5.2.5.8 Common Hour Examinations

5.2.5.8 COMMON HOUR EXAMINATIONS

If a student has a course scheduled at the same time as a common examination and the student has given written notice of the conflict to the instructor at least two (2) weeks prior to the common exam, the student shall be entitled to an excused absence from the conflicting common examination.

Departments electing to give exams, other than Final Examinations, in a course to all sections of the course at a common time shall be required to do the following:

1. List the days of the month, week and the time at which the exam will be given in the official Schedule of Classes.
2. Provide an opportunity for students missing such exams with an excused absence to make up the missed work.

Departments must adopt at least one (1) of the following policies for administering common examinations or some alternate arrangement to be approved by the dean of the college in which the course is given:

1. Provide a prime-time course section that does not participate in the common examinations.
2. Give two (2) examinations at widely disparate times.

A student enrolled in a course where a common exam is scheduled may also enroll in a class scheduled in the time slot of the common exam.

_{*     Any department giving a common examination must give a make-up exam or develop some other arrangement for students with excused absences to gain credit as if they had taken the common exam; a department may not apply a "drop the lowest score" policy to common exams missed with an excused absence.}

The Faculty of a college may adopt "alternative examination" rules that differ from the above.

In instances where a common exam is missed due to an excused absence and the department has adopted a policy of “doubling up” to compensate, students missing the exam must be allowed the same access to the missed common exam and the key to the answers as students who took the common exam have. (“Doubling up” is the practice of considering the score of the missed common exam to be the score on the portion of a comprehensive final exam that covers the same material.)