Office of the Provost

02/07/2022

Dear Colleagues:

I am writing with two updates related to classes: 1) final exam opt-out and 2) supporting students in quarantine.

Final Exam Opt-out

Several years ago, the University Senate passed a by-law change regarding final assessments in all undergraduate classes. The change enabled all faculty and instructors in our undergraduate courses to choose a variety of assessments of student work, stating that the final assessment does not necessarily need to be an exam. The change also eliminated the approval of the department head and of the dean of the school or college for faculty who choose not to offer a final examination.

If you are not delivering a final exam in Spring 2022, we ask that you fill out a brief form to notify the Registrar that you are opting out. The form and instructions are available by clicking here. We are asking for those who use another method of assessment (portfolios, projects, etc.) to let us know so that the room and/or time may be available for other instructors during the assessment period. It is also important that instructors recognize that due dates for these alternative forms of final assessment should not fall on days designated as Reading Days. As always, all due dates should be indicated on the syllabus at the beginning of the semester.

Many of our instructors have used other forms of assessment that align more purposefully with their intended learning objectives. Assessment formats can include individual or group-based strategies, e.g.  projects, portfolios, papers, team-based work, creative works, performances, presentations and other assessments in lieu of final exams.

Finally, please note that it is prohibited by Senate By-Laws to give your final assessments during the last week of classes. Exams during the last week of classes puts an undue strain on students who are trying to attend and participate in their other courses during the last week of classes.

Supporting Students in Quarantine

The return to in-person instruction has gone smoothly but, as expected, some students have been required to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure or infection. Many of you already have experience supporting students who have had to miss class for illness prior to the pandemic, but the task is simply more complicated with the increased COVID-related numbers. In most classrooms instructors have the option of live-streaming or recording their in-person sessions. In those cases, you can distribute the link to the live stream or a recording of your class to those students who are in quarantine/islolation. The decision to do so is entirely left to the instructor, but I do want to clarify that live-streaming and/or recording a class is different from teaching in two modalities simultaneously, as it does not include active engagement with those outside of the in-person class. If this is not an option you want to utilize, we encourage you to reach out to CETL and/or your department head to identify strategies that you feel comfortable employing, which could include making slides available or encouraging use of your office hours.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey

Jeffrey Shoulson
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs