Final Exams—Teaching at a Glance University of Connecticut Institute for Teaching and Learning | Nov. 2014
Vol. 14 |
Weekly Teaching at a Glance: Preparing for Final Exams
What does an effective final exam look like? Have you asked yourself what—of all the material, processes, and procedures you’ve taught this semester—should actually show up on the final exam? What should be assessed? Knowledge and comprehension? Analytical skills? The ability to evaluate and synthesize information? Take a look at your course goals and student-learning outcomes to ensure that you’re testing students on what you really want them to know or do.
What will you do if students request a make-up final exam? Perhaps you didn’t realize that students may be officially excused from their finals, requiring you to administer a make up. When students are forced to miss a final examination due to illness, accident, death in the family, or other unavoidable reasons, they can receive approval from the Dean of Students Office to arrange another exam time with their instructor. Students are also excused from exams that are “bunched.”
Talk with your department head to find out the policy on administering make ups. Some departments do not schedule individual final exams for each student requesting them—especially in large classes; instead, instructors assign an “x” for the final grade and require the students to take the make-up during the next semester’s final-exam period.
It helps to know the policy and have a plan, just in case.
How do iTV instructors administer final exams? UConn recognizes that you can’t be in two places at once. If you teach an iTV course and need a final-exam proctor for a remote location, visit http://itv.uconn.edu/proctor.htm for contact information.
Links:
UConn final exam schedules: Exam Information | Office of the Registrar
For more information, contact the Institute for Teaching and Learning at www.itl.uconn.edu.
For more information, contact: Laurie Wolfley at laurie.wolfley@uconn.edu