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BetterExaminations

BetterExaminations - Exam Management & Workflow System

Everything you need to securely prepare, draft, share, comment, edit, and approve paper exams for administrators, lecturers, and external examiners.

Securely control, manage and secure the workflow and process from start to finish. Integrate with our eAssessment solution when you are ready to move exams online.

Features

  • Cloud technology - Remote access anywhere, anytime
  • Document Creation, Collaboration tool and Comment Tracking
  • Exam Material Workflow with Live Analytics
  • Version Logs - track and store each version of documents
  • End2End Encryption- Industry Standard levels of security
  • Access Management- Easily Permit and Revoke access to material
  • Past Paper Archive for Student Access
  • Automated Deadline Alerts for Staff
  • Submission Portal for Examiner Reports and Results Documents

Benefits

  • Increased levels of security and prevent mishandling of material
  • Create efficiencies in organising and accessing material
  • Improve lead times in the collection and approval process
  • Reduce training requirements for new staff
  • Improved productivity through dynamic and friendly User-Interfaces
  • Reduce labour needs to free up staff for other
  • Comprehensive reporting dashboard

Pricing

£3,500 to £48,000 a unit a year

  • Education pricing available
  • Free trial available

Service documents

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at piero.tintori@betterexaminations.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

8 9 7 8 4 6 1 7 5 1 6 4 6 2 0

Contact

BetterExaminations Piero Tintori
Telephone: 1753 542 234
Email: piero.tintori@betterexaminations.com

Service scope

Software add-on or extension
No
Cloud deployment model
Private cloud
Service constraints
N/A
System requirements
N/A

User support

Email or online ticketing support
Email or online ticketing
Support response times
Our standard SLA is outlined in our Service Definition document. Our standard help desk operates 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday with 24/7 monitoring. Support window is larger during exam periods.
User can manage status and priority of support tickets
No
Phone support
Yes
Phone support availability
9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
Web chat support
Web chat
Web chat support availability
9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
Web chat support accessibility standard
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Web chat accessibility testing
The web chat has been tried and tested across multiple use cases.
Onsite support
Yes, at extra cost
Support levels
Service provided as outlined in the pricing document provided. 1 - Critical impact/service down: Business critical functionality is inoperable or critical interface has failed. Condition requires an immediate solution. Response: Within 2 hours. 2 - Significant impact: A service feature or function is severely restricted in its use or Client is in jeopardy of missing business deadlines. Response: Within 3 business hours, Monday to Friday business hours. 3 - Minor impact: Indicates the service or functionality is usable. Response: Within 8 business hours, Monday to Friday business hours. 4 - Minimal impact: An inquiry or non-technical request. Response: Within 1 business day, Monday to Friday business hours
Support available to third parties
Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

Getting started
Onboarding is an important stage and we ensure our clients are at ease throughout the process with minimal work. Our Sure Start package includes: Onsite Training Days for Staff Online Support and Web Chat User Documentation Tutorial Videos.
Service documentation
Yes
Documentation formats
HTML
End-of-contract data extraction
At the end of the contract, all customer data will be made available for extraction, using either APIs or other tools to transfer the data to a new system/storage. Once transferred, all data held by BetterExaminations will be securely destroyed in line with ISO 27001 best practices.
End-of-contract process
At the end of the contract, we will provide support as required to extract any existing data from BetterExaminations systems and transfer them to the customer/new supplier. This will be priced using the provided day rates as the exact level of support will vary from customer to customer and installation to installation.

Using the service

Web browser interface
Yes
Supported browsers
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
Application to install
No
Designed for use on mobile devices
Yes
Differences between the mobile and desktop service
Users have the same range of functionality on mobile as desktop.
Service interface
Yes
User support accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Description of service interface
There is a full HTML service interface implemented into our solution that meets ATAG-AA standards.
Accessibility standards
WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
Accessibility testing
We conduct technical testing but also user testing using screen reader technology.
API
Yes
What users can and can't do using the API
Users can interact with the system using the API in various ways however we provide a user interface for it for practical use.
API documentation
Yes
API documentation formats
PDF
API sandbox or test environment
Yes
Customisation available
Yes
Description of customisation
Customisation is available. The display can be altered to include customer logos, colour schemes and small UI changes to align with customer branding. This varies among customers and is defined during the project implementation stage.

Scaling

Independence of resources
BetterExaminations was created to respond to the growing needs of large higher education institutions that need to manage thousands of students and examinations, with students across the globe. Scaling and meeting the demands of modern higher education institutions is of paramount importance to us and a core part of the platform's architectural design.
BetterExaminations uses Amazon Web Services as our hosting provider which allows the system to automatically create new resources such as new servers, in the event that more are needed to deal with the extra demand.

