Examinations Policy – May 19, 2022

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EXAMINATIONS POLICY

Policy Type:

Academic

Initially

Approved:

May 19

2022

Policy Sponsor:

Vice-President

Students

Last

Revised:

Primary Contact: University

Registrar

Review

Scheduled: May 19

2027

Approver:

General Faculties Council

PURPOSE

The Examinations Policy stipulates the requirements around both midterm and final examinations.

SCOPE

This Policy applies to all credit programs at Mount Royal University.

POLICY STATEMENT

EXAMINATIONS

1.1

Mid-term Exams

a. Scheduling:

Mid-term exams shall not be scheduled outside of regularly scheduled

class times, except with the approval of the Dean and Registrar.

ii.

Mid-term exams that are scheduled outside of class time must be included

in the course outline to allow students fair warning of the time requirement.

iii.

If any conflicts arise, with other school activities, due to the mid-term being

scheduled outside of class time, the student must be accommodated by

providing an alternate day and time to write the exam.

1.2

Final Examinations

a. All final examinations must be scheduled by the Office of the Registrar and will

be held during the final examination period as specified in the Academic

Schedule.

b. Instructors cannot conduct any unscheduled examinations during the final

examination period unless approved by the Dean and Registrar.

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c. Instructors are permitted to assign coursework in lieu of a final examination (final

assignment, term project, take-home exam) that is due after the last day of

classes provided that:

The limit on assessment weighting is upheld as defined in the Grades

policy;

ii.

The deadline for submission is recorded on the course outline and is

reported to the Office of the Registrar at the start of the semester;

iii.

The deadline for any coursework does not extend past the last day of the

semester; and

iv.

The final course grades are entered in the administrative system according

to specified deadlines.

d. Examinations are to be held as scheduled unless the institution officially

suspends operations in response to extraordinary circumstances. In the event

that a final examination is cancelled, the Office of the Registrar will reschedule

exams at the earliest practical date and time.

e. Normally, the class instructor of record is expected to invigilate their final exams.

If the instructor is not available it is the responsibility of the instructor and Chair

to find a qualified replacement.

f. Students writing a final exam must confirm their identities by providing their MRU

student ID card or government issued photo ID.

g. Students must be available for examinations up to the last day of the examination

period as specified in the Academic Schedule.

h. Practical examinations may be scheduled in the final exam period provided that:

When students are examined individually, they have options to take the

exam at a time that does not interfere with other written examinations

scheduled by the Office of the Registrar.

1.3

Exam Weighting

a. On the first day of classes instructors are responsible to make available to each

student a course statement that outlines the method of grading and the weights

assigned to the various components that are to be considered in determining the

final grade (term papers, laboratory work, class participation, tests, final

examination, etc.).

b. This weighting may not be changed during the semester or at the time of grade

reporting.

c. The final examination shall comprise not more than 50% of the final grade for a

course.

d. Any tests carried out during the last two weeks of classes for the Fall and Winter

Semesters, and the last week of classes for the Spring and Summer semesters,

may not count for more than 10% of the final grade for a course. Exceptions to

this include laboratory exams, final projects, or oral exams.

1.4

Scheduling

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a. All final examinations are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. The final

examination period of the semester, as defined by the Academic Schedule, is

reserved for final examinations scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. In

cases where there are demonstrable accreditation requirements, programs may

apply to the General Faculties Council for an exception to the Exam period

outlined in the Academic Schedule.

b. Evening courses. A final examination for an evening course will normally be

scheduled during the final examination period on the same night as the regular

class would be held. Exceptions to this must be requested by the department.

c. Block Week Courses: Will typically be scheduled on the Saturday after the last

day of the class or the following Saturday. The exam date must be reported to

the Office of the Registrar.

d. Practical, Laboratory and Oral Examinations: May be scheduled during the final

exam period, provided this information is included in the course outline and the

exam dates are provided to the Office of the Registrar. If the designated time

creates a conflict in the student exam schedule or the student has more than two

exams in a given day, the academic department must provide an alternate time

for the student. It is recommended that practical exams follow best practices.

e. Courses with unusual start and end dates (half semester): Courses that run

during the first half of the semester will have the final exam during the last

scheduled class meeting or can be scheduled on the Saturday following the last

day of the scheduled class. The exam date must be reported to the Office of the

Registrar. Courses that run the second half of the semester will have their final

exam scheduled by the Office of the Registrar during the final examination

period.

f. Off Campus Exams (for an entire class): Any exams to be held off-campus must

be approved by the Dean and Registrar in consultation with Risk Management.

