A new computer-based testing facility located in the basement of Himes hall will be completed July 17.
The new location will hold about 380 computers in an attempt to ease test scheduling for students.
The old testing center located in the Pentagon Dining facility will close when the new Himes Lab opens during the fall semester. The new location, which is more central to campus, is designed to be more convenient for students who use computer-based testing.
The 50-computer testing center located on the first floor of Himes Hall will remain open.
“The new location at the heart of campus probably will be more convenient for many students than the Pentagon location was in the past,” said Bobby Matthews, director for the Center for Assessment and Evaluation. “It should allow the students greater flexibility in scheduling a test.”
The new center will utilize the new LSU ID, so students using the testing facility this fall will be required to get a new ID card.
In the past, some students felt the availability of the computer-based testing at the Pentagon location was insufficient.
“Last semester, my teacher would never reserve enough spots for our class to test and that created problems,” said Meghan Ashley, psychology junior. “[At the Pentagon], it was too noisy because of the proximity to the WCA parking lot.”
Doha Ezzir, biochemistry junior, has adopted several practices to avoid potential problems.
“I try to schedule my tests as early as possible, because I have had some problems in the past,” she said. “I’ve had experiences where the only time I could take my test was 9:00 at night.”
In general, Ezzir prefers not to have computer-based tests.
“I’d rather test in the classroom where there’s an actual person grading my tests,” she said. “For instance, when I would take a math test, my answer could be one decimal off, and I’d still get the whole question wrong.”
But Ezzir said she does feel the move to Himes will help some common problems.
“I like the idea of having more computers, which means more times to schedule tests,” she said.
The lab was created using funds from a three-year grant from the Student Technology Fee. Additional services, such as staffing and security, will be provided by the University.
“The lab will be monitored constantly by a professional security firm,” Matthews said. “Additionally, all lab computers are protected by anti-spam software, anti-viral software and internal firewalls.”
Matthews said the possibility of cheating is greater with a larger facility.
“We will be increasing our staff which will continue to physically monitor the students. We will also have installed video-surveillance equipment,” Matthews said.
—Contact Wallace Levy at wlevy@lsureveille.com