Dear Kathryn, a few years back we moved to hourly duration exams. We only mix durations:
- when what was stated on the exam paper was a mistake and it's too late to move the students elsewhere
- for our students with additional requirements
Our policy was not to mix duration, however, this was becoming increasingly difficult with the limited number of rooms we had to accommodate the variety. Logistics, therefore, favoured my request to reduce the exam duration to just three hourly ones on that basis.
Most of our rooms are in the 25-30 sized category. We've one 500-seater but it's not always available. I'm very jealous of those of you with larger venues!
Mrs Anne Austin
Assistant Registrar (Exams & Awards)
Exams & Awards Office, University of Hertfordshire
College Lane
Hatfield
Herts, AL10 9AB
Tel: 01707 28 4020
Fax: 01707 28 5985
The University is the UK’s leading business-facing university and an exemplar in the sector. It is innovative and enterprising and challenges individuals and organisations to excel. The University of Hertfordshire is one of the region’s largest employers with over 2,300 staff and a turnover of almost £231 million. With a student community of over 27,700 including more than 2,900 international students from over eighty-five different countries, the University has a global network of over 170,000 alumni. For more information, please visit www.herts.ac.uk
The University of Hertfordshire was awarded ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year 2010’ by the Times Higher Education (THE) and ranks in the top 4% of all universities in the world according to the recent THE, World University Rankings.
-----Original Message-----
From: ARC Assessment Practitioners Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kathryn Connor
Sent: 26 October 2012 13:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Exam Durations
Dear All,
We had 13 different examination durations in operation last year, and as we held our examinations in three large venues which accommodated between 500 and 1,000 per session, scheduling papers of mixed duration proved unavoidable. From 2013 onwards we’ll be holding all of our examinations in one large venue (capacity - 1,600 per session), which will leave us with even less scope for limiting the number of mixed duration examinations held at any one time.
In order to minimise the disruption caused by large groups of students leaving at 10, 15 and/or 30 minute intervals, we’ve recommended to departments that, in 2012/13, only examinations ending on the hour or half hour be allowed, with a move in 2013/14 to two or three hour examinations only. Whilst most of the College is able to comply with this, there are pockets of resistance (some with good reason).
In order to inform the ongoing discussion/debate about this issue here at KCL, I’d like to find out what happens elsewhere. Could you let me know how many different examination durations you have, and how you manage these if, like us, you use large examination venues.
Many thanks,
Kathryn
****************************
Kathryn Connor
Head of Examinations and Awards
Examinations and Awards Office
7.29 James Clerk Maxwell Building
King's College London
57 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8WA
Tel: 020 7848 3395
Fax: 020 7848 3379
[log in to unmask]
|