Final and Last Exam Policy
All courses will involve some form of comprehensive evaluation; final examinations are an integral part of this procedure in many cases. For every course requiring a final examination, the day and hour scheduled for this purpose must be used, and the examination must be limited to that specified period of time. All evening courses, in which final examinations are to be given, will hold the examination during final exam week at the day and hour of the regular class meeting.
The last examination of the semester in a course must be given during the final exam week at the scheduled time. During the last week of class, examinations may only be given if there is also a comprehensive examination given during the scheduled final examination period.
While the policies do not apply to graduate courses, laboratory and studio examinations, or to graduate students enrolled in dual listed courses, the policies are designed to maximize the opportunity for student success by standardizing schedules for major exams and allowing for study time. The quality of the educational experiences we provide our students should not be compromised, nor should students or entire classes feel pressured to agree to "early" finals. "Rescheduled" finals frequently inconvenience instructors of other courses and/or result in student complaints.
It is a violation of privacy to publicly post student grades, for example, by social security number or in a non-scrambled alphabetical order.
Retention and Disposal of Graded Material
All graded material (papers, quizzes, exams, etc.) not yet returned to students should be kept by instructors for a period of one year beyond the semester in which a course is taught.
- All grade records (hard copy and electronic) should be kept by instructors for a period of two years beyond the semester in which a course is taught.
- All instructors who will not return for the following semester should leave this material with the department chairperson at the end of the course, after turning in the grades for the course. Faculty members who are beginning a sabbatical or going on leave as well as adjunct instructors hired only occasionally are asked to follow this practice.
- If any incomplete grade assigned in a course is extended, all course materials should be kept until all final grades for the course have been assigned.
If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to contact the Provost's Office.