Laptop Examination Policy for the Faculty of Law
All students wishing to write one or more final examinations on their laptop must:
- ensure laptop compatibility with Faculty-approved software;
- complete the Faculty of Law Laptop Examination Agreement;
- download the Faculty-approved software;
- run a test prior to the start of the examination period;
- if necessary, sign an IST Customer Services-Computer Repair Waiver.
The Student Affairs Office will provide term-specific deadlines. You will not be permitted to use a laptop unless you have fulfilled the above requirements. You must ensure that the laptop you are using meets the minimum requirements for the software as specified by the Student Affairs Office, as posted on the SAO website and myCourses. Students using laptops will not be placed in separate examination rooms. You may opt out of using your laptop at any point, even once the examination has started, and revert to handwriting.
First-year students are required to attend the examination information session and software download session during the Fall term; dates will be provided by the SAO.
Students considering updating their laptop's operating system should consult the Student Affairs office in advance, to ensure that the new version of the operating system is compatible with the examination software.
Laptop Examination Agreement
Laptop Examination Agreement for the Faculty of Law
The Examination Agreement is designed to confirm that students agree to the terms of the laptop policy. The following are the components of the Examination Agreement:
- I elect to write one or more of my law examinations using a laptop with the approved McGill University software during the examination period. I recognize that this is a third-party application, and that neither McGill University nor the Faculty of Law is responsible for its proper functioning.
- I confirm that my personal laptop meets the minimum requirements (as stipulated in the Faculty of Law – Laptop Exam Student section of the myCourses course Law-Law-Student Affairs-Examinations) for the laptop exam pilot project. My laptop has access to the McGill wireless network. Once I have completed this agreement, I will download and install the University-approved software on my laptop. I will follow the tutorial and test the software on my laptop within the stated deadlines.
- If my laptop fails during the exam (e.g., a computer crash), I agree to continue and finish the exam by handwriting it. I understand that I will not be granted additional time to resolve the computer problems during the exam. If the incomplete examination cannot be retrieved from my computer within two working days, the Associate Dean (Academic) will determine remedial options.
- I understand that, if necessary, ICS staff may be available to troubleshoot any difficulties encountered with the approved software (a third-party application). I will be asked to sign an IST Customer Services-Computer Repair Waiver acknowledging that ICS staff will not be held responsible for any theft, loss, or damage (to hardware or software) occurring during the diagnosis or repair of my laptop, or for any loss of data, regardless of when it was lost.
For more information on this agreement, see: mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses.
