Term Work, Tests and Examinations

Term Work

Term work includes reports, assignments, presentations, essays, tests and other written work assigned in a course with the exception of final examinations.

Deadline for Submission

Term work must be submitted by the first day of the official examination period of the term in which the course ends. Instructors, departments and schools may, however, set earlier deadlines for the submission of term work.

Tests and Examinations

Tests and examinations are important parts of the educational process. They must be conducted under fair conditions which allow students to demonstrate what they have learned. Disruptions or attempts to obtain an unfair advantage are offences against academic process and carry severe penalties. (Refer to Senate Policy on Academic Honesty and Student Code of Conduct at http://www.yorku.ca/univsec/policies/.) The following regulations apply to tests and examinations. (http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=80)

Identification

Students who are being tested or examined are required to present a valid York University photo identification card or other acceptable form of photo identification and to sign the attendance roster for the examination.

Answer Booklets

Answer booklets are the property of the University. Test papers, examination booklets and other answer forms remain the property of the University unless they are released by an instructor. Students may not remove them from the test or examination room without permission; nor may they possess blank examination booklets.

Students’ Right to Review

Students may always have the opportunity, under properly controlled conditions, to review and discuss their graded test and examination answers, but final examination answer booklets (and at the discretion of the course director, other examination booklets) remain the property of the University, and are retained by the teaching unit for a certain period of time before they are destroyed.

Tests and Examinations During the Term

Restriction at End of Term

In the fall/winter session, the total value of any test(s) or examination(s) given in the last two weeks of classes in a term must be no more than 20 per cent of the final mark for the course.

Scheduling of Tests

Except where testing is conducted during individual appointments which accommodate the schedules of students (e.g. individual oral interviews in language courses, individually scheduled make-up tests), tests or examinations given during the term should be held within the hours regularly scheduled for the course in question. Any exceptions must be communicated within the first two weeks of classes and on the course outline.

Students’ Right of Refusal

Students who are asked to write tests or examinations in contravention of the preceding two regulations may refuse to do so without academic penalty; they also have the right to raise the matter with the Chair/director of the department or the school in which the course is offered or with the dean.

Formally Scheduled Examinations

Final Examination Period

There is a final examination period at the end of each term. The dates and times of formally scheduled examinations are listed on the Current Students Web site (http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/cs.htm). Examinations may last two or three hours.

Missed Examinations

In accordance with University policy and procedure, a student who misses an examination should contact the course director and the department/school of the examination as soon as possible. A student who wishes to write a make-up examination must request deferred standing in the course.

Deferred Standing

Deferred standing is a process by which students who are either unable to write their final examination at the scheduled time (or submit term work) before the Faculty deadline to submit final grades reach an agreement with the course director granting deferred standing in the course and setting a date for writing the exam (or submitting the outstanding work).

In order to apply for deferred standing, students must complete a Final Examination/Assignment Deferred Standing Agreement (DSA) form and reach an agreement directly with the course director for an alternative final examination date or for an extension to the deadline. The form and guidelines are available on the Registrar’s Office Web site (http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/services/ds_faq.htm). When agreement cannot be reached by the instructor and student, the student has the option of submitting their request to the Faculty Petitions Committee.

Aegrotat Standing

In cases where a student cannot be expected to complete the work for a course, the phrase “aegrotat standing” (from the Latin for “she/he is ill”) is substituted for a grade on the transcript. Aegrotat standing is seldom granted, and only in exceptional circumstances where deferred standing or late withdrawal from the course is inappropriate.

Rewriting of Examinations

The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies has no provision for the rewriting of a final examination to improve a mark.

Exam Accommodation

Students with disabilities requiring accommodation or students requiring accommodation for significant religious observances shall be responsible for requesting the necessary accommodation in advance of the examination period and in accordance with the recommended timelines in the relevant policies and procedures.

Religious Accommodation Guidelines

Students who, because of religious commitment cannot write a formally scheduled examination (December and April examination periods) on the date scheduled, should contact the course instructor no later than three weeks prior to the start of the examination period to arrange an alternative examination date. An Examination Accommodation form is available for this purpose in Student Client Services. (https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs)