of the ExamSoft or Examplify application and quietly leave the testing room.
16.   If a student scores less than a “75” on a unit examination, the student is required to make an appointment with an instructor prior to the next examination.  At that time, the student and instructor will review the examination and, with the assistance of the instructor, identify strategies to improve performance on subsequent examinations.  If a student, who scores less than “75” on a unit examination, fails to review with an instructor, 5 points may be deducted from the next unit examination.  Students are required to make an appointment prior to the day before the exam.
17.   A minimum average of 75%, independent of all other requirements, is necessary to pass this course.  Daily activity grades (discussion boards, classroom/computer assignments, etc.) will not be included in grade calculations until a 75% average on exams is achieved.  No grades will be rounded until the final course average: this includes the weighted exam average.
 
18.   The following method is used to determine each student’s grade in the course:
 
                                                   Average with Daily grades          
Exam I                                                      20%      Grade                              
Exam II                                                     20%      Grade                             
Exam III                                                    20%      Grade
Assignments                                             __5 %     Grade   
                                                                 65%      Grade
      
       Final Exam                                         35%       Grade                               
                                                                100%       Grade     
                          
 19.  An average of 75% or greater is necessary to pass the course.

• No food products are allowed in the classroom.
• Effective, June 1, 2012, Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSC-PA) is a no smoking campus.  Use of tobacco products is prohibited on all LSC-PA properties at any time
• Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission.
• Electronic devices (including but not restricted to cell phones, ’smart’ watches, and laptop computers) shall not be used during examinations unless specifically allowed by the instructor.
• Use of electronic devices during normal class hours distracts other students, disrupts the class, and wastes valuable time. Instructors have an obligation to reduce such disruptions.
• Students should turn their phones to vibrate before they enter the classroom.
• No cell phones or smart watches, media players, laptop computers, audio listening devices; such as earphones, Bluetooth and headphones, should be visible during class unless specifically allowed by the instructor.
• Students support of each other in the learning environment is encouraged and expected.  Supportive relationships with each other will allow a more positive learning environment to enable all to work together as a team and develop professionally.
• Students are expected to follow the guidelines and policies of the LSCPA Vocational Nursing Student Handbook.

• 
  Inappropriate and/or disruptive use of cell phones or other electronics
• Talking or sleeping while the instructor is giving instructions or during class discussions/presentations;
• Or displaying a rude or negative attitude/behavior to the instructor or other students
• A student who is tardy three (3) times in one class will result in a 5-point deduction from the next exam grade.  Tardiness is defined as arriving greater than 15 minutes to class.

• 
  Promptness is expected.  Students should be on time for all classes and return from breaks promptly.
• Students are expected to come to didactic, lab, and clinical experiences prepared and present as sincere, adult learners.  Pre-course assignments may be required for admission into class.
• Phone calls and/or text messages should be returned only during scheduled breaks
• Cell phones must be on vibrate in the classroom.  In the event of an emergency, family can contact students through the AH Secretary, Vocational Nursing Program Coordinator, or Department Chair.
• On-campus computers will only be used for classroom work
• All information shared by other students and instructors will remain confidential and should not be shared with others outside of the classroom or lab environment.
• Students should not engage in “side-bar” discussions during classroom, exam reviews, clinical or labs.
• Comments should be directed to the faculty in charge of the classroom, clinical, or lab time.
• All students are expected to actively participate in all discussions, activities, and exercises in classroom, clinical, or lab.
• Students are expected to be open to new ideas and experiences and to step outside of their comfort zone.
• A positive attitude is expected and comments should give supportive feedback
• The classroom, clinical, and lab environment is a judgement-free zone.
• Students are responsible for their actions and are responsible for learning as must as possible from the experiences provided
• Students are encouraged to seek assistance from peers and faculty when needed to be successful.
• Student support of each other in the learning environment is encouraged and expected.  Supportive relationships with each other will allow a more positive learning environment to enable all to work together as a team and develop professionally.
• Students are expected to follow the guidelines and policies in the LSCPA Vocational Nursing Program Handbook.