Biology Department Policy on Missed Exams/Make-ups
Biology students at the University of Washington are among the most diverse and
multitalented in the world. This means that they will frequently have time conflicts, often
for good reasons that we would like to support when possible. At the same time, we have
a responsibility for maintaining rigor and equity. This makes alternative exam
arrangements a necessary and complicated problem. The goal of this document is to
present some guiding policy to help faculty give exams in a way that meets the needs of
students and the department while being efficient with faculty time.
Most important principles:
1) Students of a particular instructor should be treated equitably. The worst-case
scenario is one in which two equal situations are treated differently by the
same instructor in the same class. This opens us to accusations of bias. If
situations are equal, treat students equivalently. Note: Current grade of the
student is not an acceptable rationale for delineating between two different
scenarios.
2) According to the UW, alternative arrangements of some kind must be given
for unavoidable cause. From the University Handbook: Examples of
unavoidable cause include death or serious illness in the immediate family,
illness of the student, and, provided previous notification is given, observance
of regularly scheduled religious obligations…. In these cases, faculty must
give alternative arrangements. Exams missed for these reasons should be
documentable, and it is perfectly appropriate to ask students for this
documentation before arrangements are given or promised.
3) The vast majority of alternative arrangements go very smoothly. For those
that don’t, notify the Faculty Coordinator of Biology Instruction as early as
you feel is relevant. This brings in an outside eye to the communication and is
useful in the rare cases that require oversight.
Guiding principles:
1) Teaching faculty are the arbiters of their classrooms. Unless violating an
important principle above, faculty can make their own decisions about
appropriate cases for alternative arrangements. Faculty do not necessarily
need to treat students the same as other faculty, though ‘standard practice for
this course’ is typically a solid basis for deciding on an equitable plan. Have
questions? Ask the Faculty Coordinator (who has training and years of
experience).
2) There are many worthwhile excuses that are not covered under unavoidable
cause. The Handbook goes on to note that unavoidable cause might possibly
include attendance at academic conferences or field trips, or participation in
university-sponsored activities such as debating contests or athletic
competition. Student professional success requires skills and training from
diverse angles beyond Biology grades, and we should endeavor to allow these
experiences. A recent exam was rearranged to allow a Biology student to
attend the National Rock Climbing Championships, which has no University
affiliation whatsoever but is a respected institution worldwide (as was the top10 finish of the student!). The few bad reasons for alternative arrangements
are typically so obviously bad (late to class, bought a plane ticket for vacation
before finals week, etc.) that you will be able to easily delineate them.
Registered student organizations (RSOs) do not have unavoidable cause
status, but are frequently career- or skill-developing in nature.
3) Prior arrangement is a key feature of most acceptable arrangements that are
not of a health- or family-related nature. A student that gives prior notice can
be treated different from a student that does not, all else being equal.
4) Incomplete grades (marked by an “I”) can be given in special circumstances.
From the Handbook: An incomplete (I) may be requested by the student if a
student has successfully completed all course requirements up to the last two
weeks of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that
the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances
beyond the student’s control. Finishing incompletes can be very timeconsuming for faculty, and should be avoided unless necessary.
5) Please note that students with significant life issues can seek a Hardship
Withdrawal. This is a simple process and does not require an annual drop.
This is appropriate for many unfortunate events, and students should be
advised to speak with a Biology advisor if they have questions.
Examples of alternative arrangements:
1) Give a different exam. This is very time-consuming and usually avoided.
2) Give the same exam at a different time, or via a proctor, or by sending and receiving
the final exam at the same time but over email. Students should sign some sort of
honor agreement for these cases (ask the Faculty Coordinator for examples or simply
write your own short paragraph with signature). Proctors should be Universityappointed (typically for varsity sports) or trusted sources that you know personally.
Proctors should never be other students.
3) Give an oral exam. This is often surprisingly efficient, although students rarely
pursue this option if they have the choice. Veteran instructors note that oral exams
are a useful deterrent to excessive “I am sick” missed exams.
4) Prorate the exam score. If multiple exams are used, instructors can replace a score if
needed. Example: A student scores one standard deviation above the class median on
3 exams, and then misses the last exam for a performance. The instructor could insert
a grade that is one standard deviation above the median for exam 4. This is best done
when the missed exams is worth 25% or less of the class grade.
5) Replace the exam with a similarly difficult independent project, paper, or other
assignment. Instructors can be creative as long as they are consistent within that
class. Focus on possibilities that are efficient to grade and more time-consuming to
complete than the exam studying would have been.
6) Occasionally it is appropriate to give an “X” placeholder grade and allow the student
to finish the grade by taking a similar exam in the next quarter in which the course is
taught. Instructors will need to take care to follow up and insert the new grade.