Final Exam Policies and Procedures

Examination Policy and Procedures

Honor Code Policy and Procedures*

Honor Code Rights and Duties

Lewis & Clark Law School is a community of men and women dedicated to the maintenance of high standards of personal conduct and behavior. These standards are intended to assure each student has an opportunity to enjoy rights of personal and intellectual freedom in an atmosphere of mutual respect. These rights are accompanied by duties which include the observance of the highest principles of honesty, integrity and morality. In order to guarantee the protection of these rights and the performance of these duties this Honor Code has been adopted by the students and the faculty.

Comment

This Code is based on the premise that the responsibility for student conduct rests with the students and the faculty. The assumption of this responsibility is particularly appropriate for law students. Their future conduct as lawyers will be governed by the Code of Professional Responsibility of the American Bar Association the enforcement of which, like this Code, is largely maintenance of high standards of personal conduct. The Comments set forth after each article are to be construed as a substantive part of the Code.

In general

A student should refrain from engaging in any conduct either within or outside the academic community which is incompatible with the highest standards of integrity and honesty. However, fair play requires that conduct which constitutes a violation of the Code be sufficiently described so as to eliminate any possible misunderstanding as to the scope of the Code's application.

Honor Code Offenses for Examinations

Only the examination offenses set forth in the Honor Code Policy and Procedure Article are subject to disciplinary action under this Code. Only the Exam policies of Honor Code are listed in this document. Any student who assists another student to violate these rules also violates this Code. Each may be held equally culpable under this Code.

Examinations

A student shall not give, seek or receive aid in any form before, during, or after an examination when such aid might create an unfair advantage. If a student inadvertently obtains information which might create an unfair advantage, the student shall immediately bring the matter to the attention of the instructor.
A student shall not use during an examination books, papers or other materials not authorized by the instructor.
A student shall not violate any instruction provided by an instructor or the Registrar relating to an examination.
The use of computers in exams is subject to special Honor Code rules set out in the provisions of the Law School’s Academic Policies relating to computer usage in exams. A violation of any of those rules is an offense under this Article, subject to disciplinary action under this Code. See Use of Computers in Examinations.

Comment

It is urged that every student conduct himself/herself before, during and after an examination in such manner that no other student will suspect him/her of cheating. The following rules are to be observed by both students and faculty:

The instructor shall announce to his/her class at least one week before the close of classes which materials other than bluebooks may be brought into the examination room. (This information will be listed by the Registrar on the web and posted on the bulletin board outside the Registrar's office.
Where additional materials may be brought in they shall be in a reasonably clean condition; that is, free from writings designed to give the student an unfair advantage, unless the instructor expressly authorizes markings in specified materials.
The instructor or a substitute appointed by him/her shall hand out the questions promptly on the hour at the start of the examination and shall pick up the answers promptly at the close of the period. There shall be no proctoring of an examination.
The instructor shall state at the time of handing out the questions the arrangements for smoking and typing and computers, unless such arrangements have been previously made.
A student may leave the room during the examination period for cause.
Where sufficient seats are available, students shall occupy every other seat.

Overstaying the time limit on an examination is a violation of the Honor Code. See Exam Clock

* See the Honor Code and Procedure in What’s What, pages 48 - 52 for the complete policy listings.

Computer Usage

Use of Computers in Exams

On November 12, 2002, the faculty adopted the following rules on computers in exams. These rules will go into effect Fall Semester 2002 and will apply to all exams.

It is within the discretion of the individual professor to determine whether computers may be used in his or her exam, and to prescribe the manner and extent to which computers may be used in that exam.
It is within the discretion of the individual professor to determine what materials students may bring into an exam. In authorizing the use of computers in exams, the professor must specify:
1. What materials, if any, may be brought into and used in the exam;
2. If these materials may be used in electronic form, and if so, whether any portion of the electronic materials may be pasted into the exam answer;
3. Whether and to what extent, students may use the internet or other means of electronic communication during the course of the exam.
4. If students are permitted to, required to, or prohibited from retaining a copy of the exam or their answer on a computer’s hard drive, or on any floppy disk or other storage medium.
No faculty member may require an exam to be typed or written on a computer if the period allowed for taking the exam is less than 24 hours in duration.
It is a violation of the honor code for a student to bring into, use, or attempt to use in the exam any materials that are not authorized by the professor, or to violate any of the specifications made by the professor for the use of computers in exams.
Unless the professor expressly authorizes the use of materials in electronic form, it is a violation of the honor code for a student, during the course of the exam, to open any file on his or her computer that contains or relates to the subject being tested. That is, if the use of materials in electronic form is forbidden, the student may use the computer only for the purpose of word processing.
If electronic materials are permitted, it is a violation of the honor code for a student to use or attempt to use them in any manner beyond that permitted.
Unless the professor expressly authorizes the use of the internet or other electronic communication in the exam, it is a violation of the honor code for the student to have or seek recourse to such means of communication during the exam.
A student’s failure to follow the professor’s specifications about the retention of materials on the computer’s hard drive or other storage medium is a violation of the honor code.
These rules supplement, and do not detract from the general rules of the Honor Code.
Students may elect to submit examination answers by electronic medium whenever a professor allows the usage of computers during an exam. The electronic medium to be used will be authorized by the Registrar’s office and may change as computer advancements are made.
For current instructions and listing of acceptable electronic media, see the website for the Paperless Examination program found on the Law Registrar’s web page, http://www.lclark. edu/dept/lawreg/ comp_exam_rule.html.

