Penn Veterinary Medicine | University of Pennsylvania

Examination Policy

EXAMINATIONS

1. Evaluation of student performance in a course shall be the responsibility of the faculty responsible for the individual courses. These evaluations shall be carried out during the scheduled course sessions and/or during designated examination periods. Course grades shall be derived from these evaluations of a student's performance. All instructors sharing significant responsibility for a course shall participate in the evaluation of students and the awarding of grades.
2. Examinations for core courses containing subjective questions (i.e., short answer, essay) will be graded anonymously. Students will be assigned a test number in their first year that will follow the student through subsequent years. The student will use this number instead of their name on subjective question exams.

3. Students must be informed of the evaluation procedures to be used in the course at the beginning of the course. The material content to be covered by any examination should be defined well in advance of the examination.

   In the event that a scheduled lecture is not given at the appointed time, the material to be presented in that lecture may not be included on an examination except when one of the following conditions has been fulfilled:

   1. The missed lecture is rescheduled for presentation at a time mutually agreeable to the instructor and the class officers, or
   2. The material from the lecture is placed into handout form and distributed to the members of the class by the instructor within a reasonable time before the examination.

4. The total number of hours of examination time permitted in each course shall be a function of the number of credits assigned to that course. All courses shall initially be permitted one hour of examination time. Courses rated at more than one (1) credit may use additional examination time at the rate of 3/4 of an hour for each credit in excess of one (1) assigned to that course -- e.g., a 3 credit course would be entitled to 2 ½ hours (1 + 3/4 + 3/4) of scheduled examination time. All formal examinations (announced or unannounced) shall be included in the total time allotment.

   Courses with special circumstances requiring more examination time must petition the Committee on the Academic Status of Students for additional time.

5. In general, individual examinations should be designed to be completed in three hours or less. The maximum time permitted for any one examination must be announced to the entire class prior to the start of the examination. At least one of the examiners shall be accessible to students for the duration of the examination. The maximum time permitted for formal examinations in any one day should not exceed four (4) hours. Students with approved accommodated testing see G below.
6. Students are not permitted to bring electronic devices of any type to class during written or practical examinations, including cell phones, iPods, Mp3 players, PDA’s such as palm pilots, iPhones or BlackBerrys, or any similar electronic devices. Book bags and notes may not remain on the desk during test taking. Unless specifically permitted by the course organizer, students cannot bring any study materials, notes, books, book bags or back packs into the examination classroom or laboratory during progressive, mid-term or final examinations.
7. Students will receive academic accommodations only after approval by the University of Pennsylvania Office of Student Disability Services. The School of Veterinary Medicine will strictly adhere to the terms and conditions set forth by the Office of Student Disability Services:
   1. Students accepting academic accommodations must use the accommodations for all examinations; accommodations may not be applied selectively.
   2. Students must take the exam on the scheduled date of the exam.Extended time for exam preparation is not a reasonable accommodation.
   3. Examinations may be postponed in the case of illness. The examination will be rescheduled on the student’s first day of return to class. A note from a health care professional must be provided at that time.
   4. Students must arrive and start their exams on time. Students who are significantly late (30 minutes) for an exam will not be permitted to test.
   5. Additional time will not be added to the end of the exam for students who are late.
   6. Students should review the examination immediately upon receipt to be certain that the examination is complete and that all questions are understood. The proctor will visit the classroom once to answer questions. The proctor is not available for an extended period of time.
   7. Multiple Veterinary students may be taking an examination in the same room. A reduced distraction test environment does require a separate room, or a room without windows.
   8. Students are required to hand in their examination at the conclusion of their accommodation times, even if the student has not been able to complete the examination. Failure to follow the above rules may result in the cancellation of the student’s accommodations. Reinstatement of academic accommodations will require permission from the Director of Student Disability Services. Questions regarding changes to accommodations must be discussed with the Director of Student Disability Services.
8. Any student absent from a scheduled examination will not be permitted to take a substitute examination in the course unless the absence is owing to illness of the student, death of a relative, or to some other substantial reason satisfactory to the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. The student should contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs prior to the examination for permission to be excused. In the case of an emergency the student should contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs as soon as possible to discuss his/her absence and to arrange for a make-up test. The Course Organizer should inform the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs about each student who is absent from a scheduled examination. If permission for a make-up examination is denied, the student can submit a written appeal to the Chair of CASS. Any student absent at the time that an unannounced quiz or examination is given during a lecture period shall be permitted to take a make-up test within a reasonable time period. The instructor shall set the time for the makeup test.
9. Students granted permission to delay examinations in core courses beyond the end of the course shall be issued a grade of INCOMPLETE. The results of such delayed examinations must be received in the Office of Curricular Affairs by June 29th, otherwise the grade of INCOMPLETE will automatically be changed to "F".
10. Students shall be informed of the date of the final examination on the first day of each course. Scheduling of final examinations during designated examination periods shall be the responsibility of the Associate Dean. Scheduling of in-course examinations shall be the responsibility of the faculty in charge of the course and shall be in accordance with the pattern shown in Section XI of this document. Requests for changes in previously scheduled progressive and final examination dates shall only be considered by the faculty and the Associate Dean within the following guidelines:
    1. During the first two weeks of each course, requests agreed to by two-thirds of the students enrolled in the course; or
    2. During the balance of each course, requests agreed to by all students enrolled in the course.
    3. Process:
       1. Confirm with Curricular Affairs that a room is available.
       2. Confirm with the Course Organizer that he/she agrees to the change.
       3. The entire class must vote. The vote must be anonymous and documented via paper or electronic means; the vote cannot be counted via head or hand count.
       4. For semester courses that extend over two quarters, e.g., Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neurosciences, examination changes may be requested at the beginning of each quarter.
11. All multiple choice examinations should be returned to students within two (2) weeks of the date the examination was administered. Other examinations must be graded and made available to students within a reasonable amount of time. Answer keys must be made available to the students once all members of the class have completed the examination. Protests or inquiries regarding examination questions and grading must be submitted to the course organizer in writing within one week of the time that the examination answer key is posted. The course organizer is responsible for resolving these issues and communicating in writing the resolution to all affected students. Course organizers are advised to keep the original copies of the scantron answer sheets and return photocopies to the students so that any necessary changes in grading may be made. Re-examinations should also be graded as soon as possible and made available for review by the students. At no time shall any student's name and examination grade be posted publicly. When a final examination is the sole or major determinant of the course grade, then such availability for return to the students shall occur after the Course Grades are available online. These regulations shall not preclude the posting of answer keys for multiple choice examinations immediately following the examination if desired by the Instructor in charge of the course, provided that the A/B/C/F grade levels are not indicated for final examinations.
12. Two copies of all examinations should be submitted to the Librarian promptly after determining that all enrolled students have taken the examination.