Examinations Policy
– May 19, 2022
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EXAMINATIONS POLICY
Policy Type:
Academic
Initially
Approved:
May 19
th
2022
Policy Sponsor:
Vice-President
Students
Last
Revised:
Primary Contact:
University
Registrar
Review
Scheduled:
May 19
th
2027
Approver:
General Faculties Council
A.
PURPOSE
The Examinations Policy stipulates the requirements around both midterm and final examinations.
B.
SCOPE
This Policy applies to all credit programs at Mount Royal University.
C.
POLICY STATEMENT
1.
EXAMINATIONS
1.1
Mid-term Exams
a. Scheduling:
i.
Mid-term exams shall not be scheduled outside of regularly scheduled
class times, except with the approval of the Dean and Registrar.
ii.
Mid-term exams that are scheduled outside of class time must be included
in the course outline to allow students fair warning of the time requirement.
iii.
If any conflicts arise, with other school activities, due to the mid-term being
scheduled outside of class time, the student must be accommodated by
providing an alternate day and time to write the exam.
1.2
Final Examinations
a. All final examinations must be scheduled by the Office of the Registrar and will
be held during the final examination period as specified in the Academic
Schedule.
b. Instructors cannot conduct any unscheduled examinations during the final
examination period unless approved by the Dean and Registrar.
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– May 19, 2022
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c. Instructors are permitted to assign coursework in lieu of a final examination (final
assignment, term project, take-home exam) that is due after the last day of
classes provided that:
i.
The limit on assessment weighting is upheld as defined in the Grades
policy;
ii.
The deadline for submission is recorded on the course outline and is
reported to the Office of the Registrar at the start of the semester;
iii.
The deadline for any coursework does not extend past the last day of the
semester; and
iv.
The final course grades are entered in the administrative system according
to specified deadlines.
d. Examinations are to be held as scheduled unless the institution officially
suspends operations in response to extraordinary circumstances. In the event
that a final examination is cancelled, the Office of the Registrar will reschedule
exams at the earliest practical date and time.
e. Normally, the class instructor of record is expected to invigilate their final exams.
If the instructor is not available it is the responsibility of the instructor and Chair
to find a qualified replacement.
f.
Students writing a final exam must confirm their identities by providing their MRU
student ID card or government issued photo ID.
g. Students must be available for examinations up to the last day of the examination
period as specified in the Academic Schedule.
h. Practical examinations may be scheduled in the final exam period provided that:
i.
When students are examined individually, they have options to take the
exam at a time that does not interfere with other written examinations
scheduled by the Office of the Registrar.
1.3
Exam Weighting
a. On the first day of classes instructors are responsible to make available to each
student a course statement that outlines the method of grading and the weights
assigned to the various components that are to be considered in determining the
final grade (term papers, laboratory work, class participation, tests, final
examination, etc.).
b. This weighting may not be changed during the semester or at the time of grade
reporting.
c. The final examination shall comprise not more than 50% of the final grade for a
course.
d. Any tests carried out during the last two weeks of classes for the Fall and Winter
Semesters, and the last week of classes for the Spring and Summer semesters,
may not count for more than 10% of the final grade for a course. Exceptions to
this include laboratory exams, final projects, or oral exams.
1.4
Scheduling
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a. All final examinations are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. The final
examination period of the semester, as defined by the Academic Schedule, is
reserved for final examinations scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. In
cases where there are demonstrable accreditation requirements, programs may
apply to the General Faculties Council for an exception to the Exam period
outlined in the Academic Schedule.
b. Evening courses. A final examination for an evening course will normally be
scheduled during the final examination period on the same night as the regular
class would be held. Exceptions to this must be requested by the department.
c. Block Week Courses: Will typically be scheduled on the Saturday after the last
day of the class or the following Saturday. The exam date must be reported to
the Office of the Registrar.
d. Practical, Laboratory and Oral Examinations: May be scheduled during the final
exam period, provided this information is included in the course outline and the
exam dates are provided to the Office of the Registrar. If the designated time
creates a conflict in the student exam schedule or the student has more than two
exams in a given day, the academic department must provide an alternate time
for the student. It is recommended that practical exams follow best practices.
e. Courses with unusual start and end dates (half semester): Courses that run
during the first half of the semester will have the final exam during the last
scheduled class meeting or can be scheduled on the Saturday following the last
day of the scheduled class. The exam date must be reported to the Office of the
Registrar. Courses that run the second half of the semester will have their final
exam scheduled by the Office of the Registrar during the final examination
period.
f.
Off Campus Exams (for an entire class): Any exams to be held off-campus must
be approved by the Dean and Registrar in consultation with Risk Management.
