Thesis Examination Guide

WTS released changes to the default settings for Zoom Meetings at Western on Sunday, October 18^th.  SGPS has reviewed those changes and wants to ensure you are aware of the potential impact these Zoom changes may have on your thesis examinations.  Comments on the impacts of these changes and links to additional Zoom documentation are included below.

1. Require a passcode when scheduling new meetings
   This will be turned on by default, so that a passcode will be generated when scheduling meetings, and participants will be required to enter it in order to join a session.
   
   SGPS strongly recommends you use a passcode with your examinations and public lectures.  Please be sure to include the passcode in the final invitation you provide to the examination or public lecture (link).
   
   

2. Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join
   This option, which encrypts the password in the invite link, will be turned off by default. The passcode should be sent separately from communications with the link to the meeting.
   
   Many users may have become comfortable with the passcode being embedded in the link in past invitations so the passcode requirement might require extra attention.  Ensure the passcode is highlighted in your communication to participants (link).
   
   

3. Waiting room
   The waiting room will be turned on by default, so that participants will be unable to join the meeting until admitted by the host. 
   
   The waiting room provides a buffer to ensure only valid participants may see and hear the public lecture or examination.  It does require the host to admit participants as they appear in the waiting room and will not allow participants to join the meeting before the host (link).
   
   

4. Chat
   Chat will be turned off by default for non-host participants so that it they will be unable to send broadcast messages visible to all participants. 
   
   There should be little function for Chat inside the examination.  If a student feels Chat would be appropriate for receiving questions for their Public Lecture, Zoom provides the capacity to reopen that function (link).
   
   

5. Private Chat
   Private chat, which allows participants to send private messages to other participants will be turnedoff as a default.  Participants will be able to communicate privately with hosts and hosts will be able to send broadcast messages. 
   
   There should be no function for Private Chat inside the examination or public lecture (link).
    

6. File Transfer
   This setting will be turned off by default. This item is for security concerns related to files being sent from one user to another within the platform.
   
   There should be no function for File Transfer in the examination or public lecture (link).
   
   

7. Mute participants upon entry
   This setting will be turned on by default. Combining this setting with in-session controls that allow the host to mute all participants and not allow participants to unmute themselves can be very effective.
   
   Participants can still unmute themselves as required.
   
   

8. Screen sharing
   This setting will be turned off by default and will permit the host to share their screen and to give permission during the session for those that ask to share their screens. The host is further advised to take care in sharing only the desired content to minimize the risk of inadvertent sharing of personal or confidential material. This can be accomplished by sharing only the desired window (as opposed to the entire desktop) and closing other applications.
   
   This revised default setting will place emphasis on the host of the meeting to enable screen sharing where applicable in the public lecture or examination (link).
    

Graduate coordinator/assistant:

• Set up the Zoom meeting
• Send the Zoom link (with host key if appropriate (see guide for details)), the Remote Thesis Examination guide and the link to the online chair report to the examination chair.
• Send the Zoom link, the link to the examiner reports, the contact information for the chair and the Remote Thesis Examination guide to the exam participants
• Contact the committee the day before the exam to confirm remote attendance and exam details.
• If a chair or supervisor is unable to participate, contact Jacqui Jaremchenko (thesis@uwo.ca) for guidance. If an examiner is unable to participate, re-schedule the exam.

Chair:

• Make sure the Zoom meeting connection works.
• Familiarize yourself with Zoom if you haven’t used it before.
• Ensure that your device will work effectively for this purpose.
• Review the Remote Thesis Examination Guide, which includes instructions for managing Zoom as well as links to the Examiner Reports, Chair Report and Regulations.
• Confirm attendance with the graduate co-ordinator the day before the exam. If you know or suspect that you will not be able to participate, inform them as soon as possible.
• Check in with the committee the day before the exam to make sure that the Zoom connection works.
• Ensure that the examination is run in accordance with SGPS regulations. If you have any concerns that the technology being used is not working well, you have the authority to suspend the exam.
• If you decide that you are not comfortable managing a remote exam, inform the graduate co-ordinator as soon as possible.

Examiners:

• Confirm attendance with the graduate co-ordinator the day before the exam. If you know or suspect that you will not be able to participate, inform them as soon as possible.
• Ensure that your device will work effectively for this purpose. Zoom provides the option of a test meeting (see guide for details).
• Review the Remote Thesis Examination Guide, which includes a link to the Examiner Reports.

Supervisor, Candidate:

• Confirm attendance with the graduate co-ordinator the day before the exam. If you know or suspect that you will not be able to participate, inform them as soon as possible.
• Ensure that your device will work effectively for this purpose. Zoom provides the option of a test meeting (see guide for details).

All faculty, staff and students at Western and its affiliated colleges have free access to Zoom Pro for all of their web conferencing needs.  Zoom provides an easy, reliable, cloud platform for video and audio conferencing.  This guide will speak specifically to hosting a thesis examination using Zoom Pro but should address considerations for any digital conferencing tool.

