Beginning with the Fall 2006 quarter, courses taught in the Department of Economics are covered by a common set of course management policies laid out in this document.
Exam Attendance
Courses have individual policies regarding midterm exam attendance. Final exams attendance is mandatory and is governed by a number of university regulations. Final exams can only be given on the exam date scheduled by the university registrar. No instructor can hold a final exam or require submission of a take-home exam except during the period in which final examinations are scheduled. no final exams may be scheduled during the last week of classes or on reading days. All students must be allowed to see their final exam, with an access period of at least one regular semester after the exam has been given.
In cases where attendance at a midterm or a final exam is mandatory, there are only a few valid excuses for missing an exam. Valid excuses are:
-3 exams scheduled within one calendar day
-If exam is given outsie of the regular class schedule and the timing conflicts with another class for which the student is enrolled.
-documented illness/health emergencies
-religious observance
-UPENN Business that takes you away from Campus
-documented disabilities that allow you to take the exam under other circumstances
-a death in the family
Examples of reasons that are not valid for missing an exam are:
-job interviews
-job internships
-beginning fall or spring break early or returning after a scheduled exam
-end of semester early flights
-any other reason you would prefer not to be at the university when the exam is scheduled.
Students are responsible for making sure, at the beginning of the term, that they can attend the exams. Registering for a course means that you certify that you will be present for the exam (unless one of the explicitly stated exceptions above arises.)
If you are unexpectedly ill at the time of the exam and unable to reach the instructor ahead of time, then you can give notification and documentation of your illness as soon as you are able. Do not take an exam if you are ill and then expect to have an opportunity to retake the exam because you were ill the first time and did poorly.
Absence from campus on UPENN business includes, for example, athletic events in which you are actively participating. In such cases, you need to make arrangements with your professor ahead of the exam date to take the exam at another time (preferably earlier than the schedule date).
Students who arrive late to an exam will generally be required to hand in their exam at the same time as other students.
Withdrawals and Incompletes
UPENN provides an option for students to withdraw from courses to do so; students may withdraw up to the end of the 8th week of classes for any reason. Students may request incompletes after that deadline provided (1) the only work that is incomplete is the course final exam or final paper and (2) there is a health emergency or a death in their family. Sstudents should work out an arrangement for clearing an incomplete with the professor as soon as possible.
Make-up Exams
Make-up final exams are to be taken only during the designated make-up exam week, usually at the beginning of the following semester.
Deadlines
Work should be handed in on time. Work that is not handed in on the day that it is due may, at the professor's discretion, receive less or zero credit. Professors may request that a hard copy rather than an emailed copy be handed in.
Grading
The relative weights on the different elements course work are set by the instructor. So are the rules that permit (or do not permit) dropping the lowest problem set score. If a student is permitted to drop one exam or problem set score, but misses more than one exam (for an invalid reason), then the student may receive a zero for the missed exam.
One department-wide rule is that, if the course permits dropping the lowest problem set score, a student who has entered a course late and missed the first problem set drops that one, not a later one.
Correcting Errors in Grading
Errors in grading sometimes occur; this section lays out rules and procedures for requesting a correction. The important general rule is that such a request should clearly and succinctly state the unambiguous error you believe has occurred.
Errors in grading arising from illegible or garbled answers are not subject to correction. Students who believe their work has been graded incorrectly should petition for a correction in writing to the Professor. Students should not approach eithier the instructor or the TA with an oral request before making their written request. Requests should be focused on the specific error and should be made within a week of the work being returned.
The entire graded work (problem set or examination) should be resubmitted; there is no guarantee that grades will rise as, statistically, positive and negative errors in grading are euqally likely. If the request arises because you think different students have been graded differently, all the affected students should submit their work as a group.
Here is a suggested way to request to correct an error grading: "Dear Prof. X: I am a student in your economics 222 course. I believe that the grades on my midterm were added up incrrectly. As you can see from the exam I left in your mailbox, I have 25 on each of the four questions, but 73 on the exam. Sincerely, Z."
Academic Integrity Issues
Academic integrity is a very important part of student life, and the Department of Economics takes it seriously. The department reserves the right to undertake procedures that would catch breaches of academic integrity, should any arise, such as photocopying or scanning midterms or other work before it is returned, and close proctoring during exams. Students who are suspected of committing infractions will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.
updated January, 2007
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