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8. Examination Policies

A. Exam Procedures

Students, faculty, and exam proctors shall be provided Exam Procedures at the beginning of each semester. These procedures will provide details on the midterm and final exam schedule, guidance for use of exam software, and limitations and guidance for students and proctors before, during, and after an exam. Violation of these procedures may be subject to penalty, including but not limited to a charge of academic misconduct.

B. Failure to Take an Examination as Scheduled

A student who fails to attend an in-person examination as scheduled or who submits an online or take-home examination late will receive a grade of 0.0 on the examination, unless

  1. in the case of a take-home examination, the faculty member teaching the class has expressly stated in the special exam instructions a different consequence for a late exam;
  2. the student is granted relief pursuant to the Grade Change Policy; or
  3. the student is granted relief pursuant to the Severe Examination Distress Policy.

The Grade Change Policy considers situations involving the grading process; the Severe Examination Distress Policy considers extraordinary circumstances that cause severe distress shortly before or during the administration of an examination.

C. Arriving Late for a Scheduled Exam

A student who arrives late for an in-person examination may elect not to take the examination and seek relief pursuant to the Severe Examination Distress Policy. Alternatively, the student may proceed to take the examination with the time remaining for that examination. If the student elects to proceed with the examination, the student will not be given additional time to compensate for lateness. The student’s examination will be provided to the faculty member without an indication that the student arrived late or had less time to complete the examination, and the student will be awarded the grade assigned by the professor.

D. Open-Book Examinations

Any open-book examinations must clearly state that it is an open book exam on the front page of the examination; preferably in bold-face print. Moreover, the extent to which materials may be brought into the examination room and used must be clearly and precisely stated on the front of the exam, not only for the benefit of the students, but also for the benefit of the examination monitors.

E. Severe Examination Distress

  1. Purpose of Policy. Students are expected to make all efforts to take examinations as scheduled. In fairness to students who experience severe distress, and to protect the integrity of the College of Law’s assessment system, the College of Law has developed these policies and procedures regarding severe distress.
  2. Application. This policy applies to final examinations and graded midterm examinations. For other graded assignments, such as oral arguments and presentations, the provisions in the professor’s syllabus will control. If the professor’s syllabus is silent, then the policies and procedures below may be used as guidelines to address the situation, but are not binding on the professor.
  3. Decision About Severe Distress. The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs is authorized to determine whether a student is experiencing severe distress and whether some form of
    accommodation regarding the examination is warranted. Examples of severe distress include issues relating to the health of the student or a close family member, death of a close family member, or other issues judged by the Associate Dean to be sufficiently extraordinary. The Associate Dean has discretion whether to grant an accommodation; this decision is final. The Associate Dean may seek outside advice and may require documentation of a medical condition. The Associate Dean, or the Dean, may designate another faculty or staff member to make decisions authorized under this policy when the Associate Dean is not available.
  4. Student Procedure. If a student seeks an accommodation for severe distress before or during the examination, the student should immediately notify the proctor, Registrar, or Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. If the student seeks an accommodation for severe distress after the time scheduled for the examination, the student normally should notify the Associate Dean within 24 hours of the scheduled time for the examination. To help preserve anonymity, the student should avoid communicating with the professor.
  5. Possible Accommodations for Severe Distress. The Associate Dean, or their designee, may accommodate severe distress in any manner deemed appropriate to the situation. These include but are not limited to:

    a. Giving the student additional time to complete the examination, either in the designated examination room or elsewhere.
    b. Allowing the student to take the exam at a later time (this option is available only for a student who has not already started the examination or seen the examination), keeping in
    mind the College’s grading deadlines.
    c. Requesting the professor to provide an alternative final examination; in this case, the student should be made aware that the examination might be graded without anonymity.
    d. Allowing the student to take an incomplete (I) in the course and retake the examination with the same professor, if practicable, within the next two semesters. This option is most
    practicable for one-semester required courses.
    e. Allowing a student to withdraw from the course. If the course is a required course, the student should be required to retake the course as soon as practicable.
  6. Student’s Failure or Refusal to Follow the Decision. If the student refuses to follow the Associate Dean’s decision, or fails to complete the option selected, the student will receive a 0.0 (for courses graded on the 4.0 scale) or U (for courses graded on the S/U scale) for that course.
  7. Impact on Other Students. If a distressed student disrupts the examination room, the Associate Dean (or designee) may extend the time of the examination for all students in the room. The Associate Dean may, in their discretion, report the general circumstances of the extension to the professor whose examination was being taken. If one or more other students reasonably assist the distressed student and thus lose time on the examination, the Associate Dean (or designee), as a matter of equity, may extend the time of the examination for those students so they receive the benefit of the full time period designated by the professor.