Analytics

Service usage metrics
No

Resellers

Supplier type
Not a reseller

Staff security

Staff security clearance
Other security clearance
Government security clearance
Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

Knowledge of data storage and processing locations
Yes
Data storage and processing locations
United Kingdom
User control over data storage and processing locations
Yes
Datacentre security standards
Managed by a third party
Penetration testing frequency
Less than once a year
Penetration testing approach
Another external penetration testing organisation
Protecting data at rest
Physical access control, complying with SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Data sanitisation process
Yes
Data sanitisation type
Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
Equipment disposal approach
Complying with a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v.30, CAS (Sanitisation) or ISO/IEC 27001

Data importing and exporting

Data export approach
Data can be exported in a number of common formats, such as csv, file extraction and pdf. It can also interact with VLEs. This is configurable on a user roles basis, so users can only export the appropriate data that they should have access to.
Data export formats
CSV
Data import formats
CSV

Data-in-transit protection

Data protection between buyer and supplier networks
TLS (version 1.2 or above)
Data protection within supplier network
TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

Guaranteed availability
BetterExaminations offers incredibly high performance and availability throughout the year. The system is highly fault-tolerant and takes advantage of the latest Amazon Web Services technologies to facilitate this. BetterExaminations maintains separate resilient and scalable DynamoDB databases in multiple access zones, ensuring that if one database is not working, the other can take over in its place. We offer a 99.95% availability, assured by contractual commitments. Exact SLAs will vary from client to client.
Approach to resilience
BetterExaminations uses Amazon Web Services as our hosting provider which allows the system to automatically create new resources such as new servers in the event that more are needed to deal with the extra demand from other users. BetterExaminations runs servers in multiple data centres so that if one data centre becomes unavailable, the other can take over. BetterExaminations also does the same for our databases, where we always have a completely separate database which is in a different location ready to take over in the event of an outage of one of them.
Outage reporting
We have a public dashboard at http://status.betterexaminations.com

Identity and authentication

User authentication needed
Yes
User authentication
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels
Each user on the system has a defined access level which is given by the administrator user for each client. Access to different interfaces in the system is governed and restricted by this access level.
Access restriction testing frequency
At least every 6 months
Management access authentication
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

Access to user activity audit information
Users contact the support team to get audit information
How long user audit data is stored for
User-defined
Access to supplier activity audit information
Users contact the support team to get audit information
How long supplier audit data is stored for
User-defined
How long system logs are stored for
User-defined

Standards and certifications

ISO/IEC 27001 certification
Yes
Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001
BM Trada
ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date
20 October 2015 (first awarded)
What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover
N/A
ISO 28000:2007 certification
No
CSA STAR certification
Yes
CSA STAR accreditation date
11/11/2016
CSA STAR certification level
Level 2: CSA STAR Attestation
What the CSA STAR doesn’t cover
N/A
PCI certification
No
Cyber essentials
Yes
Cyber essentials plus
No
Other security certifications
Yes
Any other security certifications
  • Amazon Web Services Advanced Parter (Higher Education Competency)
  • ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System

Security governance

Named board-level person responsible for service security
Yes
Security governance certified
Yes
Security governance standards
ISO/IEC 27001
Information security policies and processes
BetterExaminations adheres to all criteria outlined in the ISO 27001 certification. Security is a pillar of our business structure and we engage in penetration testing and analysis of our software on an ongoing basis. Further details and documentation regarding our internal policies can be obtained at the buyer's request.

Operational security

Configuration and change management standard
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Configuration and change management approach
The Project Manager identifies that an approved change has reached its approved start date and reviews Form QF-06 if required, Where necessary, the IT Manager, the sponsoring business unit manager and the Project Manager will develop an agreed project plan utilising Form QF-14. The IT Manager, the sponsoring unit manager and the Project Manager will ensure that all major system or process changes have a fully documented set of business requirements, functional and technical specifications, system and regression testing as well as clear UAT requirements; then sign off on the IT Development phase of the project management plan Form QF-14.
Vulnerability management type
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Vulnerability management approach
Information security hazards at Better Examinations can emerge from our business activities that require us to comply with Data Protection legislation and arise when we store data on our own customers in our systems (Better Examinations acts as a Data Controller) or when we store information on our customer’s counterparts in our systems to allow them to operate our services (Better Examinations acts as a Data Processor). Security patches are also automatically applied to our services by AWS and we get information about potential threats from various security services and websites.
Protective monitoring type
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example CSA CCM v3.0 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Protective monitoring approach
We identify potential compromises by reviewing logs at regular intervals and monitoring network traffic for unusual traffic requests. BetterExaminations considers it vitally important for us to ensure the continued privacy/confidentiality of client-held information and the integrity of the Better Examinations systems. Accordingly, all non‐conformities are classified as minor, major, or critical and reported to the appropriate manager for further investigation.
Incident management type
Conforms to a recognised standard, for example, CSA CCM v3.0 or ISO/IEC 27035:2011 or SSAE-16 / ISAE 3402
Incident management approach
A non-conformity, whether it is process-related, contractual, or policy-based, may be detected at any stage in relation to any area of the integrated organisational management system. The non-conformities generally arise as a result of the reporting by customers or staff, of issues that can be classified under the following 4 headings: Information Security Events, Systematic Issues, Problems, and Complaints. Users can report incidents via email or our helpdesk and we provide incident reports where relevant via email.