The instructor will notify students of this requirement within the course outline.
g. Online Exams: If a course has been scheduled with an online delivery mode, the
final exam must also be online. An exception to this can be made if the instructor
advises students on the first day of classes that the exam is going to be in-
person. This information must also be included in the course outline. If an
instructor of an in-person course decides to have an online exam, this must also
be communicated to students on the first day of classes and included in the
course outline. Online exams can be scheduled Synchronously or
Asynchronously. The type of online exam must be reported to the Office of the
Registrar to ensure it is scheduled accordingly.
h. Presentations: Courses with presentations as final assessments must be
communicated to the Office of the Registrar at the start of the semester. The
date and time of the presentations must be communicated to the Office of the
Registrar as part of the final exam scheduling process in order to minimize
conflicts in the student exam schedules.
i.
Academic Accommodation:
Students with documented disability or under other
protected grounds (e.g., religion, family status) may have exam
accommodations, as outlined by the Academic Accommodation for Students
Experiencing Disabilities Policy:
i.
It is the student’s responsibility to request an examination accommodation
through Access and Inclusion Services and provide the necessary
documentation to support their request. Access and Inclusion Services will
work with faculty and students to achieve accommodations that uphold
academic standards and maintain the integrity of the course curriculum
.
Examinations Policy
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ii.
The maximum number of hours for a student to write exams in one
calendar day is 6 hours. There may be exceptions if the duration of the
exam is determined by accrediting bodies.
•
If a student has multiple exams scheduled on the same day and
the total writing time exceeds 6 hours, the student may choose to
defer one or more exam(s).
•
If the student chooses to defer an exam due to multiple exams in
one day, the second exam would be deferred.
•
Students with back to back exams where the extended time
applied overlaps with the second exam, the second exam would
be deferred.
j.
Posting of timetable. The Final Examination Timetable shall be prepared and
made available on the Mount Royal University website by the Office of the
Registrar approximately six weeks but no later than five weeks before the last
day of classes in the Fall and Winter semesters. The Spring semester Final
Examination Timetable will be posted no later than the last Wednesday in May.
The Summer semester Final Examination Timetable will be posted no later than
the end of the third week of July
.
k. Once the final exam schedule has been posted, changes may be requested, but
will only be accommodated in the absence of conflicts. Changes will not be
accommodated if it creates a conflict in the student, faculty or room schedule,
unless approved by the Dean or designate and Registrar.
l.
Final examinations are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar on the basis of
information supplied by each department. Therefore, each Chair must return to
the Office of the Registrar no later than the beginning of the second week of the
semester all information required for scheduling. Refer to the Examinations
Procedures document.
m. The length of the examination shall be specified on the course outline and
examination papers. Final Examinations shall be normally two or three hours
duration without break. Exceptions shall be recommended by the department
Chair to the Dean (or des
ignate) and the Dean’s decision will be final. There are
four standard exam periods:
i.
0900
Two hour exams only
ii.
1130
Two or three hour exams
iii.
1500
Two or three hour exams
iv.
1900
Two or three hour exams
n. Daytime courses may have evening final exams.
o. Courses that do not require a final exam must be communicated to the Office of
the Registrar.
p.
If special supplies are needed for any examination, it is the instructor’s
responsibility to make the necessary arrangements.
1.5
Deferred Examination of Work
a. A student who is unable to write a final examination at the scheduled time may
apply for a deferred examination. Additional study time, travel plans, vacations
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or misreading the exam schedule are not considered legitimate reasons for
requesting a deferred exam.
b. The authority to grant or deny a deferred final examination is vested with the
Chair or Dean of the academic unit in which the course is offered.
i.
The Chair or Dean may consider any compelling reasons outside of the
student’s control including but not restricted to: personal illness,
bereavement,
personal
injury,
unavoidable
and
unanticipated
circumstances.
ii.
The application must be supported by appropriate documentation.
iii.
If the intended absence is due to Protected Human Rights, the Chair or
Dean and instructor must be informed in writing of the conflict two weeks
prior to the date of the examination.
c. Under no circumstances will a deferred final examination be granted after a
student has written the original final examination.
d. Emergency situation. If students become ill or are notified of an emergency
during an examination, they should report at once to the invigilating instructor(s),
hand in their unfinished examination paper, and request that the examination
paper be cancelled.
i.
If illness is the cause, medical documentation must be obtained from a
physician within 24 hours, so that any subsequent application for a
deferred examination may be supported by medical documentation.
ii.
In the case of an emergency, the student must present appropriate
documentation to the instructor within three business days of the
examination.
e. Late request. Students who complete an examination will not be permitted to
apply for a deferred examination.
f.
