Final Exam Policies

As per University policy (found here), a final exam is to be held in all undergraduate courses except where departure from this arrangement has been authorized by UAAC, with delegated authority from Faculty Council.

As per university policy, final exams should be held during the scheduled time that is listed in the official Final Examination Schedule (or according to the Faculty exam schedule during compressed Introductory (IPT) and Advanced Professional (APT) terms. For courses that have final assessments rather than final exams, the due date for the final assessment is day of the final exam dates/times that are published on the Exam Schedules website (set by the Registrar’s Office) or as set out in Appendix I (for IPT and APT courses). These final assignments need to be marked within 5 business days to facilitate timely submission of final grades.

Final exams must be worth a minimum of 30% to a maximum of 70%. Multi-section courses are to have identical weighting for final examinations and final assessments (in courses without final exams). The remaining weight should be assigned to term work. In multi-section courses, it is strongly recommended that there is consistency in number and weighting of assignments for term work. 

Final exams (or final assessments) must be marked by the course instructor, unless the Dean of the Faculty has authorized another person to mark the final exams/assessments. This means that final exams/assessments cannot be given to teaching assistants or others – except where the instructor has applied for and has been granted authorization by the Dean.

Use the following headers on final exams. (This is also a requirement for the Exam Registry.) 

• Course Name 

• Course Number 

• Section 

• Type: Final, Midterm, Quiz, Term Exam, Sample Questions, etc. 

• Date: Month/Year 

• Professor(s) Surname and First Initial 

• Indicate if it is a consolidated/common exam 

When you submit the final grades and final examinations at the end of the term, you must also submit a copy of the final examination along with the key you used to mark it to edcourseoutlines@ualberta.ca. This is particularly important in case of a later appeal.  

Final exams for 13 week courses must be written on the date and time slot scheduled in Bear Final exams for 13 week courses must be written on the date and time slot scheduled in Bear Tracks and on the University Website. The final exam schedule for daytime classes is available to instructors and students once the course schedule is published. Exam schedule at: Exam Schedules. Individual instructors may not reschedule final exam times that are published on the Exam Schedules website (set by the Registrar’s Office) or as set out in Appendix I below, regardless of student requests.

The Faculty works with the Registrar’s Office well in advance of the start of term to adapt the times and places as necessary. For example, when courses do not fit the normal exam times as per Bear tracks (e.g., MW 0930-1050.). In these cases, the final exam is held as if the class began half an hour earlier (e.g., MW 0900). Exams for evening courses are held during the last regular class period.  

Final exams for IPT (8 week) and APT (4 week) condensed courses must follow the faculty scheduled exam dates (see Appendix I for the dates and times). The examination period is short for final exams in the IPT and APT terms. Students occasionally encounter conflicts in their initial exam schedule during the IPT and APT terms. When this happens, the student should contact the instructor who should notify the Undergraduate Coordinator (See contact list) immediately so the issues can be addressed. 

Instructors are required to provide students access to past or representative final exams to support students’ preparation and understand the instructor’s expectations. The representative material can either be provided to the Students’ Union Exam Registry or posted on the course’s eClass site. Please see the Access to Evaluative Course Material Procedure for more details.

Generally when a scheduled final examination is not held at the scheduled time, it will be rescheduled. The following dates are suggested for rescheduled final examinations: 

• Fall Term: 1st Saturday after classes commence in January 

• Winter Term: 1st day available (if not a Sunday) following the completion of scheduled final examinations (including consolidated examinations)

• Spring and Summer Terms: 1st Saturday after the term ends

The Exam Disruption Protocol is available online:

• Protocol for Emergency Evacuations during Examinations and Procedures for Examinations Not Held

The location of your final exam will be posted in Bear Tracks under your exam schedule. If the location needs to be changed for any reason, contact the Undergraduate Coordinator or Faculty Course Administrator (See contact list). Do NOT change the location on your own. 

The Learning Assessment Centre is limited in the service provided. In Education, use of this service will still require Dean’s Office approval and is limited to high enrolment courses (over 40 students). Please contact the Associate Dean, Academic, Teaching and Learning for approval. 

You should receive (via email) a detailed outline of the process to book LAC-hosted examinations but if not, please contact edlac@ualberta.ca.

Prior to any examination, students should be made aware of permitted references and aids: only those items specifically authorized by the instructor may be brought into the exam facility. The use of unauthorized personal listening, communication, recording, photographic and/or computational devices is strictly prohibited. Such devices must be turned off and stowed. 

