**********************************************************************
* Status as of 27 October 1995: *
* Approved by Senate and submitted to Administration for approval *
**********************************************************************
MICHIGAN
TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY University Senate
----------------------------------------------------------------
PROPOSAL 10-94
AMENDMENTS TO FINAL EXAM POLICY
Final exams are those tests scheduled for a special period following the
last week of instruction which is referred to as "final exam week".
This period begins and ends with the first and last officially scheduled
final examinations. Each department shall designate all courses or
sections of courses in which final examinations are to be given.
A comprehensive final examination designed to measure the student's
overall knowledge is considered good teaching policy. However, no
regulations shall attempt to govern the content of a final exam. A final
exam could be either incremental or comprehensive.
No final examination will be given earlier than the final exam week. In
classes which do not have final exams the instructor may not give any
major tests or examinations during the last week of regularly scheduled
classes, because such a test would be in effect a final examination given
earlier than the final exam week. However, departments with lab courses
can choose to exempt lab examinations from this policy. Make-up exams for
illness or other excused absences may be administered before or after the
scheduled time, consistent with maintenance of exam security.
No final exams shall be scheduled on Sunday, unless the regular
instruction periods are also scheduled on Sunday.
No regular instruction is to be continued during the final exam week,
except that the final examination time assigned to a course can be used
for instruction if an instructor so desires.
The University shall not schedule, nor shall the students participate in,
any official function during the scheduled final exam period, except
events whose date is beyond the control of the University.
It is the responsibility of the chair of each department to prevent
violations of the final examination policy. Students may report
violations of the policy to the chair of the instructor's department
either in person or by anonymous note. Students may similarly report
violations to the office of the Dean of Student Affairs; these reports
will be forwarded to the departmental chair for appropriate action.
Any departures from an officially scheduled examination time must be
approved by the scheduling office.
Absences from final exams need not be excused when caused by a student
scheduling courses with conflicting final examination times.
No student shall be required to take more than three examinations per
calendar day.
Conflicts will be resolved by the Dean of Student Affairs.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Development of Proposal
19 Feb 92: A reworded Final Exam Policy is proposed by the Instructional
Policy Committee. Senate amends and passes the unnumbered
proposal (Senate Minutes, p.3376 & 3383). For unknown
reasons, the proposal is not forwarded to the administration.
17 Nov 93: Instructional Policy Committee Chair Heuvers informs the
Senate that the Final Exam Policy has not been implemented.
30 Nov 93: Senate President forwards amended 1992 Final Exam Policy to
Provost.
05 Jan 94: Senate consideration of administrative problems with 1992
Policy.
11 Jan 94: Instructional Policy Committee proposes clarifying amendments.
19 Jan 94: Proposal 10-94, Amendments to Final Exam Policy, is presented
to Senate.
26 Jan 94: Senate discusses Proposal 10-94, and votes to return Proposal
10-94 to the Committee for further work in consideration of
the Senate discussion.
Jan-
Mar 95: Instructional Policy Committee considers the revision of
Proposal 10-94.
17 Mar 95: Instructional Policy Committee forwards revision of Proposal
10-94 to Senate officers for consideration by the Senate.
25 Oct 95: Proposal 10-94 is editorially amended and approved by the
Senate.
27 Oct 95: Proposal 10-94 is transmitted to the Administration.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal Background
1. The Senate has a long history of tinkering with final exam policy.
Few subjects have provoked the expenditure of more Senate energy.
2. The revisions proposed in the current edition of Proposal 10-94 are
attempts to rectify the concerns expressed on the Senate floor and
subsequently.
3. The revision permitting early administration of a final examination
is intended to increase the flexibility available to instructors in
handling excused absences.
4. The provision eliminating Sunday finals is principally intended to
allow sufficient time to prepare for finals after the last day of
classes. It avoids problems of specific time limits associated with
accelerated summer classes. The modifying clause ("unless the
regular instruction periods are also scheduled on Sunday") indicates
that the considerations that prevent class scheduling on Sunday
apply also to final exam scheduling. The Instructional Policy
Committee was not sympathetic with the logic of preferring Sunday
exams to Friday afternoon exams (see attachment).
5. The provision allowing students an independent and anonymous avenue
for complaints of violation of final exam policy is new, and is the
latest attempt to prevent abuse of the policy by some instructors.
6. The final change, ("Absences from final exams will not be excused
when caused by a student scheduling courses with conflicting final
examination times.") is an attempt to make clear the warnings now
published in the scheduling booklet on the page showing the exam
schedule. Faculty are not obliged to make provisions for students
who have scheduled classes with conflicting final exam times.
7. In connection with (6) above, the Committee thinks it would be
helpful if the final exam times or codes were published in the class
scheduling lists.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal 10-94 Attachment A:
(Copy of a memo dated 3 March, 1994, from J. Galetto and M. Ryding of the
Registrars office to K. Heuvers describing the rationale for Sunday final
examinations.)
.