The instructor will notify students of this requirement within the course outline.

g. Online Exams: If a course has been scheduled with an online delivery mode, the

final exam must also be online. An exception to this can be made if the instructor

advises students on the first day of classes that the exam is going to be in-

person. This information must also be included in the course outline. If an

instructor of an in-person course decides to have an online exam, this must also

be communicated to students on the first day of classes and included in the

course outline. Online exams can be scheduled Synchronously or

Asynchronously. The type of online exam must be reported to the Office of the

Registrar to ensure it is scheduled accordingly.

h. Presentations: Courses with presentations as final assessments must be

communicated to the Office of the Registrar at the start of the semester. The

date and time of the presentations must be communicated to the Office of the

Registrar as part of the final exam scheduling process in order to minimize

conflicts in the student exam schedules.

i. Academic Accommodation:

Students with documented disability or under other

protected grounds (e.g., religion, family status) may have exam

accommodations, as outlined by the Academic Accommodation for Students

Experiencing Disabilities Policy:

It is the student’s responsibility to request an examination accommodation

through Access and Inclusion Services and provide the necessary

documentation to support their request. Access and Inclusion Services will

work with faculty and students to achieve accommodations that uphold

academic standards and maintain the integrity of the course curriculum

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ii.

The maximum number of hours for a student to write exams in one

calendar day is 6 hours. There may be exceptions if the duration of the

exam is determined by accrediting bodies.

•

If a student has multiple exams scheduled on the same day and

the total writing time exceeds 6 hours, the student may choose to

defer one or more exam(s).

•

If the student chooses to defer an exam due to multiple exams in

one day, the second exam would be deferred.

•

Students with back to back exams where the extended time

applied overlaps with the second exam, the second exam would

be deferred.

j. Posting of timetable. The Final Examination Timetable shall be prepared and

made available on the Mount Royal University website by the Office of the

Registrar approximately six weeks but no later than five weeks before the last

day of classes in the Fall and Winter semesters. The Spring semester Final

Examination Timetable will be posted no later than the last Wednesday in May.

The Summer semester Final Examination Timetable will be posted no later than

the end of the third week of July

k. Once the final exam schedule has been posted, changes may be requested, but

will only be accommodated in the absence of conflicts. Changes will not be

accommodated if it creates a conflict in the student, faculty or room schedule,

unless approved by the Dean or designate and Registrar.

l. Final examinations are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar on the basis of

information supplied by each department. Therefore, each Chair must return to

the Office of the Registrar no later than the beginning of the second week of the

semester all information required for scheduling. Refer to the Examinations

Procedures document.

m. The length of the examination shall be specified on the course outline and

examination papers. Final Examinations shall be normally two or three hours

duration without break. Exceptions shall be recommended by the department

Chair to the Dean (or designate) and the Dean’s decision will be final. There are

four standard exam periods:
i.

0900

Two hour exams only

ii.

1130

Two or three hour exams

iii.

1500

Two or three hour exams

iv.

1900

Two or three hour exams

n. Daytime courses may have evening final exams.
o. Courses that do not require a final exam must be communicated to the Office of

the Registrar.

p. If special supplies are needed for any examination, it is the instructor’s

responsibility to make the necessary arrangements.

1.5

Deferred Examination of Work

a. A student who is unable to write a final examination at the scheduled time may

apply for a deferred examination. Additional study time, travel plans, vacations

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or misreading the exam schedule are not considered legitimate reasons for

requesting a deferred exam.

b. The authority to grant or deny a deferred final examination is vested with the

Chair or Dean of the academic unit in which the course is offered.

The Chair or Dean may consider any compelling reasons outside of the

student’s control including but not restricted to: personal illness,

bereavement, personal injury, unavoidable and unanticipated

circumstances.

ii.

The application must be supported by appropriate documentation.

iii.

If the intended absence is due to Protected Human Rights, the Chair or

Dean and instructor must be informed in writing of the conflict two weeks

prior to the date of the examination.

c. Under no circumstances will a deferred final examination be granted after a

student has written the original final examination.

d. Emergency situation. If students become ill or are notified of an emergency

during an examination, they should report at once to the invigilating instructor(s),

hand in their unfinished examination paper, and request that the examination

paper be cancelled.
i.

If illness is the cause, medical documentation must be obtained from a

physician within 24 hours, so that any subsequent application for a

deferred examination may be supported by medical documentation.

ii.

