Exam Information
Exams
There will be seven exams given in this course. Each exam will cover the assigned readings and will consist of multiple choice and/or essay questions. Exam questions are based on the Exam Study Guide. If you can clearly and correctly answer in your own words the Exam Study Guide questions, you should do well on the exams.
For all exams you may use one (81/2″ x 11″) page of handwritten notes on BOTH sides of that page. No books or any other kind of supporting materials may be used. Your one page of notes must be HANDWRITTEN, and must be in your own words and not just material copied verbatim from your text. It is the process of organizing the material and summarizing the concepts in your own words that helps you learn the material. Students find that if they do a good job of preparing their page of notes then they rarely need to refer to the notes during the exam. While I encourage students to work together to prepare for the exam, each student must write their own page of notes. For the on-campus exam you are required to turn in your page of notes so that I can evaluate them. If two or more students turn in identical or very similar notes then all the students with the same notes will be penalized. Every student must turn in a signed handwritten page of notes. Those failing to turn in a signed handwritten page of notes will be penalized. If you do not use notes then just turn in a signed piece of paper stating, “I did not use any notes for this exam.”
All exams are timed. You have a little over a minute to answer each question. For every 90 seconds over the time limit points are deducted from your score.
Please contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester if you will be unable to take an exam during the times listed in the Assignments by Week document located in the Course Information area. You must complete all exams by the deadline or you will receive zero points for that exam. No make-up exams will be given for missed exams. However if you do miss an exam you may use your one retake exam to make up that missed exam. (See the information on the retake exam below.)
Saving and Resuming Online Exams
When you open your online exams, there will be a line that says: Force Completion: This Test can be saved and resumed later. However, if you save the exam, THE TIMER WILL CONTINUE TO RUN and if you go over the time limit for the exam, points will be deducted from your score. I strongly recommend that you do NOT save the exam and return to it at a later time since if you do so you will not be able to complete the exam in the allotted time.
Blackboard or Browser Failure
If you have a problem with Blackboard or your browser while taking an online exam you should immediately restart your browser, re-enter the course web site and resume taking the exam. You should start taking the exam again as soon as possible since the timer on your exam continues to run and you will NOT be allotted any additional exam time because of the browser failure. If you are unable to resume taking the exam you need to immediately email or call leaving a voice mail with your instructor with the details of what happened. In most cases you will be asked to take another version of the exam on campus.
On-Campus Exams
On-campus exams are to be taken at the Tutoring Center located in the main campus Library. If your on-campus exam scores are significantly lower than your online scores, then you will be asked, without prejudice, to take your remaining exams offline.
All students, without exception, are required to show official photo identification (driver’s license, P.I.C., passport, etc.) to receive an on-campus exam. Students must also bring the small 100-item Scantron form (form no. 882-E) and a number 2 pencils. A Scantron form, a number 2 pencil, and your one page of notes are the only items you may have with you during the exam. If you bring a backpack, a purse or other similar items they will be held for you at the Tutoring Center desk while you take your exam. You must take the exam during Tutoring Center hours (see below). I recommend that you arrive at least 90 minutes before the Tutoring Center closes so that you will have enough time to complete the exam.
Exam Retake
You have the option of retaking ONE exam on which you either received a low score or missed taking the exam. If you score higher on the retake exam, the higher score will replace your original score. If you score lower on the retake exam, I will retain your original exam score.
After you take exam seven you should be able to determine your final point total for the course and your grade. You can then determine if you have a realistic chance of scoring enough points to raise your grade by retaking an exam. If you determine that you can raise your grade by retaking an exam, choose which exam you wish to retake. (Most students who retake an exam retake their lowest scoring exam since they have the potential to earn the most possible points by doing well on that exam.) Prepare to retake the exam of your choice and then take that examby the deadline listed in the Assignments by Week document located in the Course Information area.
Missed Exams
If you know in advance that you will not be able to take an exam as scheduled, you may make arrangements with your instructor to take the exam prior to the scheduled exam date. You should contact your professor at least one week before the scheduled exam start date to schedule your early exam. No make-up exams will be given for missed exams. However if you do miss an exam you may use your one retake exam to make up that missed exam during the time scheduled for retaking exams.
Point Distribution
Each exam is worth 100 points for a maximum total of 700 points. Exams are not graded on a curve, but on an absolute scale. This means that you are not in competition with your classmates; it is possible for all of you to earn a good grade.