LEARNER DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
STUDENT SERVICES
STUDENT AND ACADEMIC SERVICES
GUIDELINES FOR ORGANISING AND ADMINISTERING SUPPORT WORKERS FOR ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
SCRIBES (AMANUENSES)
Students who have an impairment that restricts the ability to hand-write, type or maintain the posture required for writing; or students who, as a result of an impairment, present information better in oral than written form, may be recommended a scribe after assessment by a Learning Development Adviser.
A scribe is a person who, in an examination, writes or word processes a candidate’s dictated answers to questions.
The Learner Development Service has standardised the recruitment and training and hence the quality of work of scribes to be used across the university. We hold a database of scribes thus recruited and are responsible for providing each faculty with a list of suitable scribes on an annual basis. We undertake to evaluate this service annually by surveying all stakeholders, including examinations officers and in addition welcome any feedback provided informally.
The exams officer has responsibility for contacting all students for whom a scribe has been recommended in their Personal Learning Plan, in order to make these arrangements.
The following guidelines are designed to ensure consistency and good practice across the University.
1.The use of a scribe should neither give a student an unfair advantage nor should it disadvantage the student.
- A scribe will have obtained an undergraduate degree from a UK university and ideally will be familiar with the subject area and/or terminology.
3. A scribe must have legible handwriting and be able to write at a speed of at least 25 words per minute. The scribe must have the ability to communicate fluently and clearly in English, both verbally and in writing.
4. A student new to using scribes may have a one hour practice session (arranged through Learner Development) prior to the start of the exam period. This should provide the candidate with an opportunity to practise dictating a ‘typical’ exam question. In exceptional circumstances, where a student has a significant communication difficulty, Learner Development will recommend the student’s support worker to act as a scribe.
5. On the day of the examination:
- The candidate is entitled to a separate room which must be available 15 minutes before the start of the exam. Other candidates should not be able to hear what is being said.
- Copies of the examination paper should be made available to both the scribe and the student.
- Information regarding invigilation should be made clear to the scribe and student.
6. During the examination, a scribe:
- Must neither give factual help to the candidate nor offer any suggestions:
- Must write down answers exactly as they are dictated.
- May at the candidate’s request read back what has been recorded and change the recorded material as requested by the candidate.
- Must draw or add to maps, diagrams, graphs and tables strictly in accordance with the candidate’s instructions.
- Must not help the student manage their time in the exam, nor prompt the student when to move on to the next question.
- Normally a Scribe should not read out the examination paper to the student nor should they explain the meaning of the question or any instructions (see also 10, below)
7. All students using a scribe are entitled to additional time for each examination as detailed in the students’ Personal Learning Plan.
8. The Faculty is responsible for arranging and funding invigilation. In these instances a separate invigilator must be available for the duration of the exam.
9. Students and scribes should be given a copy of the appropriate Scribe guidelines but should alsobe reminded of the examination and assessment regulations.
10. For studentswhose PLP recommends both a reader and a scribe,the same person may act as both. If there is a recommendation on a Personal Learning Plan only for a ‘reader’, the role is carried out by an invigilator. In both instances, a separate room for the exam must be arranged. It should be noted that Learner Development does not fund ‘readers’ for disabled or injured students.
Practice Sessions
Some students are used to working with a scribe; for others this might be their first time. If a disabled student has never used a scribe before, it is possible to arrange a one hour practice session by contacting Learner Development. Students should be informed that there is no guarantee the scribe used in a practice session will be the same scribe used in their examinations.
Students are also advised to practice dictation skills and refer to the “guidelines on good dictation practice” in the “Scribe guidelines for students” document.
Learner Development do not fund practice sessions for students with injuries.
Procedurefor booking a Scribefor Disabled Students
Faculties are responsible for booking the scribes, providing suitable venues for examination sittings and arranging appropriate invigilation.
Learner Development will provide the Faculty with a list of suitable scribes.
