Hi, Everyone! Your OP is back; I have been on the road. My son’s class was given three choices: 1) accept existing grade; 2) take make-up test today or tomorrow; 3) receive an Incomplete, and take the exam in January. My son had another final today, and had plans to come home afterward, which he decided he wanted to keep, so he’s accepting the Incomplete.
I, too, continue to have recurring nightmares about exams that I’m unprepared for. Mine have a unique twist, based on an actual situation. As a freshman, a computer error placed me into a graduate course in Akkadian (yes, the ancient Mesopotamian language). I fixed the error, but still occasionally dream that I had a final exam in Akkadian.
Glad to hear there was a a reasonable resolution.
You may be ineligible for Dean’s List if you have a grade of incomplete.
I did see the CU update later in the day, and I really think it stinks. Students should not be forced to do what the professor decided. If professor decides on an online test, the student now has an entirely different type of test to deal with than he may have anticipated all semester. A math test online would be much harder for me than sitting with a pencil. ’
I’ll ask my nephew what his professors did. My daughter goes to Wyoming and they had snow and they had finals.
What would your alternative be?
I think the options offered are reasonable, but I wonder how those taking an incomplete will be affected as to how it pertains to financial aid. At my cc, that would be a problem for many students who are struggling to stay eligible with their gpa and a grade of incomplete might make them ineligible for the next semester. At least that’s what I hear from students who resist taking advantage of the offer of an incomplete when they have some kind of circumstance that would make them eligible for an incomplete in my class (death in the family, hospitalization, etc.) They would often rather take the hit of a letter grade than get an I in the class.
My alternative would be for the tests to be made up. I don’t think they’d all have to be in one in classroom setting, but enforce the honor code by stating that students are not to share info about the tests taken with others until after the exam period ran.
It was the second day of finals, so most students will still be on campus through the week. Just have make up test times throughout the week.
Re: #66
That alternative was offered, either within the current final exam week, or early in the following term (with the incomplete grade as a placeholder until then in the latter case). Post #60 says:
@twoinanddone I’m guessing that it was not the professor’s decision but that the Department chair and/or Dean of Students was involved. IMO there are three alternatives and one of them should be able to satisfy the needs of most students.
With all the craziness in the world today, this incident is a relatively minor blip (likely an honest error on the part of the professor) that seems to have been reasonably handled by those in charge. If only we could come up with such reasonable resolutions to the rest of the world’s problems.
The thread got a little off the original poster’s situation. At CU Boulder yesterday, all classroom finals were cancelled due to snow and will NOT be made up as in-classroom finals.
" For those students whose finals were cancelled, grades can be based on work-to-date in the course. Faculty may also develop online exams, take-home exams or other take-home assignments to be completed this semester. Faculty are urged to use these other alternatives where possible to replace canceled exams, however, a make-up in-person exam is not an option for an exam canceled today."
Seems like the choice is given to the prof, not the student. Unlike the OP’s student, taking an incomplete or a classroom style make up exam is not an option. That’s what I think is unfair, and it also seems to be up to the professor, that a student can’t opt to take a ‘take-home’ exam if the prof doesn’t want to.
It seems problematic. This is a huge school, probably with a lot of large class sizes. Everything scheduled so as to minimize conflicts. Now you would have students scheduled willy-nilly all week long, no real way to prevent them from sharing exam information with each other, and potentially lots of conflicts for students as well as faculty. Not to mention the grading issues involved. I’m willing to trust the school if they did not see this as a viable alternative.
Wasn’t the original condition also up to the professor? Or do students typically get to choose how they will be evaluated?
No.
Happened two days ago at my daughters BS. Professor forgot to show…and he had not printed out the exams either.
"Wasn’t the original condition also up to the professor? Or do students typically get to choose how they will be evaluated?"y
Yes, but it was known at the beginning of the semester. I’m not a person who particularly likes online multiple choice tests, so I’d think about it before signing up for the class, or at least prepare for that type of exam. If you were expecting a math test with problems and a ‘show your work’ type exam and suddenly it was an exam with 5 multiple choice questions, that is just a different thing than you were expecting. An essay is suddenly multiple choice. Or not a choice at all. I know Boulder’s grades are ‘stepped’ with B+ and A- being close, but at my daughter’s school it’s a straight A or B, so someone with an 89 might really want that final for a chance at a 90 and thus an A and not a B, or even worse someone with a D+ who needs just a few more points for the C and to pass the class.
Just doesn’t seem fair.
Somewhat surprising that CU - Boulder does not build in a contingency day for emergencies or snow. I wonder if they will now! Does it never snow that much there?
Edited to add: Sounds like this was the first time in 10 years campus was closed. Bad timing for kids counting on a final on Tuesday to help their grades.
Re:#62, @4kidsdad - I doubt that will be an issue for this particular student; it might be for others.
My ex used to say “fair is for children and games”. Lots of things aren’t fair. The university has to do what is feasible and let the chips fall where they may. Sometimes that’s just how things are.
@NJSue, @emilybee, you should join us on the anxiety dreams thread in Parent Cafe, lol. You’d fit right in. 
@romanigypsyeyes, for me it is almost always a math class in those dreams, which I have FREQUENTLY.