Secure development

Approach to secure software development best practice
Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v3.0)

Public sector networks

Connection to public sector networks
No

Social Value

Social Value

Social Value

  • Fighting climate change
  • Equal opportunity

Fighting climate change

BetterExaminations, as part of the Terminalfour group, has saved 53 Metric Tonnes of equivalent CO2 compared to on-premises computing. 40 tonnes of this has been because of Amazon's use of renewable energy and 12 tonnes due to efficient power usage by AWS, thus saving Terminalfour's clients 75% of potential carbon emissions. We're committed to our approach to climate change, sustainability, and reducing our carbon footprint.

Using the BetterExaminations platform can also help organisations positively impact the environment. By delivering exams remotely, users can reduce travel-related emissions associated with visiting an examination centre.

BetterExaminations invests in conducting a socially responsible business, and we work hard to ensure we abide by and improve our three pillars of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), including keeping a careful eye on our Environmental Impact. Our environmental footprint is minimal; we work on an office floor. We are 99% paperless, reuse or recycle when possible, and have no waste products or physical materials to source as part of our service offering.

We've implemented effective waste management and recycling practices at BetterExaminations. We also have sessions with all employees to increase awareness of our environmental responsibilities. Additionally, we promote sustainable transport and communication among all our staff members.

We're committed to reducing the environmental impact across our organisation's scope where possible, including our supply chain. We enforce centralised patch management; recommend internal repurposing over outright disposal, ensure that all data is sanitised before being reassigned; ensure physical assets and media from departing employees are treated the same way as data sanitisation; comply with regulations regarding hazardous waste, and follow proper procedures and processes regarding permanent equipment disposal.

All data stored in AWS data centres are also destroyed per ISO 27001-certified policies. AWS has exacting standards for installing services and eventually destroys the devices when they're no longer useful.

Equal opportunity

BetterExaminations is committed to creating an environment that promotes equality at work and treating all employees, customers, and business contacts equally regardless of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, caste, or membership of the travelling community.

BetterExaminations will formulate and implement policies and practices that value diversity, provide equality of opportunity and ensure that no job applicant, employee, customer or business associate receives less favourable treatment on any of the nine aforementioned grounds. We'll also ensure that other policies and practices reflect our commitment to treating people fairly, promoting an integrated way of working, and respecting every employee's dignity at all times. Our managers are expected to promote an integrated workplace and proactively eliminate any potential inequities which may be counter to the organisation’s policy.

Our organisation believes that embracing equality and diversity in the workplace benefits each employee, department, and our customers/clients. Each employee brings their own background, work style, distinct capabilities, experience, and characteristics to their work. We recognise that our talented and diverse workforce reflects the diversity of our customers and markets, and we want to utilise the widest range of skills, knowledge, and experience in our business while complying with legislation.

As well as treating people with dignity and respect, the organisation also strives to create a supportive environment in which all employees can flourish and reach their full potential regardless of differences, experience, or education. Harnessing these diverse ranges of perspectives promotes innovation and helps make us more creative and competitive in recruitment.

Our recruitment policy reflects our belief that diversity in all areas, including cultural, generational, language, and national backgrounds, is necessary to help us succeed in both domestic and global markets. Wherever possible, women, minorities, and people with disabilities will be involved in the short-listing and interviewing processes.

Pricing

Price
£3,500 to £48,000 a unit a year
Discount for educational organisations
Yes
Free trial available
Yes
Description of free trial
While the trial instance mirrors some of the features and functionalities of the BetterExaminations Workflow system, it doesn’t include all of them. We’ve created a sample environment for our trial that lets users experience the BetterExaminations Workflow platform before it’s configured to their requirements.

Service documents

Request an accessible format
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at piero.tintori@betterexaminations.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.