1. Are there are valid pedagogical and logistic reasons for having examinations that are longer than a class period and outside the normal class meeting times? If so, what are these?
2. The logistical cases are reasonably easy to identify and are routinely scheduled as evening examinations through the Dean of Faculty office. Given the added student stress, should the number of evening exams that are given for purely logistical reasons be minimized by searching for alternative rooms or different examination schemes?
3. Exams that faculty request to be placed on the evening prelim schedule for pedagogical reasons should be added with great care, in order to avoid conflicts for the students. The dates of these examinations should be determined within the first two weeks of the course; make-up exams, whether a different examination or a different time, should be available for students with prior conflicts. Faculty should not feel limited to “evenings” in searching for appropriate times for the exams or the make-ups.
4. Evening examinations are substitutes for in-class exams and do not represent an additional meeting time for the class. Conducting “business as usual” and covering new material adds to the student time commitment that week and increases student stress. Should faculty be required to cancel the pre-empted regular class meeting time or use it as a study period or review session?
5. Some would argue that, if review is considered an important aspect of the course, then it should be incorporated in the syllabus and into the normal class meeting times, whether lecture, recitation or laboratory. Additional, separately scheduled review sessions add to student stress and workload during the week of the exam and should be avoided if possible. Do you agree?