Zoom’s key features include:

• Host meetings with up to 300 participants
• Up to 24 hrs Meeting duration
• Video, audio, & screen sharing
• Join/Host meetings via a computer or mobile device
• Participants do not require an account to join meetings 
• Screen sharing for presentations and collaboration
• Plug-in for Outlook calendar to allow easy scheduling
• Local Recording
• Chat functions

In advance of the examination, the Zoom conference meeting must be prepared and communicated to participants.

Public Lectures are required for PhD Examinations and optional for Master’s examinations. The location of the public lecture (in-person or via zoom) will normally match the location of the examination (in-person or via zoom). In-person public lectures can include a remote component, allowing remote attendance.

Program Responsibilities

• Ensuring that requests and approvals for remote examination are made in a timely manner as far as possible under the circumstances
• Hosting a conferencing solution in an appropriate environment that adequately supports the needs of the candidate and examiners.  This includes:
  • Providing a dedicated support resource to the conference to ensure the best possible experience for all participants during the examination
  • Ensuring that a backup technology exists in the event that the primary solution fails
  • Ensuring that a list of questions from the remote examiner(s) has been obtained in advance of the examination date and are available to the Chair of the examination (this serves as back-up in cases where the connection to the remote examiner is lost)
• Testing the remote connection with the examiner(s) and/or student in advance of the examination

Examiner Responsibilities

• Submitting intention to attend exam remotely as soon as possible and with reasonable notice to the program and SGPS
• Testing the remote connection (all equipment and backups) with the host in advance of the examination
• Submitting questions to the program and SGPS at least 48 hours in advance of the examination
• Ensuring you are able to be seen and heard throughout the examination

Chair Responsibilities

• All participants must be able to communicate effectively with each other at all times
• If the primary method of communication is unable to function effectively the examination Chair must determine when it is appropriate to use the pre-arranged backup technology or the submitted questions
• At the beginning the of the examination, the Chair must inform the candidate and all members of the committee of the potential for suspending the exam should technical problems interfere with the integrity of the examination (until the technical problems have been resolved)
• The Chair of the examination must suspend the examination if technical problems interfere with the integrity of the examination and backup options are unavailable
• The Chair of the examination must guarantee the standards of the examination have been met and the requirements have been satisfied

These requirements remain crucial to the fairness and integrity of the exam

• • To open proceedings, the Chair introduces all present.
    • • The candidate, the Supervisor(s), the Program Examiners, and the University Examiner must attend the Thesis Examination remotely or in person
      • The Chair will refuse attendance to all others
    • The Chair presents Western's Land Acknowledgement.
    • Examiners are asked to refrain from using electronic devices (cell phones) during the examination (unless in emergencies)

    How to Send Participants to the Waiting Room using Zoom

    To send participants to the waiting room in Zoom:

    1. As the meeting host, click Participants
    2. Click More next to the participant's name and select Put in Waiting Room
    • • • The Chair then asks the candidate (and visitors) to leave the room or the meeting so that the Examiners can decide on the following points:
          • The order in which Examiners are to question the candidate;
          • The number of rounds of questioning desired (usually two);
          • The time limit for each of the Examiners' questioning periods (typically 15-20 minutes in the first round and 5-10 minutes in the second round);
          • Who is to ask the questions submitted by the External Examiner if he/she is not present;
        • The Chair ensures each examiner has access to the digital Thesis Examination Evaluation form (to be completed when the questioning of the candidate is over and the candidate has left the room). The Chair advises the Examiners that their evaluations on the acceptability of the written thesis should be made independent of the assessment made in Stage One: The Preliminary Evaluation of the Thesis.
        • The Chair invites the candidate back into the room or meeting

    How to Retrieve Participants from the Waiting Room using Zoom

    To retrieve participants from the waiting room in Zoom:

    1. As the meeting host, click Manage Participants
    2. Click "Admit" next to the participant's name

On the "Chair Report," the Chair:

• With the assistance of the Examiners, provides a detailed list of the specific revisions as agreed upon by a majority of the Examiners. The Chair’s Report will be made available to the designated Examiner, the candidate, and the Supervisor, who will normally continue to support the candidate through the revision process.
• With the help of the examining committee, determines which Examiner(s) will review the revised thesis. The designated Examiner(s) withhold their approval until the required revisions have been made. All the Examiners may receive a copy of the revised thesis to review.

After the information is collected, the Chair submits the Chair's Report.  A copy is automatically sent to SGPS, the Chair, any supervisor(s) in attendance and any examiner asked to review the revisions to the thesis

Additional details are made available to the successful student via an email which is generated in response to the submitted Chair Report. The Designated Examiner will be contacted with directions on how to review and approve the revisions at a later date once the student has uploaded their revisions.

The Chair completes the "Chair Report." In consultation with the Examiners, the Chair states (on the Chair report) why the thesis and/or the oral defense was unacceptable.

If the Thesis Examination failed because the thesis content was unacceptable, the Vice-Provost (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) refers the case to a Re-Submission Hearing Committee.

When the Chair and the Examiners have completed the documentation, the Chair invites only the candidate back into the room or meeting and informs them of the result.

If the thesis is passed conditional upon revision the Supervisor(s) must meet with the candidate, to ensure that they understand the revisions required by the Thesis Examination Board.