For Faculty: Change to Final Exam Schedule
In an email to faculty, Carol A. Barr, senior vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, announced timing for final exams will be shifted to accommodate students living outside of the Eastern Time Zone.
That email is as follows:
Dear Faculty Members and Course Instructors:
As many of our students are now living at home or are in a location away from the UMass Amherst campus and their current residence is in a different time zone from the Eastern Time Zone, this difference in time zones may greatly impact their final exam experience. In particular, the first final exam time slot at 8 a.m. EDT may prove problematic for students who are now living in the Pacific Coast time zone or beyond (i.e., Hawaii and Alaska). In addition, there are approximately 1,700 international students who may have returned to their country of origin.
1. Exams start one hour later: To accommodate the majority of students living in different time zones, the Final Exam day/time matrix will be moved one hour later. As a reminder, final exams start on Friday, May 1st with the last exam day scheduled for Thursday, May 7th.
Original Start Time of Final Exam NEW Start Time of Final Exam
8 a.m. - 10 a.m. 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
6 p.m. - 8 p.m. 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
2. Adjustments for students in different time zones: Students currently living in time zones that are beyond a three-hour time difference from Eastern Time Zone (EDT) and the time the exam is scheduled to start falls outside a 6:00 am – 10:00 pm time block within their respective time zone should reach out to their faculty or course instructor to make accommodations to take the exam at a different time. Faculty members and course instructors are required to provide a make-up exam time for the student.
3. Process: If the student’s time zone falls outside the 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. time block for allowable start time of a final exam they may either decide to take the final exam anyway as originally scheduled or request an alternative make-up time to take the final exam. This request must go to the faculty member or course instructor by Wednesday, April 29th, 5 p.m. (EDT) and the faculty member is required to provide a make-up exam time that falls within the allowable 6:00 am – 10:00 pm time block in the time zone where the student is currently living.
As we have moved instruction to remote delivery, faculty and course instructors may be contemplating alternative assessment approaches other than a two-hour timed final exam. One approach may involve faculty opening the final exam in the Learning Management System (LMS) platform at the start time of their final but then allowing students a 24-hour window in which to complete the exam. Students can log in at any time within this 24-hour window and once logged in are timed within a two-hour time block to complete the exam. For assistance on alternative assessment approaches as well as setting up your final exam within the LMS please reach out to instruct@umass.edu where a team involving the Center for Teaching and Learning; Instructional Design, Engagement and Support; and, IT staff can help.
We will be communicating this change in the final exam schedule to students and would encourage you to communicate directly with the students in your class about the change in your final exam time as well. Students will be notified to contact you directly should they require a make-up exam time.
In addition, you may also receive requests from students whose personal circumstances (i.e., internet reliability) are disrupting their ability to take the final exam when scheduled. Faculty are encouraged to be flexible, if possible and the situation warrants, in accommodating other requests coming from students.
Thank you for your understanding and assistance.
Carol A. Barr, Ph.D.
Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education