1. Before the examination begins, organize furniture in the classroom so as to reduce chances of students inadvertently or deliberately looking at other students’ papers. 

2. If instructions are needed prior to the exam, provide them in writing to students. 

3. Inform students about how to get your attention if they should need help or assistance and where they should hand in their exam papers. 

4. Move around the classroom periodically. 

5. For visual acuity, sit or stand at the back of the room. 

6. When the signal is given to end the exam, students shall promptly hand in their exam papers and answer sheets to the exam supervisor or marks shall be deducted. 

All students must write final exams during the scheduled exam period unless they receive approval from Education Student Services (ESS) for a deferred exam. ESS may grant deferred examinations to a student who is prevented by illness, domestic affliction or other circumstances (including religious convictions). A deferred exam will not be approved if a student has completed less than half of the assigned term work.

Do not make individual deals with students to grant a deferred exam no matter how heart rending their concern may appear. When instructors try to use their subjective judgement on deferrals, inequities emerge in terms of how various issues are handled. Further, the centralization of consent for deferral in Education Student Services ensures that 1) the student can be directly introduced to sources of emotional support where necessary, and 2) the terms of the deferral are explicit. Finally, where necessary, the Associate Dean Undergraduate can verify the claim of the student.

All students must apply for a deferred exam through ESS, no later than 2 working days following the scheduled exam. The only exception is for religious beliefs, where students are required to apply for a deferred exam through ESS within the first two weeks of Fall or Winter terms or within the first three days of Spring or Summer terms. Students should be directed to Education Student Services (educ.info@ualberta.ca or 780-492-3659) for a deferred examination application. Applications must be accompanied by documentation to be considered for approval. The Associate Dean Undergraduate Programs will review the application and decide if the deferral is appropriate. Instructors will be informed whether a deferred exam has been granted.

The date of the deferred final exam must be included in course outlines.  See also Appendix III. For all undergraduate courses, the deferred final exam dates are:

• Fall 2023: January 19, 2024 at 9:00am, Location Education South 122

• Winter 2024: May 17, 2024 at 9:00am, Location Education South 122

• Spring & Summer terms: instructors set a date, time, and location

These deferred final exam dates apply to regular 13-week courses, IPT courses, and APT courses. 

For Fall and Winter terms: 

• The Faculty of Education will arrange for proctoring for the deferred final exam; individual instructors do not need to proctor.

• The Faculty of Education will book a room and provide this information to the students writing a deferred final exam.

• Final exams will be returned to the instructor in their department mailbox immediately upon completion.

What to do after a student contacts you to let you know that they will miss or have missed the final exam:

1. Have the student contact ESS at educinfo@ualberta.ca to apply for a deferred exam. More information can be found here. 

2. The form can be found here - Request for a Deferred Final Exam

3. After you are notified by the Associate Dean, Undergraduate, Programs and Services that the deferral has been approved, inform the Undergraduate Coordinator by email. Attach a copy of the deferred final exam to be administered, a list of approved materials required (if the list includes more than paper/booklets (e.g., math manipulatives) then you must provide these materials), and a list of any exam accommodations..

4. Put the deferred exam date on your calendar so you don’t forget.

5. Include a grade of “0” (zero) for the final exam for this student and calculate the final marks as usual and, when uploading the class marks, include the code “1” beside the letter grade in Bear Tracks.

6. After the exam has been written, mark the exam. Recalculate the student’s final grade.

7. Contact educinfo@ualberta.ca with the new final grade and include course and section, student name and ID, and the reason for the change of grade (deferred exam). A change of grade should be submitted within 5 days of the deferred exam writing.

8. Note: If the student does not show up for the deferred exam, they must apply through ESS for another deferral.

If a student has a conflict with the scheduled deferred final exam date, the Undergraduate Coordinator will arrange a new date with the student. 

1. The student should arrange an appointment with the instructor to review his or her exam. If the instructor is unavailable (e.g., an instructor who is not on campus after the exams have been submitted), the student may review the exam in the presence of a Vice Dean. The instructor should retrieve the exam from the Administrative Faculty Manager (See contact list). 

2. The instructor and student should review the exam together. The objective should be educational. Students should follow reexamination procedures (below) if they disagree with your appraisal.  Do not hesitate to contact the Undergraduate Coordinator to assist with the meeting.

3. During the viewing, keep the focus on the final exam and avoid statements about other aspects of the student’s behaviour (e.g., “You were often late to class.”). Such statements can foster a belief in the student they were assessed on something other than their achievement on the examination.

4. Return the exam to the Faculty office