KCL students unable to take online exams due to KEATS crash

On the first day of the January 2021 exam season, KEATS crashed as a result of too many students accessing the website. Students from various departments had problems accessing their exams as the portal was lagging heavily, and exam papers did not load in time. Those affected have had some exams rescheduled, and other exams have had the time period extended to 24 hours.

A message was posted to the KEATS informational board apologising for accessibility issues. The message states that “alternative arrangements will be made for assessments, including rescheduling,” and that department-specific information would be provided to students by email. Students were also made aware that mitigation “will be applied to all students” sitting assessments affected by the KEATS accessibility issue, and in these cases, students were not required to submit a mitigating circumstances form.

A message posted to the KEATS website

The departments of affected students have also issued an apology, stating that they “are yet to hear back from colleagues in IT about what lay behind the failure.” They also added that the department would take the “immediate actions” of extending the submission time period of affected assessments to 24 hours, and rescheduling other exams to January 15th, although department-specific dates may vary. They added that they would “take on board any lessons that could be learnt” from the situation.

Another email adds that students who have applied for Study Abroad will have the technical issues in this exam taken into account when being marked.

An email received by one of the affected students

KCLSU officers released a statement on their Instagram regarding the KEATS crash. The statement reassured students that the KCLSU is “actively trying to make sure that students aren’t disadvantaged through no fault of their own.”

Via Instagram @kclsuofficers

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