In the case of an emergency, the student must present appropriate

documentation to the instructor within three business days of the

examination.

e. Late request. Students who complete an examination will not be permitted to

apply for a deferred examination.

f. Loss of privilege. To be eligible for a deferred examination, students must apply

as soon as possible before, and no later than the date of the examination.

g. More than Two Exams. Students who have more than two exams scheduled on

any one day may request and shall be granted a deferral of the third and

subsequent examination(s) on that day by the appropriate instructor responsible

for the examination. The same condition applies if two or more examinations are

scheduled at the same time.

1.6

Conduct of Examinations

a. Registration: A student must be registered in a course in order to write the final

examination.

b. Presentations, Oral and Practical Exams: Where students are to be evaluated

on the basis of a presentation, oral or practical performance, the instructor must

keep a written record or written commentary on each student’s performance

sufficient to justify the grade assigned.

c. Proctored examination for individual students: Individual students who are

unable to attend their in-person exam due to extenuating circumstances, may

request a proctored final exam outside of Mount Royal University. Such requests

must be approved by the Dean or designate and Registrar.
If approved, it is the students’ responsibility to make arrangements for a different

place of writing and for an invigilator approved by the Dean or designate to be

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present at the location where they wish to write. These arrangements must meet

the approval of the Dean or designate. The student is responsible for any costs

associated with these arrangements.
Whenever possible, students granted the privilege of a proctored examination

must write on the same day and at the same time as the examination being

written at Mount Royal University.

d. Proctored examination for an entire class: Instructors who wish to conduct a

proctored exam using proctoring software must submit a request and have it

approved by the Dean. Any software used for this type of assessment must be

an approved university application and must adhere to provincial and federal

privacy and security requirements.

DEFINITIONS

(1) Asynchronous

Exam

An exam that is available online for a specified period of time.

Students must log in and complete the exam within a specified

duration.

(2) Block week

course

A course that typically runs for a period of time prior to the

start of the regular semester

(3) Courses with

unusual start and

end dates

Courses with start and end dates that are not the same as the

regularly scheduled semester dates

(4) Course Work

All course work (assignments and examinations) must be

completed within the course start and end dates specified

(5) Deferred Exam

Students who are unable to write their final exam on the official

posted date for reasons as outlined in this policy may apply to

write their final exam at another day and time.

(6) Experiential

Learning Course

As defined by the Programs Definition policy under Workplace

Experiential Learning

(7) Final Assignment/

Term Project

A culminating task or piece of work assigned to students as part

of a course. Must be assigned prior to the last day of classes

with a due date no later than the last day of the semester.

(8) Final

Examination:

In this document “final examination” means an examination

(normally of two or three hours in duration) held during the final

examination period in any semester.

(9) Final Exam period A 10-day period after the last day of classes which includes

business days and Saturdays for the Fall and Winter

semesters. A three-day period after the last day of classes

which includes business days only for the Spring and Summer

semesters.

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(10) Final Grade

The result of an assessment of a student’s academic

performance in relation to a set of explicitly stated criteria in a

transparent and open manner. Typically, a student in a course

with a final mark will either pass or fail.

(11) Invigilator

An individual that is appointed by an academic department to

supervise students completing an exam, ensuring exam rules

and procedures are followed. Normally the instructor assigned

to the course.

(12) Laboratory /

Practical Exam

An exam whereby a student demonstrates their practical skills

and techniques usually in a laboratory, clinical or field setting.

This would include comprehensive exams, objective structured

clinical exams, bell-ringer-type exams or others that could be

classified as measuring experiential competence)

(13) Oral Exam

An exam whereby an examiner poses questions to the student

in a spoken from and the student needs to respond in such a

manner to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the subject

(14) Online Exams

Exams that are held using an MRU approved virtual platform

(15) Policy

means the Examinations Policy

(16) Proctored Exam

An exam that is supervised by an approved, neutral person,

who ensures the identity of the exam taker and the integrity of

the exam taking environment

(17) Synchronous

Exam

An online exam that has a specified day, time and duration.

(18) Take home exam Open book exam that students complete outside of the

classroom. The questions are provided to the students and the

students are given a specified period of time to submit their

answers

(19) Test

In this document “test” means any test, or quiz, conducted up

to the last day of classes.

(20) University

means Mount Royal University

RELATED POLICIES

•

Academic Accommodation for Students Experiencing Disabilities Policy

•

Academic Scheduling Policy

•

Grades Policy

•

Human Rights Policy

•

Program Definitions Policy

•

Registration Policy

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RELATED DOCUMENTS

•

N/A

REVISION HISTORY

Date

(mm/dd/yyyy)

Description of

Change

Sections

Person who

Entered Revision

(Position Title)

Person who

Authorized

Revision

(Position Title)