The Office of Undergraduate Academics recently sent out a survey to all current juniors, sophomores and first-year students requesting feedback on the length of the final exam periods for undergraduate courses. The survey consisted of a single multiple choice question asking students what their exam length preference is: Remain at 3 hours, reduce to 2 hours and 30 minutes, or reduce to 2 hours.
The purpose of this survey was to explore the feasibility of a standard block time grid for final exam scheduling, and may mark a shift towards shorter final exam length. This semester, the Spring 2023 Exam schedule is set to run from Friday May 5 through Tuesday May 16, with three-hour blocks set as the standard examination time. Students cannot be scheduled for exams on Sundays, but there are still six classes scheduled for Saturday exams.
The Office of Undergraduate Academics shares in its survey email that the standardized time block grid would allow it to compress the schedule down to the university’s week-long final examination schedule, and claims that shortening exam periods to 2 or 2.5 hours would benefit both students and instructors.
Block scheduling would allow students, particularly international or out-of-state students, to better plan their end of semester travel arrangements. The shorter exam period and standardized grid scheduling would enable the Registrar’s Office to set the final exam schedule prior to the start of each semester — which is significantly earlier than the current method. This semester, students had to wait until March 1 for the final exam schedule to be released. During the Fall 2022 semester, students had to wait until October 11. Late notification of final examination delays travel plan scheduling. This is particularly detrimental during Fall semesters, where the final exam period is expected to end during peak winter holiday travel.
On the flip side, a compressed finals schedule introduces an increased likelihood of scheduling conflicts. With a shorter, standardized examination period, students benefit from shorter exams, but are also more likely to have multiple exams scheduled for the same day. It remains unknown how professors will adapt their final exams to reflect the shorter examination period. One would hope that a shorter exam period would translate to less content on the exam, but less content on the final exam means that even fewer questions account for the same large percentage of your final course grade. It was also not shared whether or not the standard block grid compression to a week-long exam window would preserve Undergraduate Reading Day, which provides undergraduate students with a one day break between the last day of classes and the beginning of final exams.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ survey closed on Wednesday April 26. The results and impact of the survey are yet to be announced.
