Are there any rules about when a professor can announce a major exam? I just received an email saying we have a test on thursday and it's really gonna fuck up my schedule this week (I have two other tests right before it). This course (IE 452) doesnt have a syllabus and there has been absoluetly no prior discussion of the test. Can a professor announce a test only 4 days prior?

2/13/2006 11:32:24 AM

nope

they can do pretty much whatever they want

the only thing i know they can't do is ASSIGN anything new during dead week. Of course that doesn't stop them from assigning things to be DUE during dead week, but they just can't assign it. Anything else that comes up is just based on the personality of the professor.

Maybe you should email him/her about it

2/13/2006 11:34:51 AM

Umm, why wouldn't the tests be already scheduled on your syllabus?

2/13/2006 11:39:12 AM

^He didnt provide a syllabus. He's a brand new professor too.

However, apparently professors are required to provide students with a syllabus with tenative exam dates (I just learned this). Its probably too late to do anything about it though..

[Edited on February 13, 2006 at 11:58 AM. Reason : ..]

2/13/2006 11:53:26 AM

why don't you e-mail him and tell him you think he sucks ass

2/13/2006 11:57:29 AM

I thought a syllabus was like...required by the university for each class? I heard one prof. I had say the university hasta even approve said syllabus before use.

Heck, even my MA132 lab has a syllabus. Yeah I'd email him and ask him to move it out a bit or something.

2/13/2006 12:37:00 PM

pretty sure he's required to have a syllabus

2/13/2006 1:20:13 PM

Quote :

"This course (IE 452) doesnt have a syllabus"

http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/courses_undergrad/REG02.20.7.php

Quote :

"Faculty are required to provide students with a written course syllabus which follows the guidelines below, on the first day of class. [...] G. Projected schedule of reading assignments. H. Projected schedule of any homework due dates, quizzes and tests. "

http://www.ncsu.edu/registrar/calendars/academicsprg.html

Quote :

"February 20 Monday Last day to withdraw or drop a course without a grade at the 400 level or below. Last day to change from credit to audit at the 400 level or below. Last day to change to credit only. Last day to submit Request for Course Repeat Without Penalty forms. Pack Tracks closes for Undergraduate drops at 11:59 p.m."

This is probably why the test was so sudden/announced so late. The instructor will have a chance to grade them over the weekend and give students the opportunity to drop who still want to.

Anyways, this really sucks for everybody. The instructor screwed up by not providing a syllabus, but then again, that falls on the department/college/university to inform new faculty of requirements for research and teaching. Talk to your advisor and ask what has been done to resolve such situations in the past.

A really nice compromise that would work well for everybody would be to make this first test take-home. Dunno if the instructor is willing to do that or not. (Oh, and make sure without a shadow of the doubt there was no indication whatsoever of a test date before today).

[Edited on February 13, 2006 at 1:25 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2006 1:23:58 PM

What a slack ass( the professor that is). Here is a link to his syllabus
Furthermore, he only posted that 4 days ago.

http://courses.ncsu.edu/ie452/lec/001/

Quote :

"Coming Soon"

2/13/2006 1:56:18 PM

Upon looking at the Exam review on that page, I've decided I have nothing to worry about. Its gonna be slack.

Hmm, I missed 12 min of class two weeks ago, so it is technically possible that I could have missed the discussion. However, I doubt it because this is the email I received from him (verbatim):

Quote :

"Class IE 452, Let us have our first exam on Feb 16. "

No more, no less

[Edited on February 13, 2006 at 4:49 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2006 4:47:02 PM

Quote :

"Its gonna be slack."

You going to pursue the issue any further?

[Edited on February 13, 2006 at 6:44 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2006 6:43:27 PM

I wont be fronting any efforts to change the test date, no. Im gonna start studying and save myelf the trouble.

2/13/2006 7:59:45 PM

good call

you are going to get shit like this in the real world

you might as well get use to it

[Edited on February 13, 2006 at 8:07 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2006 8:06:45 PM

I didn't even know professors had to formally announce an exam in class. I've had them just stick it on a syllabus and never say a word until the day of.

2/13/2006 9:43:09 PM

I don't understand how if you knew about this before today it would've changed the fact that you have 3 tests in a row

2/13/2006 9:54:40 PM

I would have started studying for it earlier.

2/13/2006 11:27:44 PM

some profs suck, some don't. it's what we have to deal with in college.

2/14/2006 10:34:51 AM

Quote :

"G. Projected schedule of reading assignments. H. Projected schedule of any homework due dates, quizzes and tests."

I wrote pretty detailed syllabi and I never wrote exam schedules. I would say they'll be like every 6 weeks or something. And I warn people about an upcoming test two weeks ahead of time. Quizzes can be random, and they are in many classes.

I think it is wrong to announce a test two days before, but I equally think professors don't have to adhere very strictly to some bullshit rules so long as they are generally considerate of their students.

2/14/2006 11:02:19 AM

^
Well it says projected. Every six weeks is "projected".

2/14/2006 11:19:46 AM

OK so in class today a bunch of people complained about the announcement and it was moved to tuesday. Yar

2/14/2006 6:16:56 PM

lol

2/14/2006 6:21:54 PM