To:Faculty/Staff Sponsors of students in major UMR events
From:Ronald J. Bieniek, Professor-in-Charge of Physics 23 (Engineering Physics I)
Re:Taking tests at a different time/place on a Test Wednesday
A few students who take Physics 23 (Engineering Physics I) encounter situations where they wish to participate in a major university event (e.g., an athletic competition) that occurs during the scheduled time of a Physics 23 Test (5:00-6:00 p.m.) on specified Wednedays announced in the Schedule of Courses before the beginning of the semester. The test is taken by 325-350 students. I am happy to accommodate the few students involved with conflicting major university events. The course policy states(page 3 at
Some Important Course Rules
•You may take a Test on a scheduled Test Day at some other than the normal time and/or place that day if you have a formal excused absence to participate in a major university or intercollegiate event (or scheduled class that offers NO makeups) and if the event’s Faculty Sponsor can insure Test security. You must get the event's UMR Faculty Sponsor to read and fill out the form found at that commits the faculty sponsor to give the test elsewhere day that under specified test security arrangements. The sponsor must e-mail the completed form to me no later than 3 p.m. the Thursday before the test.
•The Final Exam is everyone’s “Beyond-Your-Control Bad Day” Make-Up for one Test because the lowest score among your three regular Tests and your Final Exam will be dropped. There are NO other special make-ups in the course. This offers you redemption from a low Test score by studying hard for the Final Exam, or lets you skip the Final if you have worked hard to do well on all Tests. This accommodates students who under perform on or miss one Test for a variety of reasons truly beyond their control: hospitalization, illness, athletic events, unusual mental stress, family emergency, etc. If you request and are issued a grade of Incomplete due to dire personal circumstances at the course's end, all your Tests and Exams will count in a prorated way, with none being dropped, in the determination of your eventual course grade.
•If you miss any assignment for any reason, a zero will be recorded for that assignment. However, the drop policies outlined above cover such “bad day” situations once for each type of assignment without stress or penalty to you. However, these are not offered to compensate for “low performance” days, which is not beyond your control.
Students who are enrolled in a scheduled class or event in conflict with the Physics 23 common exams can take a test on Test Wednesdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m. if the scheduled course or event in conflict has a major performance measure at that time that CANNOT be made up. The faculty member who associated with the event must fill out and submit the form below.
However, if this later on-campus test time does not fit into the student's needs, the student can take a Test at a different time (with a total duration of no more than 60 minutes), but only on the scheduled test day and only if YOU are willing to arrange proctoring and insure test security. Let me explain what that means.
Option (1): Take Test on-campus earlier on a Test Wednesday
If you have a student or group of students who want to take the test earlier in the day, I can arrange for the campus TestingCenter to proctor it. But the student(s) cannot leave the TestingCenter without continuous escort before 5:45 p.m. The escort must be a staff/faculty member of UMR (not just another student) and needs to remain with the student(s) until that time, making sure that they have no contact with any student that will take the exam at the regular place and time.
Option (2): Take Test at an away site
If the student cannot take the test earlier in the day on a Test Wednesday (e.g., leaves the day before for an away game), then the sponsor must pick up the test before leaving (if it is already prepared) or supply a FAX number where a copy of the test can be FAXed. The sponsor can then proctor the Test at the away site and return the completed test as promptly as feasible to the Physics office, 102 Physics Building. But even in this case, the sponsor must insure test security by making sure that they have no contact with any student that will take the exam at the regular place and time (5:00-6:00 p.m.). This includes phone contacts at an away event. Please hold cell-phones of students from the time they first come into your charge until late that evening until both away and on campus testing are both over.
If you are willing to take on this responsibility for some student(s), please download this document, fill out the form below, and emailthe completed form to me no latterthan 3 pm Thursday before the Test.
Thanks so much for your cooperation. It shows your commitment to student learning, success and development.
Sponsor Agreement to Ensure Physics 23 Test Security
with Regard to Students Taking the Test at Alternate Place/Time
To be filled out by UMR faculty or staff member
Your name:
Your department or unit:
Your email:
Your telephone number:
Date of designated Physics 23 Test (this should be supplied by the students):
(Note: the test can only be given on this date)
Major university event which students must attend that conflicts with the normal time test given:
Names of students about whom you are agreeing to ensure test security:
Select option you commit to (put an X in front of selected option and fill in info below it)
Option 1: student takes test at campus TestingCenter). You – or your non-student staff associate – escort the student(s) away and ensure not communication with students who can relay test info until 6:00 p.m. (in particular, no cell phones or email).
The one-hour time interval that your students will take exam:
(Prof. Bieniek will make reservations at the TestingCenter for these times)
The time you will pick them up from the TestingCenter:
(Students CANNOT leave without an escort – or their exam receives a zero)
Option 2: Student(s) take the exam off-campus/on-the-road. You – or your non-student staff associate – pick up the exam from the main physics office (102 Physics Bldg) on day of or the day before the exam, give it to the sponsored student(s) on the day of the exam as near to the normal time as possible (5-6 p.m.), and ensure that the sponsored students cannot communicate with any student who has already had the exam (in particular, no cell phones or email).
Where students will take the test:
Approximate time student(s) will take the test:
Date you will return the tests to the main physics office (102 Physics Bldg):
Thanks so much for cooperating on this with the Physics 23 teaching staff.
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