Policy 2.9 - Final Exam

Policy 2.9 - Final Exam

BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY

Policy and Procedure Manual

SUBJECT: Final Exam

NUMBER: 2:9

Office: Office of Academic Affairs 

Source: BHSU Faculty Handbook;  BHSU Policy 2:15 

Purpose

This policy sets forth the process for holding final examinations for courses at BHSU.

Policy

  1. A final exam period is set aside at the end of each semester at all regental universities in accordance with the regental academic calendar. Finals week is considered an integral part of the academic semester and critical to the credit-hour calculation. Faculty members must administer end-of-semester exams, whether comprehensive or unit exams, according to the final exam schedule, though they may exercise judgment in accommodating individual students who may have conflicts with scheduled exam times. The appropriate college dean, however, must approve in writing any exceptions to the scheduled exam time for an entire course or section. Consolidated exams for multiple sections of classes must also be approved by the Dean of the appropriate college, or school Chair, and scheduled through the office of the Dean.
  2. The final examination schedule will be published for the fall and spring course schedules. Final exams for evening courses (any course that begins at 4:00 p.m. or later) must be scheduled at the regularly scheduled time of the course during finals week. Every course is required to follow the final exam schedule.
  3. Five (5) days are to be scheduled for final exams at the end of each semester, fall and spring, according to the system academic calendar. Due to the variety of summer sessions and other accelerated course formats, the final day of the term will be reserved to administer the final exam.
  4. Final exams are a vital part of the instructional program and must be given in all courses except in certain cases such as studio, capstone, seminars, and other independent-learning credits where a final exam may not be appropriate. Any instructor wishing to waive the requirement of a final exam must do so by submitting a request as outlined under Procedures. The right to waive the final exam does not remove the requirement to hold class during the final exam week for a substantive, alternative learning experience.
  5. Online and hybrid courses must be held to the same standard for final examinations, and instructors in these courses may only administer their final examinations during the scheduled final exam week.
  6. Faculty members must follow the published final exam schedule, even if the faculty member and all students in a course agree to a change. This is in effect even if the final exam is an alternate learning experience. This does not remove the requirement that classes must meet during finals week.
  7. To avoid conflicts with final exams, BHSU Athletics may not schedule games, meets, practices, or other events during scheduled exam times. Only conference events scheduled by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are allowed during final exam week, and student-athletes must make arrangements in advance with their instructors to complete their final exams. Faculty members must, in turn, work with student-athletes to accommodate their final exams around these RMAC-scheduled events.

Procedures

  1. Each instructor, school Chair, and Dean is responsible for enforcing the above policies. The BHSU Class Attendance Policy 2:15 establishes acceptable excuses for missing and retaking a final examination
  2. Individual students may petition in writing for a variance from these policies, provided the instructor is satisfied that the exception is based on good and sufficient reasons, and that such an exception for an early or late examination will not prejudice the interests of other students in the course. Reasons for individual students missing a scheduled examination will be handled by the school Chair. The BHSU Class Attendance Policy 2:15 should be consulted for excused absences.
  3. If any student has a conflict in the schedule of final exams or has more than three finals in one day and cannot resolve the conflict with the individual instructor, that student should contact the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. No student is required to take more than three exams in one day.
  4. Any instructor wishing to request a waiver from administering a final examination must do so by submitting a request to the appropriate school Chair for consideration. That request must describe the substantive, alternative learning experience to be held during the scheduled final exam period for the course. The Chair will then forward such requests to the college Dean.

Responsible Administrator

The Vice President of Academic Affairs, or designee, is responsible for the annual ad hoc review of this policy and its procedures. The University President is responsible for approval of this policy.

Source and Revision History

 Adopted by President 09/23/2021. Revised/approved 2023.10.30