Education & Educational Services

C.1.9 Final Examinations

Approved/revised: May 20, 2008

POLICY

Faculty must include a final examination as an appropriate means of measuring a student's mastery of the objectives of a course.  Final examinations will occur where transfer approval or accreditation of a course require a final examination. A final examination will account for no more that 50% of the student's grade in the course.  A final examination for any NVIT course must be a minimum of 30% of the student's grade for the course.  Exceptions must have prior approval of the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean for the program or department area, in consultation with the Department Head/Coordinator for that program or department area.

The Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean or his or her designate may develop examination procedures and regulations consistent with this policy for the administration of exams.

DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The course outline must specify if a final examination is part of the evaluation criteria of the course and specify the value of the examination to the overall course grade.

2. The course instructor is responsible for setting, invigilating and evaluating the examination. An alternate invigilator may be appointed by the Department Head.

3. The department must retain possession of students' final examinations for no less than one year after grade statements are available.

4. Students have the right to review their examinations and their evaluation by making arrangements with the course instructor or Department Head.

5. Final examinations for semester courses will only be given during designated examination period.

6. Supplementary examinations may be given if identified by department policy and must adhere to College examination policy.

7. All courses must have a final exam except with pre-approval of the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean.

8. Student appeal processes must be within four weeks following the date grade statements are available.

REGULATIONS GOVERNING STUDENT CONDUCT IN EXAMINATIONS

1. Students will not be permitted to leave until one-half hour has elapsed past the scheduled starting time of the examination. After one-half hour, no student will be permitted to enter.

2. Students leaving the examination room before the conclusion of the examination without the permission of the invigilator may forfeit their right to return to the examination room.

3. Students shall follow the written instructions of the course instructor with respect to examination format or risk losing marks for not following such instructions.

4. No food, beverages, electronic devises or other materials may be brought into the examination room unless the consent of the invigilator has been given.

5. Students shall write only in the material provided by the course instructor.

6. No material relating to the examination may be removed from the examination room unless, in the case of examination questions, the invigilator has given consent. Under no circumstances may College examination booklets or other materials upon which answers are written be removed.

7. Making use of materials, books, notes, without the approval of the invigilator, speaking or communicating in other ways with other students, or exposing written papers to the view of other students is not permitted. Students who do or attempt to do any of the above will be required to leave the examination room immediately and will forfeit the right to have the examination evaluated.

8. Students may ask the invigilator questions in the examination by signaling in a manner which does not disrupt other students.

9. When students sit examinations set by other bodies as part of their training, students will be subject as well to the regulations and procedures for these examinations set out by the relevant body.

PROCEDURES

1. The final examination period, for each semester, shall be identified in the College calendar.

2. The final examination schedule will be developed by the Registrar eight weeks before the final day of instruction.

3. Instructors are responsible for invigilating their exams. In the event of an emergency where an instructor is unable to invigilate his/her exam, the Department Head will arrange for proper coverage.

OFF-SITE EXAMINATIONS

In addition to the criteria set out above for Final Examinations, and the Regulations Governing Student Conduct in Examinations (all of which are published in the NVIT calendar and on the NVIT website), the following shall apply to invigilated examinations for all off-campus courses, inclusive of online courses.  All off-site examinations must be supervised by the assigned instructor or by another person (administrator, counsellor or other person who can legally sign as guarantor on Canadian Passports) at an educational institution or location approved by the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean in consultation with the Department Head.  In most cases, invigilation for examinations is conducted by the assigned instructor for the course.  Supervisor/Invigilator selection is subject to approval by the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean in consultation with the Department Head.

Supervisor/Invigilator responsibilities are as follows:

1.  To receive the examination package prior to the scheduled examination date and keep it secure and confidential until the day of the examination.  Copies of any part of the examination are not to be made.

2.  To provide an appropriate location where the examination can be written on the pre-arranged examination day.  The exam must not be written in a location such as a private residence.

3.  To supervise the actual final examinations(s), to ensure that the students(s) does the exam independently within the prescribed time limit and with only the aids prescribed.

4.  To enclose all the examination papers, questions, answers and answer booklets (including those unused) in the provided addressed envelope, and return as directed by the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, within 24 hours following the completion of the exam.

Requests for online examinations must be submitted for review and/or approval by the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean at least ten (10) business days prior to the date(s) of the proposed examination.

Final online exams must be conducted in a controlled manner that ensures confidentiality.

Invigilation for online examinations must be evident, through conducting the exam in a controlled and timed environment.

Instructors must have immediate and secured access to examinations; ‘secured’ in this context refers to examinations being accessible only to the assigned instructor of the course, the Registrar’s Office and the Vice President Learning Services or the relevant Dean.

Final off-site examinations for each student must be printed and forwarded to the designated department at NVIT, which then must have possession of final exams for each student for no less than one year after grade statements are available as per the NVIT Final Examination Policy published on the NVIT website and in the NVIT calendar.  These final exams must also contain any and all marking conducted by the instructor.

In cases where the assigned instructor is unable for any reason to invigilate final off-site examinations, NVIT will provide a fee for an approved invigilator in the amount of $100.00 upon the invigilator carrying to completion his or her responsibilities as described above for the invigilated examination for the student(s).