EPC Policies on Courses

Policy on Religious Accommodation

It is the policy of the University to make reasonable efforts to accommodate students having bona fide religious conflicts with scheduled examinations by providing alternative times or methods to take such examinations.  If a student anticipates that a scheduled examination will occur at a time at which his or her religious beliefs prohibit participation in the examination, the student must submit to the instructor a statement describing the nature of the religious conflict and specifying the days and times of conflict.

1. For final examinations, the statement must be submitted no later than the end of the second week of instruction of the quarter.
2. For all other examinations, the statement must be submitted to the instructor as soon as possible after a particular examination date is scheduled.
3. If a conflict with the student's religious beliefs does exist, the instructor will attempt to provide an alternative, equitable examination which does not create undue hardship for the instructor or for the other students in the class.

Policy on Final Examinations

1. Academic Senate Regulations specify that final examinations are required in all undergraduate courses, unless an exception has been approved by the Undergraduate Council (UGC). Final examinations are, however, normally not required in laboratory courses.
2. Final examinations may not be given at any time before examination week without explicit approval of UGC.
3. Although the instructor may give a final examination at an alternative time during final examination week with the approval of UGC, students must be permitted to take an equivalent examination at the originally scheduled time if they so desire.
4. An instructor may administer an examination at an alternative time if a valid reason is given by the student for not taking the regularly scheduled examination.  Valid reasons include:  serious illness and family disasters.  Rescheduling as a result of a religious obligation is governed by the UCSD Policy on Religious Accommodation.
5. No student may be excused from assigned final examinations.
6. A final examination must, whenever practicable, be written and must be completed by all participants within a previously announced time limit.
7. Final examinations in non-laboratory courses may not exceed three hours duration.
8. No instructor may require a "take-home" final examination be turned in before the date and hour at which the examination for the course was scheduled by the Registrars Office.
9. Faculty members (including visiting faculty) must be available to students during final examination week up to the time when the final examinations of their courses are given and, physically present in the examination room for the entire final examination, except in special cases when an exam is given in more than one room.  In cases where the approved absence of a course instructor cannot be avoided, the department chair or program director must approve designating another faculty member to administer the final examination.  Nevertheless, faculty course instructors themselves must assign grades for the courses they teach.
10. Department Chairs must approve of faculty absences during finals week and only in cases where arrangements to administer the final examination have been worked out in advance.

Policy on Midterm Examinations

1. Faculty are obliged to have printed in the Schedule of Classes the date and time of any midterm which is to be given outside of the regularly scheduled class hours (beginning with the Winter 2001 Schedule of Classes).
2. Any midterm given outside of the regularly scheduled class hours must be announced in a syllabus distributed to the class at the beginning of the quarter.
3. Midterms given outside regularly scheduled class hours may not exceed 2 hours duration.  Any midterm given during regularly scheduled class hours may not exceed the scheduled length of the class.

Revised 3/1/01; 4/27/01; 4/20/05; 4/28/14