If a scribe has been recommended in a students’ Personal Learning Plan (PLP), the following procedure should be followed:
- Contact student to determine whether a scribe is required for ALL exams, or just for certain exams. Students may not require a scribe for maths, IT or science based subjects, so it is important to check this with the student. If a student has never used a scribe before and would like a practice session, please refer the student to Learner Development as soon as possible.
- Check scribe availability by using the list of scribes provided by Learner Development.If a scribe accepts the work, confirm details of the exam by completing the first section of the timesheet for each exam and sending it to the scribe via e-mail or post. The scribe should be reminded to bring the timesheet to the exam.
Give the scribe a FIN1Aform at this stage, or make it available on the day of the exam.
- Contact student by email and confirm that a scribe has been booked. The faculty must give or send a copy of the “Scribe guidelines for students” which is available on the Learner Development website and be reminded to adhere to it.
- Give each scribe 1 copy of the FIN1Aform(on the day of the exam or send by post when confirming exam details). FIN1A forms are available at Finance Offices or can be downloaded from the finance website.
Please Note: To avoid unnecessary delays in payment please forward completed signed timesheets and FIN 1A forms to the Finance Administrator at Learner Development, (Ground Floor Employability Hub, Business School and Student Hub Building, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road, M15 6BH)as soon as you receive them. Please do not hold onto the forms until the end of the end of the examination period. Scribe and Invigilation expenses should not be claimed on the same form, as Learner Development do not fund invigilation costs; a separate Fin 1A should be completed.
Booking scribes for injured students
In line with the MMU Regulations, guidelines and procedures on examination and assessment arrangements for disabled students (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005):
Students who require scribes due to injuryshould contact their Head of Department as soon as possible. Where a department agrees to a student using a scribe, it is the department’s responsibility to organise and fund this support.
To book a scribe for a student with an injury, the same procedure detailed above should be followed. However, the timesheets and FIN 1A should be sent to the students’ department rather than Learner Development.
Funding for Scribes
The current rate of pay is £10.15 per hour and Scribes are not entitled to claim for travelling or other expenses. Scribes should be asked to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled examination start time and these 15 minutes should be added to the total number of hours worked on the Scribe’s timesheet.
Learner Development currently meets scribe costs for examinations held during the main timetabled examination periods if the use of a scribe has been recommended in the students’ Personal Learning Plan (PLP). Faculties will need to meet the cost for a scribe for any examinations or phase tests outside these periods. In the event of a student not turning up to an examination when a scribe has been arranged, Learner Development will only fund 1 non-attendance according to the table below.
Where a Faculty decides to provide a scribe for a student with a temporary injury it is the faculty’s responsibility to organise and fund this support.
Students not wanting to use a scribe when this has been recommended in their PLP
If a student no longer wishes to use a scribe, the separate room and the extra time recommendation will need to be reviewed. In this case, please advise Learner Developmentas soon as possible, where an Adviser will be able to advise on appropriate recommendations. A revised Personal Learning Plan can be sent out after the student has seen an Adviser in Learner Development.
Students not turning up for examinations
Wherever possible, students should be encouraged to provide as much notice as possible if they do not intend taking an examination; this is reiterated in the Guidelines for Students using Scribes. Inevitably, there will be occasions where this may not be possible. Scribes will be entitled to a claim as per the table shown;these payments are non-negotiable.
The following situation arises: / Scribe entitled to claim:Student doesn’t turn up for examination. / £10.15ph
A maximum of £20.30 applies for exams with a duration of 2 hours or more.
A scribe session is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. / £10.15ph
A maximum of £20.30 applies for exams with a duration of 2 hours or more.
A scribe session is cancelled with more than 24 hours notice. / Nil
It is then essential for examination staff to contact the student to establish the reason for non-attendance. If a student does not intend taking any remaining exams the scribe for these should be cancelled immediately.
Scribes not turning up for examinations
If a scribe is late, the first step is to make contact using the mobile number detailed on the scribe list. If no contact can be made and the scribe is more than 10 minutes late, try contacting another local scribe by looking at the scribe addresses. If no-one suitable can be found, please seek advice from the Student Life Office Manager.
Updated SP 10/2/2014[1]
1
[1]Original document created by NS 29/10/10