VII. Undergraduate Degree Regulations and Procedures

Examinations

Final Examinations / Assignments and Final Week of Classes

Final term assignments or papers may be due in the last five class days prior to the final examination period. Due dates for these evaluations must be stated in the course outline. Final assignments along with all necessary resource material should be available to students no later than the end of the 9th week of classes. Take-home examinations may not be due in the last week of classes.

Where regular final examinations are to be given they must be given during the examination period. All regular final examinations shall be two hours in duration. The following guidelines have been approved for conducting final examinations:

Instructors should indicate to the Manager, Registrarial Services whether a final examination time slot is required for a course. In the absence of specific direction, the course outline for a course will be referenced in the development of the final examination schedule. Instructors must indicate whether:

  1. the examination will be a regular, sit-down examination for which a room is required; or

  2. the examination will be a take-home examination; or

  3. the examination will be in some other format (orals; computer exams; juried performance exams, etc.).

Unless approved by the Program Head, examinations for 1000 level courses will be in regular, sit-down format only.

Final Examination Regulations:

  1. The final examination period should be scheduled so as to provide a two day break between the last day of classes and the first day of examinations.

  2. The final examination period consists of eight to nine days, except in the Summer semester, where it may be shortened to seven days.

  3. Final Examinations are two hours in duration.

  4. Final examinations (regular format) must be scheduled during the final examination period.

  5. Final Examinations (take-home format) must be due during the final examination period.

  6. The last day of the examination period is the final due date that may be assigned for take home examinations or exams given in other than regular, sit-down format. When using a take-home or other format final examination, the faculty must allow students at least 72 hours between the date of issue of the exam and the due date. The date of issue of the examination and the due date must be included in the course outline distributed at the first class meeting. If a student's time to complete a take-home examination is significantly lessened because of the number and timing of regularly-scheduled sit-down examinations, the instructor may grant an extension, provided the new due date is not beyond the grade submission deadline for the course. Such a request must be initiated by the student no later than the end of the second week of classes. The length of the extension will be at the instructor's discretion and instructors are advised to give the student the new due date in writing. The date of issue of the examination and its due date must be included in the course outline distributed at the first class meeting.

  7. If the examination (take-home format) is to be handed out after the end of classes, the instructor will be responsible for arranging distribution and for ensuring that students have the appropriate opportunity to ask questions for clarification.

  8. The Manager, Registrarial Services of the University is the final arbiter of the manner of conducting examinations and receives general directives on policy from the Vice-Provost.

  9. The Program Advisor, in cooperation with the appropriate examiners, establish special examination procedures as and when needed, for students who have temporary or permanent physical disabilities. Medical opinion shall be sought whenever there is doubt about the extent or nature of the disability.

Student's Responsibilities Regarding Final Examinations

Students must consult the Final Examination Schedule, which is posted on the University homepage at the start of each semester, for examination times and locations.

Examination Regulations

  1. Students must be seated on entering the examination hall. Until at least one hour after commencement of the examination, no candidates shall be permitted to leave except under supervision. If a candidate is not present within the first hour of the commencement of the examination, the candidate shall not be permitted to write the examination.

  2. No person shall be allowed in the examination hall during the course of the examination except the candidates concerned and those supervising the examination.

  3. No book, paper, or other aids shall be used during the examination except by permission of the instructor-in-charge. Students shall dispose of their bags and knapsacks by placing them on the floor at the front of the examination room, and any books not classified as permissible aids shall be placed at the front of the examination room.

  4. If provided, students must complete the examination attendance card at the beginning of the examination and place it beside their University of Guelph-Humber identification card at the front of the table. The attendance card will be signed at the time of collection.

  5. Students who have completed the examination will be allowed to leave their seats after the first hour has elapsed and after their examination books have been collected. To minimize the disturbance to students who have not yet completed their examinations, no student shall leave the examination hall during the last 15 minutes of the examination. At the conclusion of the examination period, students must remain seated until all papers have been collected and they are dismissed by the instructor-in-charge or the invigilator of the examination.

  6. When more than one examination booklet is handed in, students shall number each booklet and indicate on the cover of the first booklet the total number of booklets used.

  7. No writing within the answer book is permitted after the instruction to stop writing has been given. The instructor-in-charge may refuse to accept the paper of any candidate who fails to observe this time limit.

  8. No electronic devices are allowed in the examination room unless explicitly approved by the instructor in charge. This includes, but is not limited to cellular phones, hand held/palm communication devices and pagers.

  9. No caps or hats are allowed in the examination room. Any student wearing a cap or hat will be asked to remove it before the examination begins.

  10. Candidates shall not communicate with one another by writing, by signs, by words, or in any manner whatsoever while examinations are proceeding.

  11. Breach of any of the above rules will be considered as Academic Misconduct and will be investigated accordingly.

Faculty Liaison Staff Responsibilities

  1. Responsible for the security of the examinations printed in the department for the instructor.

  2. Printing the required number of copies for each examination.

  3. Responsible for distributing the copies of the examination to the instructor on the date set for the examination.

  4. Distributing a copy of the "final class list” to each instructor concerned.

Program Head’s Responsibilities

The Program Head is responsible for the conduct of all examinations held in their program by their faculty. The instructor-in-charge of the examination shall be the faculty member responsible for the course and the setting of the examination (or a designate) and to distribute the examination attendance cards provided.

Instructor's Responsibilities

  1. The faculty member responsible for the course and the setting of the examination, or a designate, shall be the instructor-in-charge for that course.

  2. To be present at the examination room thirty minutes prior to commencement of the examination and to be responsible for distribution of examination papers, attendance cards, if used, and other authorized materials.

  3. To be responsible for the taking of attendance during the first hour of the examination period (attendance cards are used in the large examination settings and class lists in other locations – typically classroom examinations.)

  4. To be responsible for arranging the pick-up of examination books and papers and comparing the number of examinations collected to the number of attendance cards or student signatures collected. These records should be retained by the instructor.

  5. To ensure all examination books are securely packaged.

  6. The instructor-in-charge and his/her invigilators shall not allow any student to enter the examination room after the first 60 minutes nor allow any student to leave during the first 60 or last 15 minutes of the examination period.

  7. Include all instructions regarding the examination on the examination paper, i.e., writing on every other line, writing on the right hand pages of the book. Verbal instructions made at the examination hall must be very limited.

  8. Where a student does not write the final examination, the instructor shall follow the procedures outlined under Academic Consideration in this section of the calendar.

  9. Instructors who wish to hold examinations in other than sit-down, regular formats should discuss procedures with their Program Head.

Manager, Registrarial Services, Responsibilities

  1. The Final Examination Timetable is computer-prepared and is based on student course selections made during the course selection period. The Final Examination Timetable is available to the students at the beginning of each semester.

  2. Under normal circumstances, changes to the published examination timetable are not allowed.

  3. To provide each instructor-in-charge with an examination attendance record in the form of a print-out of all students registered in the course or attendance cards for those examinations being written in the large settings (GYM etc).

  4. All examinations shall be under the direction of the faculty member in charge of the course. The instructor or assigned examination invigilators will start and end the examination.

  5. Examination invigilators shall assist the instructor-in-charge to ensure that no student enters the examination room after the first 60 minutes or leaves during the first 60 minutes or the last 15 minutes of the examination period.

  6. The Manager, Registrarial Services shall prepare a set of guidelines for the instructor-in-charge and invigilators, which will assist them in carrying out their duties in the examination rooms.

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