Whenever a professor allows the use of computers during an exam, students will be allowed the option of bringing their own printer to print the exam or of using the Paperless Exam Program. The Paperless Exam program allows students to submit their answers on an authorized electronic medium, such as a diskette. The Registrar’s office oversees this program, distributes the authorized medium, and correlates the printing of the exam answers from the electronic medium.

The medium is not returned to the student. There are specific regulations and authorized electronic media that must be used. Instructions are found on the Law Registrar’s website, http://www.lclark. edu/dept/lawreg/ comp_exam_rule.html.

Technical Support

Students assume the risk of all technical difficulties that may arise during an exam.
No additional time beyond the allotted time for taking the exam is allowed for printing out the exam answers.
The Law School has limited technical resources and personnel, and is not likely to be able to assist all students with technical problems or with needs for equipment during the exam period. To avoid problems and disputes over the fair allocation of resources during exams:
1. No student is permitted to use in an exam any Law School-owned computer, printer or other hardware or software.
2. Computing Services will not provide technical assistance to any student while that student is taking an exam.

The curriculum committee may review and change this policy at any time in the future.

Examination Policies

Each instructor determines if a course will require a written examination at the end of the semester. An examination may be either scheduled or unscheduled. The Registrar's Office, at the time of pre-registration, makes available information on examinations for all courses offered the next year. A schedule of examinations and a list of courses with unscheduled examinations or paper or other requirements is distributed with the registration materials. Because the examination schedule is available at the time students register, each student is responsible for his/her examination schedule. Students must make sure they are not scheduled for two exams at the same time, as the Registrar's Office does not check this.

Scheduled Exams

Students must take exams in accordance with the designated classroom schedules. The scheduled exam rooms are to be used by computer users taking the scheduled exam, if the professor is allowing students to use computers for the exam. If there is not enough room for all computer users in the scheduled exam room, overflow will have to use Room 1 or 4. Anyone handwriting the scheduled exam should plan to use room 5 or 6. If the professor is not allowing computers for the scheduled exam or if the majority of students will not be using computers, the non-computer users will take the exam in the assigned scheduled exam room. Everyone will meet in the assigned room to pick up the exam. The others must move to assigned open exam rooms.

Unscheduled Exams

Unscheduled exams are available in the Registrar's Office at the beginning of the exam period through the two-week exam period. An instructor may, if he or she desires, make an unscheduled examination available before the examination period but no earlier than reading period. Unscheduled exams may be picked up at the Registrar's Office between 8:30-9:00 a.m.; 1:00-1:30 p.m.; 6:00-6:30 p.m. each weekday of the fall and spring exam periods. Unscheduled exams may be picked up or returned on designated Saturdays only (see the exam schedule). Unscheduled exams are time stamped only at the Registrar's Office to ensure maintenance of exam time limits. Unscheduled exam questions are returned in the manila envelope.

Students taking unscheduled exams by computer will use rooms 1 or 4. Students handwriting unscheduled exams will use rooms 5 or 6.

Students must not discuss examinations with anyone, even other people who have taken the exam.

Students may not take exams in the library or any other place not specifically designated by the Registrar.

Exam Numbers

To maintain confidentiality and fairness in grading, students use exams numbers on exams. Each semester, a new and unique number is randomly assigned by computer to each student registered. The exam numbers are available on WebAdvisor by mid-semester. To obtain the exam number, go to the header, My Exam Number, found on the Student Menu under the Academic Profile header. Click on the exam number header and check your exam number for the current semester.

Exam Clock

In the section on Honor Code it states that overstaying the time limit on an examination is a violation of the Honor Code. In order to maintain fairness when clocking in an exam, all blue books, exam instructions, questions and other material pertinent to the exam must be in the manila envelope before the envelope will be clocked in. Be sure you have the test ready to turn in when you come to the Registrar's Office.

Failure to Take Examination

Failure to take a final examination without either prior permission or the existence of exceptional, extenuating circumstances making it impossible to obtain such permission, will result in a grade of F for such course work. A student who finds himself or herself in extraordinary circumstances and potentially unable to take an examination when scheduled, must contact the Associate Dean or the Dean to see if special arrangements are possible.