Subject: Important Information Regarding Fall 2014 Exam Format & Schedule
From: Denise Sangster <[email-masked]>
To: Law Faculty and Visitors <[email-masked]>
Cc: Law Center Deans <[email-masked]>, Margaret Gerety <[email-masked]>, Gilda Mossadegh <[email-masked]>, "Carmia N. Caesar" <[email-masked]>, Sarah Kelly <[email-masked]>, Ellis Duncan <[email-masked]>, Michael Frisch <[email-masked]>, Elizabeth Ewert <[email-masked]>, "Laura M. Cutway" <[email-masked]>, Monica Stearns <[email-masked]>, "Kara E. Passmore" <[email-masked]>, Chuks Aninye <[email-masked]>, Christopher Jewell <[email-masked]>, "Alliso
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2014 15:20:16 +0000

Dear Faculty,

As Dean Byrne has communicated to the faculty, the exam administration process has become unsustainable for the Office of the Registrar. In order to bring structure and ensure accuracy and timeliness to the exam administration process, and reduce burnout of our staff, we are moving toward a set of limited choices in exam format and scheduling.  Because this semester has already begun and notice of exam formats have been communicated to students, we will require compliance beginning only in the Spring 2015 semester.  But for Fall 2014, we earnestly request that you follow the format guidelines listed below to the best of your ability.

In-class Blind-graded Exam Format:

We are strongly recommending that faculty use one of the following six exam formats this Fall.  Please note that starting in Spring 2015, faculty must choose one of the following six exam options for an in-class blind-graded exam to be administered by the Office of the Registrar:

1.      Open book with access to anything short of another person

2.      Open book with access to the hard drive, no access to Internet

3.      Open book, no electronic materials or access to Internet (printed materials in hard copy permitted)

4.      Closed book, no laptops (Scantron or answers on exam questions)

5.      Closed book, with laptops (no access to hard drive or Internet)

6.      Limited book with supplement, no access to other materials, hard drive, or Internet (supplement provided in hard copy along with exam questions)

As always, all in-class and take-home exams must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar in final format at least 4 business days prior to the start of your exam.  Note:  Saturdays are not considered business days for purposes of exam submission, even if the Office of the Registrar is open for exam administration.  The exam templates are attached.  As a reminder, exam questions may not be re-used.  Past exams are available to students on the Law Library's website and it is fundamentally unfair to reuse questions which some students will have seen but not others.

Fall 2014 Mini-Course or Bookend Course Ending Prior to October 19, 2014:

·         For mini-courses or bookend courses which end prior to October 19, 2014, and have a final blind-graded take-home exam to be administered by the Office of the Registrar, the take-home exam administration dates run from October 24 through November 10, 2014.

·         For mini-courses or bookend courses which end prior to October 19, 2014, and have a final blind-graded in-class exam to be administered by the Office of the Registrar, the in-class exam administration date is Saturday, October 25, 2014 at10:00 am.

·         If your mini-course or bookend course ends prior to October 19, 2014, and you wish to have a final blind-graded exam administered by the Office of the Registrar outside of these dates, please contact me directly at 202-662-9238 to discuss an alternate exam administration plan.

Fall 2014 Mini-Course or Bookend Course which Begins Mid-semester and Ends Prior to December 9, 2014:

·         For mini-courses or bookend courses which begin mid-semester and ends prior to December 9, 2014, and have a final blind-graded take-home exam to be administered by the Office of the Registrar, the exams will be administered during the regular Fall 2014 exam period (December 9-20, 2014).

·         If your mini-course or bookend course ends prior to October 19, 2014, and you wish to have a final blind-graded exam administered by the Office of the Registrar outside of these dates, please contact me directly at 202-662-9238 to discuss an alternate exam administration plan for this semester only.

Fall 2014 Final Exam Period:

·         Fall 2014 In-class Exams:  9:00 am on Tuesday, December 9 through 10:00 am on Saturday, December 20, 2014.

o   In-class Exams are administered as follows:

§  Monday through Thursday at 9:00 am, 1:30 pm, and 6:00 pm;

§  Friday at 9:00 am and 1:30 pm; and

§  Saturday at 10:00 am and 2:30 pm

·         Fall 2014 Take-home Exams:

o   Take-home exams are administered via the Online Exam/Paper Management System.

o   Take-home exams must be available for download during Registrar's Office business hours during the exam period in order for us to be available to assist students and faculty.

o   Take-home exams answers must be submitted during Registrar's Office business hours during the exam period in order for us to be available to assist students and faculty.

o   Please do not list exam start or end times outside of the time when Registrar's staff are unavailable to assist students and faculty.

o   Take-home exams may be available starting at 9:00 am on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 through 6:30 pm on Friday, December 19, 2014.

o   Take-home exams answers must be due no later than 6:30 pm on Friday, December 19, 2014.

·         Fall 2014 Exam Deferral Dates:

o   Friday, January 2, 2015; Monday, January 5, 2015; and Tuesday, January 6, 2015

o   No Fall 2015 exam will be administered for any reason after January 6, 2015

o   All exam deferrals are handled by the Office of the Registrar

·         Fall 2014 Final Paper Due Date:  Friday, December 19, 2014 by 5:00 pm

o   Final paper due date with the maximum faculty-approved extension: Monday, February 2, 2015 at 5:00 pm

o   Maximum extension with approval of the Associate Dean (J.D. or Graduate Program) and faculty:  Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 5:00 pm.  No additional extensions will be approved for any reason after this deadline.

o   All final papers must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar via the Online Exam/Paper Management System by the deadline.

As always, we truly appreciate your continued support in this and other services we provide to you and to our students.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 202-662-9238 or [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>; Senior Associate Registrar Zina Jemison, who oversees exams and grades, at 202-661-6650 or [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>; or Manager of Exam Administration, Lynda Sanders, at 202-662-9228 or [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>; or Manager of Records and Veteran Services who handles grades, Dinah Maurelus, at 202-662-9119 or [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>.

Best wishes,
Denise

********************************************
Denise A. Sangster
Registrar
P 202-662-9220 | F 202-662-9235
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>

Georgetown  Law