December 3, 2019

Need Information on How to Handle Issues That Occur During
Reading Days and Finals? Here Are the Facts 

As we enter the final couple of weeks of the Fall semester, here is information on a few issues you may encounter with your students. As always, if you have any questions or run into a situation you are unsure how to handle, please call the Dean of Studies office at (212) 854-2024. We are here to help.

FINAL EXAM INFORMATION
Students are expected to stick to the official exam schedule. As we know, however, students run into several kinds of roadblocks, from illness to family emergencies, at this time of the year. If a student approaches you before the start of final exams with any reason that they will not be able to take the exam on the scheduled date, ask them if they've spoken to their instructors. Instructors are encouraged to follow their own policies, and if they deem it feasible, can schedule and proctor their exams on a different date and in a different room, at their own convenience.

If asked by students, please be aware that deferred exams cannot be requested in advance of exam week. If students need to make arrangements to take an exam at another time due to circumstances not having to do with illness, they must speak to their instructor directly. For more information visit GRADES & EXAMS and scroll down to "Final and Deferred Exams." 

HARDSHIP POLICY
If a student approaches you as their adviser or instructor, stating they have three exams within a 24-hour period or four within 48 hours, remind them their first step is to go to the Barnard Registrar's Office (107 Milbank), where they will receive further guidance on to how to proceed.

It is only if a student becomes ill or cannot take an exam during finals period that any of the following information becomes relevant.

DEFERRED EXAMS
Students may defer an exam ONLY in cases of acute illness or personal emergency on the day of the exam. If they need to request a deferral:

1. They MUST contact their instructor FIRST. 
2. Then they MUST contact the Dean of Studies Office (212) 854-2024 on the day of the exam, before the scheduled start of the exam. (There will be staff in the Dean of Studies Office as early as 8 a.m. during the exam period.)
3. They may be asked to provide documentation of their illness; the staff in the Dean of Studies Office can talk with them about how to share documentation.
4. If the instructor approves their request, the dean will explain next steps. 
5. Instructors will receive a follow up email from the dean who spoke with the student with instructions for grading and where to send the deferred exam for proctoring at the start of the subsequent semester.

ILLNESS DURING EXAM
If students become ill during an examination, they need to:

1. Inform the proctor
2. Hand in the exam, and
3. Go directly to Health Services.

If they've completed less than 40 minutes of a two-hour exam or less than one hour of a three-hour exam, they qualify for a deferred exam (see above.) If they leave the exam more than 40 minutes into a two-hour exam or more than an hour into a three-hour exam, they will be graded on the basis of the work they've completed to that point.

INCOMPLETES
Students who are unable to complete a course due to outstanding coursework (other than the final exam) may request a grade of Incomplete from their instructor. Incompletes are to be given only in cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances. If students need to request an Incomplete, and the instructor is amenable, tell them to pick up an Incomplete form at the Registrar's Office, or online at the Registrar's site and proceed from there. 

The deadline to apply for a Regular or Early Incomplete is Thursday, Dec. 12. The deadline to submit work for an Early Incomplete (which means the "I" will not be on the student's permanent transcript) is Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. The deadline to submit work for a Regular Incomplete (which means the "I" will be on the student's permanent transcript) is Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 or an earlier deadline as set by the instructor. For more information, visit: GRADES & EXAMS and scroll down to “Incomplete Grades.”

GRADES
Final grades are indeed final. Grades may be changed only in cases of clerical error or in the rare event that the instructor needs to reevaluate the work of the entire class. Grades may not be recalculated on the basis of reexamination or the submission of additional or revised work by an individual student. If an instructor needs to submit a grade change (including the final grade after incomplete work or a deferred exam has been completed), the new grade should be submitted in SSOL.

ACADEMIC PROBATION or SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) WARNING
Please advise students that if they are on academic probation or SAP warning, incompletes or deferrals may have an impact on their academic standing. Remind students who may be impacted to discuss their probationary status by contacting their Class Dean in the Dean of Studies Office at (212) 854-2024.
 

Registration Update

Thank you for all your efforts assisting our students during the advising and registration period. It went very smoothly this semester and we have over 2,400 students already registered for Spring.

If you have advisees who did not register and are not studying abroad next semester, they should plan to register during the next online registration window, beginning next Monday, Dec. 9. Students will be able to find their registration windows in the usual location in Student Planning.   

We recommend that students register now for at least some classes in order to have the best course selection. If students don't register the week of December 9th, they will have to wait until the next registration period opens on Tuesday, Jan. 7.