Online Application Guide
PCC Assessment Center
Hotline Phone #: (876)829-8081, (876)829-7652
How to take the Final Assessment online:
Registered for all course on iSIMS (check the My Courses Tab in iSIMS)
Registered for all courses on the CCCJ Moodle site. Approximately one week prior to the start of the assessment session, your registration on iSIMS will be synced with the CCCJ Moodle site. (Check My Course dropdown in the menu bar of the CCCJ Moodle dashboard)
Ensure that you have financial clearance from the college. Tuition payments are up-tp-date.
If taking the assessment online:
Quiet room, well-lit and ventilated
If taking a timed assessment: clock with alarms. If possible, set three alarms, one 1/2 hour before the end of the exam, one 10 minutes and one 5 minutes before the end of the exam, allowing time to submit
Eliminate sources of unwanted noise that could be distracting during an online assessment E.g. mobiles in airplane mode, e-mail, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook etc off.
A computer or laptop that complies with minimum specifications.
If using a laptop: fully charged and running on main power
A reliable Internet connection
Note: if you are using wifi to connect to your home router, to improve the connection, try plugging an Ethernet cable into the router and connecting it to your computer. Ethernet cables are often supplied with the router or can be purchased
A minimum of 2.4MB/s upload and download broadband speed, the higher the better
Read the information provided under the Final Assessment page of the PCC Helpdesk
Check your email regularly for updates, news and alerts from the college (via iSIMS)
Assessment Center contact details
Contact details for your lecturers
IT support contact details (via PCC Helpdesk)
Use the Official Final Assessment Timetable provided by the college through Departments, iSIMS or the Helpdesk.
Microsoft Office and any other software specified by the course.
If required to write equations or draw diagrams: software that allows scanning photos to pdf or a means of uploading photos to the CCCJ Moodle site.
The latest version of the required browsers
The Assessments will be online and categorized into two distinct types, Type One and Type Two.
Type One: Assessment will consist of ONE SECTION which will require written responses
to be completed in 3 HOURS.
Type Two: Assessments will consist of TWO SECTIONS to be completed in 3 HOURS.
Section A– A multiple choice section. This section will be done online (CCCJ Moodle platform and students will have 40 minutes from the time of starting the attempt to the completion of 40 minutes or the session duration whichever comes first.
Section B – Written section. Students will be required do two (2) or three (3) questions
Note carefully:
(1) Students MUST attempt the MCQ paper within three hours of the start of the assessment
(2) Students are allowed 2 attempts at the MCQ test. The average of both scores will be used as the final score.
(3) Students will NOT be granted access to section B unless they have attempted section A.
(4) Do not rewrite questions on your response/script;
(5) Write the question number clearly at the beginning of each answer.
(6) Write your ID number on all pages of your response/script
ONLINE
To access an assessment paper;
Step 1. Login to iSIMS using your student credentials
Step 2. Select the CCCJ Moodle icon from the Alerts tab in iSIMS
Step 3. On the CCCJ Moodle dashboard all courses may be selected form the course overview panel. Or select My Courses on the menu bar at the top of the screen.
MCQ Papers will commence when you access this paper and select the "Start" button.
Note: Students will be able to access Paper B of an Assessment any time during the scheduled 3 hours (for Type Two Assessments)
Students will NOT able to access an Assessment after the scheduled period has passed.
Once students have accessed the assessment on the CCCJ Moodle site they are to follow the instructions carefully.
SECTION A
For section A, the online multiple-choice section of the paper, students will submit their work as they go along by clicking the next button (see MCQ assessment simulation video). Students can go back and make changes during the process. At the end there is a submit button that must be selected to submit responses. At this stage, the paper will be submitted and no changes can be made.
Navigate to section B.
SECTION B
HANDWRITTEN RESPONSES:
Download the assessment paper from the Section B Moodle assignment.
Where students are permitted to provide handwritten responses (eg. mathematics and accounting courses), the following guidelines should be followed:
Step 1. Take photos of your written work. Either scan photos to a single pdf file or insert them into a word document.
Step 2. Your submission file name should be your FirstName LastName - course code
eg. John Doe - MATH1207
Step 3. When you are ready to submit your file(s), navigate to the assessment and
select the "Add Submission" button. Ensure the following documents are uploaded:
CCCJ Assignment Coversheet
Your response/answer file(s)
Step 4. Follow the instructions to complete submission.
