Evaluation: there are still problems to solve
RUG wants to keep new exam times
According to this evaluation, the new times ‘clearly have a negative impact on testing quality’. Nevertheless, due to the long-term prognosis of student numbers, the board of directors feels it’s necessary to stick to the new schedule.
Since September last year, the Aletta Jacobs hall and other locations host not three, but four exams a day. The exams start at eight thirty in the morning, which is thirty minutes earlier than before. Some exams don’t end until ten in the evening. The time between exams has been shortened from two hours to forty-five minutes.
Evaluation
According to the evaluation, the new schedule solves the capacity issues that the university has been suffering from for years. It means that very few exams will have to be scheduled on the weekends this academic year. The university also won’t have to rent as much external space for exams.
There is still a myriad of negative effects, however. The Aletta Jacobs hall sees much more foot traffic during the day, which leads to noise and issues with climate control. The shorter time between exams also means there’s no buffer to solve problems, like an exam starting late.
Focus
The new times are also leading to students having problems focusing, for various reasons. Students especially complain of this for the early morning and late night exams. The new schedule also doesn’t really work for people who use public transport.
People who need extra time are also running into issues. Because of the shorter time between the exams, lecturers are regularly preparing for the next exam while students who need extra time are still working on theirs.
Hundreds of exams
Staff members are also having issues with the new schedule. Especially the shorter times in between are less than practical, because they can’t lay out exams for hundreds of students in just ten minutes. This means they have to prepare further ahead of time rather than just before exams.
The schedule can’t be changes anymore for this year, but the evaluation’s conclusion does say action needs to be taken to solve the problems. The evaluation, which concludes with recommendations, has been sent to the faculty boards of the university so they can discuss a solution.