UofC

Tests and in-class assessments must be scheduled within regular class time except in those special cases where prior approval has been obtained from the Dean of the faculty offering the course.

Mid-year tests for multi-term courses must occur during the final examination period scheduled by the Registrar, except:

• mid-year tests that are take-home, oral, or project-based
• mid-year tests in the JD, MD, DVM and graduate programs in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape

Fall/Winter/Summer Term: In-class assessments carried out during the last 14 calendar days of classes (as defined in the Academic Schedule) may not total more than 15 per cent of the final grade, except in the case of laboratory or oral testing, presentations or summative projects/papers.

Spring/Summer Intersession: In-class assessments carried out during the last 7 calendar days of classes (as defined in the Academic Schedule) may not total more than 15 per cent of the final grade, expect in the case of laboratory or oral testing, presentation or summative projects/papers.

In all Faculties/Schools, in-person assessments may not be held on non-instructional days (e.g., fall or winter breaks) or after the last day of classes indicated in the academic schedule.

Tests and in-class assessments must be scheduled the same modality of the course component modality except in those cases where prior approval has been obtained from the Dean of the faculty offering the course. It is intended that approved shifts in assessment modality will not disadvantage students in the course.

Synchronous classes: Online tests and/or timed assessments have a due time within the scheduled class time, except in those special cases where prior approval has been obtained from the Dean of the faculty offering the course.

Asynchronous classes: The submission date and time for a timed assessment is to be clearly stated in the course outline.

Mid-year tests for multi-term courses, if planned, must occur during the final examination period scheduled by the Registrar, except:

• mid-year tests that are take-home, oral, or project-based
• mid-year tests in the JD, MD, DVM and graduate programs in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape

Assessments carried out during the last 14 calendar days of classes (as defined in the Academic Schedule) may not total more than 15 per cent of the final grade, except in the case of laboratory or oral testing, presentations or summative projects/papers.

In addition to the above, the following regulations apply to online timed tests and assessments (including quizzes and midterms).

• The timing, location, and modality of all timed assessments in a course must be clearly articulated to students in the course outline. Timed assessments must be designed to be completed within the time allocated for the course component. For example, a 50-minute class would have a test designed to take 50 minutes or less to complete.
• Students will be provided with a 24-hour window in which they can access and complete a timed online assessment, except in those cases where prior approval has been obtained from the Dean of the faculty offering the course to host a synchronous assessment where students start and end at the same time (i.e. a common assessment time).
• Courses with special approvals for common assessments that start and end at the same time must also provide alternative arrangements for students who may not be able to complete the assessment during the common time (e.g. different time zone, caregiving responsibilities, ability to secure an appropriate test-taking environment). The process for arranging an assessment at an alternate time must be articulated in the course outline. 
• Timed online tests and assessments must have a clearly articulated contingency plan for issues that may arise for students during the writing of an assessment that affect a student’s ability to complete an assessment. Issues can include (but are not limited to) issues with technology, caregiving responsibilities, or distractions within a students’ test-taking environment. Contingency plans can include (but are not limited to) additional time for completion of the assessment, or an alternative time to complete the assessment for students that experienced issues. Contingency plans for all timed assessments must be clearly articulated in the course outline and be designed to best support students in their assessments.
  
• Timed assessments that are worth 10 per cent or less are exempt from the 24-hour requirement window for courses where there is a synchronous class time that could accommodate completion of the assessment. The process for arranging an assessment at an alternate time must be articulated in the course outline.
• Accommodation requirements through Student Accessibility Services still apply. The time allocated for issues that arise during an assessment would be in addition to accommodation requirements. See Section G (Examination and Tests) for additional details.
• The start and end time for all timed assessments and any technology requirements for assessments must be indicated in the course outline.
  
• In advance of a timed assessment, course instructors will indicate their availability to answer questions outside of the scheduled class time so students know when they can have questions answered.