December 11, 2008
TO: Deans, Directors, Faculty, and Instructional Academic Staff
FROM: Aaron Brower, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
RE: Final Exams and the Summary Block
As we near the end of the semester and the time when you will be completing your syllabi for the semester, please be sure you comply with the rules established by faculty legislation governing the administration of final exams and the use of the summary period.
The following rules apply to all courses numbered 699 and below except for undergraduate seminar courses, independent study, and directed study courses:
“The academic semester consists of an advising and a registration period, a regularly scheduled instructional period, and an eight-day summary period. The first day of the summary period is for individual study and review, and no classes or exams are to be scheduled then. The last seven days are prescheduled to include one two-hour summary block for each course of two or more credits. This two-hour block shall be used for an examination or for other instructional activities as deemed appropriate by the instructor and as approved by the instructional unit offering the course. Final examinations or other summary period activities cannot be scheduled during the two weeks preceding the summary period. Take-home final examinations are due at the scheduled two-hour block.”
You may not schedule exams for any time during the summary period other than the 2-hour summary block assigned to your course without prior approval of the dean. This includes the due date and time for take-home finals. Remember also, “where a student has more than two summary blocks scheduled within a period of 24 hours, the instructor may, within guidelines adopted by the college or school faculty, reschedule a final exam to avoid hardship.”
These rules were designed by faculty, and passed through faculty governance procedures in an effort to respond to issues of fairness and humanity for students facing the stressful period of completing their semester's work and facing exam period. View the full text of the relevant legislation.
Thank you for your cooperation.