Using the Assessment Center and its Helpful Resources
Our transition to the Assessment Center was one of great impact. Some processes in the Assessment Center look different than they did in ExamDriver, while some functions and concepts are new.
Given this dynamic shift, PAEA remains dedicated to educating our members on using the Assessment Center and providing easy to understand resources that set programs up for success. As we continue exploring new ways to aid in the learning process, we’d like to shed more light on our existing resources to serve as go-to references.
The Assessment Center Resources webpage remains the central location for all things related to the platform and its functions. There you will find both written and video instructional materials, as we recognize everyone learns in different ways.
Our team recently added a new video to this page explaining the available exam delivery types, how the process works for each, and addressing what to do if program faculty or staff plan to proctor online via screensharing software.
As far as written resources go, the Assessment Center User Guide available on this page is the comprehensive manual for the platform in its entirety. The User Guide not only contains information for program faculty and staff, it also has a section related to the student experience that programs are free to share with them.
In addition to the above items, the Assessment Center Resources page has links branching off to other resources that are also important for success. The most notable of the links is for Tips and FAQs, and the information provided there is great to use in conjunction with the User Guide. On this page PAEA has posted important updates made to the platform since launch, as well as tips we’ve learned along the way that help aid in a smooth experience.
New tips recently added to this page address topics like purchase order uploading, what to do if your student can’t take their scheduled exam, and more. Bookmarking the page for easy access is highly recommended.
Another set of tools linked from Assessment Center Resources is the Student Communication Resources page. Here you will find the very important PAEA practice exam, which is a quick eight-question mock exam to give users an idea of the exam experience. It may be taken by program faculty and staff, but it’s pivotal to share the link for this exam with students so they can get a feel for what they will see on exam day.
The practice exam is not taken in SecureClient like the real exams, and it does not use a PIN, but all other aspects are the same.
Not sure how to communicate all this important Assessment Center information to your students? PAEA has got you covered there as well!
The Student Communications Resource page also has communication templates available to download. Programs simply need to download the necessary template, edit the information, and send the updated messaging to their students in the preferred method.
Communicating to students before they are uploaded into the Assessment Center is encouraged, and recommendations for that process are also provided on the Tips and FAQs page.
One resource that has been in use since ExamDriver, and remains in use to this day, is the PAEA Assessment Knowledge Base. The information provided here is a bit like the Tips and FAQs, but it also answers many general questions programs have about scoring and other policies.
We hope this information is helpful in finding answers yourself, but of course we are here if you have any questions or issues. As part of our dedication to producing quality resources, we welcome any feedback you have about specific Assessment Center topics to better expound upon. You may contact us at exams@PAEAonline.org with your questions, issues, or feedback, or use our Contact Us page to chat with an Exam Support team member.