TYPED RESPONSES
For typed responses, the following guidelines should be followed:
Step 1. Save typed responses as a Microsoft word or pdf document
Step 2. Login to iSIMS and access the assessment via the CCCJ Moodle platform
Step 3. Select the Add Submission button and upload the following documents:
CCCJ Assignment Coversheet
Response/answer file(s) to Assessment
Step 4. Follow the instructions to complete submission to the CCCJ Moodle site
Watch the five-minute video TAKING CCCJ ASSESSMENTS ONLINE which will explain how to navigate to the CCCJ Moodle site, take a multiple choice test and upload an assignment on the CCCJ Moodle Platform.
If you are having trouble submitting your documents in the CCCJ Moodle platform, such as not certain of the steps to take, you may call the Assessment Center Hotlines or email exam_query@pcc.edu.jm.
If you receive an error message while doing a test or navigating to Moodle, write down the message word-for-word or take a screenshot and describe the steps taken preceding the error. Then, report the error message and surrounding circumstances by sending us an email with evidence and brief description to exam_query@pcc.edu.jm
Provide as many details as possible in your report. Make sure you include the following:
1. The date and time when this occurred.
2. Title or the URL (web address) of the course site
3. Name of the assessment you were working on.
4. Question number
5. Browser (i.e. Chrome, Firefox) and operating system (PC, Mac) you used to take the test.
The CCCJ Moodle Administrator will provide further instructions based on an assessment of the issue.
You can continue your attempt even if you had problems with the Internet, there was a power failure, or left Moodle and temporarily shut down your computer for any reason. Note however that the time clock for the assessment continues.
If the loss of connectivity is significant (more than 10 minutes) IMMEDIATELY contact the Assessment Center Hotlines to notify the College of your situation. Your case will be considered by a team to determine whether or not extended time may be granted.
PCC Assessment Center
Hotline Phone #: (876)829-8081, (876)829-7652
Email: exam_query@pcc.edu.jm
These guidelines will help to ensure that your hand-written submissions may be easily read and marked by your lecturers. The following standards are essential:
Writing MUST be is clear and legible
Writing is fitted on each page (no sections cut off)
The response question number and parts can be clearly identified
Papers/Scripts
Use standard folder paper (white background with ruled lines) or letter size white printing paper.
Writing must be done on one side only
All writing MUST be done using a black or blue ink pen.
Do NOT use pencil
Writing should be clear and legible
If you make a mistake, use correction fluid or draw a neat line through the mistake.
Use a ruler for tables and graphs.
Taking Pictures and Scanning
Ensure that you have adequate light to take pictures of your work
Avoid using flash on your camera
Take portrait pictures of one page at a time.
If possible, scan the pictures to a single pdf file using a scan to photo to pdf App.
Either upload that single scanned pdf document file OR several picture files of your written responses.
To avoid technological issues during an online test, we offer the following advice.
Use a wired internet connection if you can.
If you must use WiFi, use a private WiFi network if you can.
If you must use WiFi, try to reduce the number of devices accessing the same WiFi network simultaneously. For example, put your phone in airplane mode while taking a test or quiz on your laptop computer.
The recommended browser for taking a test in Moodle is a recent version of Chrome.
If for some reason you cannot use Chrome, Firefox is an alternative, but it is not the first choice. You will not have the same experience as Chrome. For example, you may need to zoom out to find the Next button or Submit button if you are using a smaller screen.
If possible, use a laptop or desktop computer
Re-start your computer and close all other programs you may have open on your computer. Make sure to do so a minimum of 60 minutes ahead of the assessment start time in case your computer forces an update, which could cause delays in logging to the exam.
Never have other programmes (or Moodle Courses) open simultaneously in more than one window or tab in your web browser. Failure to follow this guidance is the most common cause of data loss while taking an online assessment in Courses.
When navigating an online exam, don't use the browser back button NOR the browser forward button. Instead, use the "Next page" and "Previous page" buttons within the assessment interface.
Wait for each page to load completely. If you begin selecting answers before the page fully loads, you may lose work.
Once you have answered the last question in the Quiz, you will be taken to a Summary of attempt window. This will show you whether or not you have answered all of the questions in the test and any flags you may have set. You can go back to any of the questions simply by clicking on the question number.
Review your quiz to make sure you have answered all questions before clicking on the Submit all and finish button.
Email the Word copy/scanned pictures of your written/essay test to yourself before submitting it on Moodle. Insurance!
Last update: August 30, 2021 9:00AM