Proctoring

[Unome]

So I and some others will be proctoring Bridge Building at Chattahoochee's Div B invitational next Saturday. Since I've never proctored before and have never done this event (although I know a considerable amount about it from reading the forums and the wiki), I wanted to get some advice from people who have actually done this before.

[bernard]

In general, for other build events too, try to handle the students' work as little as possible. Have them place the bridge on the scale, have them set it up. Then when measuring, avoid bumping into their work.

[SPP SciO]

I think proctoring comes down to, listen to the Event Supervisor and make their life easier. Last year was my first as a coach, and I was assigned a proctoring shift for Bridge Building at the NY state tournament. All I had to do was make sure the right teams were goggled up and waiting in the on-deck circle, so to speak. No measuring anything. The toughest part was helping pick up BBs after some accidental spillage.

And yeah, definitely hands off the bridges. The best proctor is the one you don't remember!

[Unome]

I think proctoring comes down to, listen to the Event Supervisor and make their life easier. Last year was my first as a coach, and I was assigned a proctoring shift for Bridge Building at the NY state tournament. All I had to do was make sure the right teams were goggled up and waiting in the on-deck circle, so to speak. No measuring anything. The toughest part was helping pick up BBs after some accidental spillage.

And yeah, definitely hands off the bridges. The best proctor is the one you don't remember!

There is no event supervisor; it's just me and a few other students at Chattahoochee (although thanks for the advice). We have to figure out how to run the event as well.

[chalker]

There is no event supervisor; it's just me and a few other students at Chattahoochee (although thanks for the advice). We have to figure out how to run the event as well.

We make a document called "Event Logistics" available on soinc.org that might be of assistance to you: https://www.soinc.org/sites/default/fil ... tFINAL.pdf

[dholdgreve]

Probably my favorite event to proctor... A few thoughts:
* Never, ever touch the bridge... Only the competitors handle it, unless they specifically ask you for your help, and even then do it only as a last resort.
* Treat all teams exactly alike...
* Know the rules better than anyone there, and apply them fairly and equally
*Be a mentor... If a team is obviously very nervous when he enters the testing area, explain to them what is about to happen, then ask them to smile and take a deep breath, and let it out slowly... Remind them that this is "FUN"
* Handle the crowd... I personally do not allow others to take pictures of bridges that do not belong to their team... I print up posters and place in conspicuous areas... Still, there are those that try, and occasionally it may even become confrontational, but stand your ground.

Just last year, we had an "overly concerned" mother carry a bridge container into the testing room as if she were going to present it to the judges for assessment. I explained that it was the child's bridge, and he needed to do this... She reluctantly handed him the contain, then began giving him instructions... how to open the container, how to handle the bridge, don't forget your goggles... I really don't think she even stopped for a breath... I again warned her that coaching was not allowed, and that she needed to stop... The young man then approached the testing stand and she could not resist... again she began telling him how to position the bridge... At this point and an event supervisor you have three choices...
1) ignore it and all her to coach him
2) DQ the kid for the mother's actions, and risk an in your face confrontation
or
3) What I did... Stop all action, turn to the woman and say loudly "Am I going to need to grab my duct tape again?" The entire crowd erupted with laughter as did the mother... She understood exactly where I was coming from, and without the risk of offending anyone... We all had a good laugh and the young man finished testing the bridge that I'm pretty sure she built.

[Unome]

Probably my favorite event to proctor... A few thoughts:
* Never, ever touch the bridge... Only the competitors handle it, unless they specifically ask you for your help, and even then do it only as a last resort.
* Treat all teams exactly alike...
* Know the rules better than anyone there, and apply them fairly and equally
*Be a mentor... If a team is obviously very nervous when he enters the testing area, explain to them what is about to happen, then ask them to smile and take a deep breath, and let it out slowly... Remind them that this is "FUN"
* Handle the crowd... I personally do not allow others to take pictures of bridges that do not belong to their team... I print up posters and place in conspicuous areas... Still, there are those that try, and occasionally it may even become confrontational, but stand your ground.

Just last year, we had an "overly concerned" mother carry a bridge container into the testing room as if she were going to present it to the judges for assessment. I explained that it was the child's bridge, and he needed to do this... She reluctantly handed him the contain, then began giving him instructions... how to open the container, how to handle the bridge, don't forget your goggles... I really don't think she even stopped for a breath... I again warned her that coaching was not allowed, and that she needed to stop... The young man then approached the testing stand and she could not resist... again she began telling him how to position the bridge... At this point and an event supervisor you have three choices...
1) ignore it and all her to coach him
2) DQ the kid for the mother's actions, and risk an in your face confrontation
or
3) What I did... Stop all action, turn to the woman and say loudly "Am I going to need to grab my duct tape again?" The entire crowd erupted with laughter as did the mother... She understood exactly where I was coming from, and without the risk of offending anyone... We all had a good laugh and the young man finished testing the bridge that I'm pretty sure she built.

Ok, thanks! A few more specific questions that I thought of:
1) The event is going to be run in a classroom. Is having spectators a good idea with the amount of space? (I'm not sure about the size of the room)
2) There are currently 7 teams per time slot, and each time slot is 50 minutes, with a 10 minute break in between. Is this A) feasible to run, since as much as (but probably less than?) 42 of those minutes could be used for teams testing their bridges, and B) since teams are not registered for any specific time during the time slots, should we just run the teams as they arrive?

[Phys1cs]

Ok, thanks! A few more specific questions that I thought of:
1) The event is going to be run in a classroom. Is having spectators a good idea with the amount of space? (I'm not sure about the size of the room)

Last year one of the tourneys I was at had mission in a classroom. While similar (although mission is much bigger) they didn't allow for any spectators at all.

It might be to your advantage to not allow any at all, especially since you may be stuck with 14 competitors plus the proctors in a room at the beginning of a time block. Spectators on top of that could be a lot of people in a room at once.

[NamG]

Do you have testing equipment provided? Sand?

It's nice to have a broom handy, or a tarp or something to lay over a carpeted floor (if that is what you have).

[Unome]

Do you have testing equipment provided? Sand?

It's nice to have a broom handy, or a tarp or something to lay over a carpeted floor (if that is what you have).

I asked about what will be provided, and they said everything. I haven't yet gotten a response back about what specifically "everything" entails (this was by email). I think the floor is tile, but I'm not certain; I'll have to check on Monday.