Clarifying the Future of NOVA’s Testing Centers

At NOVA, we remain committed to upholding academic integrity while ensuring that our testing infrastructure effectively supports student success and the quality of our online educational offerings. Recent discussions have focused on how best to address faculty concerns about academic integrity in online testing and exploring solutions that promote equitable access, fairness and rigor.

NOVA is not closing any existing testing centers. Rather, we have explored the feasibility of establishing two expanded collegewide testing centers to accommodate testing for students taking NOVA Online courses. An analysis of our current testing infrastructure and capacity was conducted, and while it does not dictate a specific path forward, it has helped inform and shape the ongoing discussions.

Recognizing the importance of faculty, staff and, most critically, student input, the College Senate and the Instructional and Student Services Committee (ISSC) have been charged with providing a recommendation to the Administrative Council next month. As part of this process, ISSC recently deployed a survey to gather faculty feedback. While this survey was not distributed to students, ISSC has been strongly encouraged to seek student input to ensure that their voices inform the final recommendation.

Our goal is to ensure that NOVA’s approach to online course testing balances accessibility with robust academic integrity measures. By working together, we can develop a student-centered, faculty-supported solution that maintains the credibility of our academic programs. The College remains committed to engaging all stakeholders in this conversation, and we look forward to the recommendations that will emerge from these discussions.

We appreciate the collaboration and insights of our faculty, staff and students as we navigate these important decisions together.

—Dr. Richmond Hill, provost, Woodbridge Campus