Virus and Exams

Dear UCLA Faculty, Students, and Administrative Leadership,

To support student progress and instructional continuity, the Legislative Assembly held a special meeting in executive session on March 11, 2020. The Legislative Assembly considered a proposed resolution to authorize temporary suspension of specific provisions of UCLA Senate regulations that restrict final examinations to the method, time, and place announced at the start of a quarter. Suspending specific regulation provisions, for the duration of the announced response by the Chancellor to COVID–19, will allow instructors to institute alternative methods and, as needed, times and places of final evaluations for any courses for which they are responsible.

The Legislative Assembly voted to approve (106 Yes, 1 No, 1 abstain) the following resolution, which includes suspension of specific sections of Senate Regulations 332 and 505 for the duration of the announced Campus response to COVID–19:

APPROVED RESOLUTION

1. The Legislative Assembly temporarily suspends the following underlined [bolded for web content accessibility] provisions of UCLA Senate Regulations 332 and 505 for the duration of the announced response to COVID–19 and authorizes the Divisional Chair to announce that suspension to departments and faculty via a Bruin Post:

Bolded sections are suspended:

A–330. No student shall be excused from assigned final examinations except as provided in A–332 below: [Variance to SR 770.]

A–332. (A) The instructor in charge of an undergraduate course shall be responsible for assigning the final grade in the course. The final grade shall reflect the student’s achievement in the course and shall be based upon adequate evaluation of the achievement. The instructor’s methods of evaluation must be announced at the beginning of the course. The methods may include a final written examination, a term paper, a final oral examination, a take–home examination, or other evaluation device. Evaluation methods must be of reasonable duration and difficulty, and must be in accord with applicable departmental policies. Final written examinations shall not exceed three hours’ duration and shall be given only at the times and places established by the departmental Chair and the Registrar. 505. (A) The instructor in charge of a graduate course shall be responsible for assigning the final grade in the course. The final grade shall reflect the student’s achievement in the course and shall be based upon adequate evaluation of that achievement. The instructor’s methods of evaluation must be announced at the beginning of the course. The methods may include in final written examination, a term paper, a final oral examination, a take–home examination, or other evaluation device. Evaluation methods must be of reasonable duration and difficulty, and must be in accord with applicable Academic Senate and departmental policies. Final written examinations shall not exceed three hours’ duration and shall be given only at the times and places established by the departmental Chair and the Registrar.

2. The Academic Senate will also temporarily authorize Departments to compile notifications from the instructors for any undergraduate or graduate courses for which they are responsible where the instructor uses alternative methods of evaluation (and, if needed, methods of instruction) in order to support course continuity. It will be the responsibility of the department to deploy methods of evaluation that that are accessible and equitable and that fairly access the rigor of the course and the achievement of each individual student. When there are special circumstances for evaluation methods, the Department should consult with and be advised by the Center for Accessible Education (CAE) in order to comply with CAE requirements. In instances where an instructor determines it is academically appropriate to cancel a final evaluation (e.g. exam, paper, etc.) for a course, the Academic Senate authorizes the Department to determine how to evaluate a proposed request by the instructor. It is expected that adequate assessment of the student’s achievement will occur per the Senate Regulations above.

3. If the Executive Board determines that additional actions are necessary to ensure instructional continuity, it is empowered to act on behalf of the Division. This includes the authority to suspend or modify on a temporary basis the Regulations of the Division and its agencies concerning courses and curriculum and to suspend or modify degree requirements for those students who would have graduated upon the successful completion of their course work for that term. If due to illness, the Executive Board cannot achieve a quorum, the Chair of the Senate under advice of the Senate Leadership is empowered to work with the administration to suspend regulations where necessary. However, neither the Executive Board nor the Chair of the Division has authority to enact, repeal, or amend legislation of the Division or to make permanent changes in the policies of the Senate or any of its agencies.

In the instance of any emergency matters regarding grading or course instruction, the Registrar’s Office should be a source for assessing whether any rules or regulations have been put at risk.

Procedures for final assessment options are available at the UCLA Academic Senate website.

Sincerely,

Michael Meranze

Chair, UCLA Academic Senate