Loss of privilege. To be eligible for a deferred examination, students must apply
as soon as possible before, and no later than the date of the examination.
g. More than Two Exams. Students who have more than two exams scheduled on
any one day may request and shall be granted a deferral of the third and
subsequent examination(s) on that day by the appropriate instructor responsible
for the examination. The same condition applies if two or more examinations are
scheduled at the same time.
1.6
Conduct of Examinations
a. Registration: A student must be registered in a course in order to write the final
examination.
b. Presentations, Oral and Practical Exams: Where students are to be evaluated
on the basis of a presentation, oral or practical performance, the instructor must
keep a written
record or written commentary on each student’s performance
sufficient to justify the grade assigned.
c. Proctored examination for individual students: Individual students who are
unable to attend their in-person exam due to extenuating circumstances, may
request a proctored final exam outside of Mount Royal University. Such requests
must be approved by the Dean or designate and Registrar.
If approved, it is the students’ responsibility to make arrangements for a different
place of writing and for an invigilator approved by the Dean or designate to be
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– May 19, 2022
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present at the location where they wish to write. These arrangements must meet
the approval of the Dean or designate. The student is responsible for any costs
associated with these arrangements.
Whenever possible, students granted the privilege of a proctored examination
must write on the same day and at the same time as the examination being
written at Mount Royal University.
d. Proctored examination for an entire class: Instructors who wish to conduct a
proctored exam using proctoring software must submit a request and have it
approved by the Dean. Any software used for this type of assessment must be
an approved university application and must adhere to provincial and federal
privacy and security requirements.
D.
DEFINITIONS
(1) Asynchronous
Exam
An exam that is available online for a specified period of time.
Students must log in and complete the exam within a specified
duration.
(2) Block week
course
A course that typically runs for a period of time prior to the
start of the regular semester
(3) Courses with
unusual start and
end dates
Courses with start and end dates that are not the same as the
regularly scheduled semester dates
(4) Course Work
All course work (assignments and examinations) must be
completed within the course start and end dates specified
(5) Deferred Exam
Students who are unable to write their final exam on the official
posted date for reasons as outlined in this policy may apply to
write their final exam at another day and time.
(6) Experiential
Learning Course
As defined by the Programs Definition policy under Workplace
Experiential Learning
(7) Final Assignment/
Term Project
A culminating task or piece of work assigned to students as part
of a course. Must be assigned prior to the last day of classes
with a due date no later than the last day of the semester.
(8) Final
Examination:
In this document “final examination” means an examination
(normally of two or three hours in duration) held during the final
examination period in any semester.
(9) Final Exam period
A 10-day period after the last day of classes which includes
business days and Saturdays for the Fall and Winter
semesters. A three-day period after the last day of classes
which includes business days only for the Spring and Summer
semesters.
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– May 19, 2022
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(10) Final Grade
The result of an assessment of a student’s academic
performance in relation to a set of explicitly stated criteria in a
transparent and open manner. Typically, a student in a course
with a final mark will either pass or fail.
(11) Invigilator
An individual that is appointed by an academic department to
supervise students completing an exam, ensuring exam rules
and procedures are followed. Normally the instructor assigned
to the course.
(12) Laboratory /
Practical Exam
An exam whereby a student demonstrates their practical skills
and techniques usually in a laboratory, clinical or field setting.
This would include comprehensive exams, objective structured
clinical exams, bell-ringer-type exams or others that could be
classified as measuring experiential competence)
(13) Oral Exam
An exam whereby an examiner poses questions to the student
in a spoken from and the student needs to respond in such a
manner to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject
(14) Online Exams
Exams that are held using an MRU approved virtual platform
(15) Policy
means the Examinations Policy
(16) Proctored Exam
An exam that is supervised by an approved, neutral person,
who ensures the identity of the exam taker and the integrity of
the exam taking environment
(17) Synchronous
Exam
An online exam that has a specified day, time and duration.
(18) Take home exam
Open book exam that students complete outside of the
classroom. The questions are provided to the students and the
students are given a specified period of time to submit their
answers
(19) Test
In this document “test” means any test, or quiz, conducted up
to the last day of classes.
(20) University
means Mount Royal University
E.
RELATED POLICIES
• Academic Accommodation for Students Experiencing Disabilities Policy
• Academic Scheduling Policy
• Grades Policy
• Human Rights Policy
• Program Definitions Policy
• Registration Policy
Examinations Policy
– May 19, 2022
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F.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
• N/A
G.
REVISION HISTORY
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)
Description of
Change
Sections
Person who
Entered Revision
(Position Title)
Person who
Authorized
Revision
(Position Title)