PROCEDURES, PROTOCOLS, & HINTS — Comprehensive Exam
Appendix F
Comprehensive Examination Policy
M. A. Science Education
[Secondary, Secondary Physics Emphasis,
Secondary Earth Science emphasis, and Elementary]
Exam Administration
Study Sheet: A study sheet will be supplied to students taking the comprehensive exam 11-8 weeks prior to the exam date. This will be provided by email.
Format : The exam will be closed-book essay questions created by the UNI Science Education Graduate faculty members who have taught the four (4) “required” courses on the MA Science Education. The student's Graduate Advisor will create the Exam sheet. Each course category will be represented by two (2) questions from which the student will select one (1) question to answer for a total of two (2) questions. The question format consists of 2 course "categories". One category systhesizes what was learned in Trends in Science Education and Developing Science Curriculum. The other category synthesizes Teaching-Learning modes & history & Philosophy and Nature of Science.
Venue: The comprehensive exam will be administered on the UNI campus on a designated day during the summer session (June or July) or during the academic year. On-campus dates will be selected based on students' schedules. Off campus exams for ICN-cohort students may be taken during the academic year by making arrangements with a school administrator to proctor the exam. In such an instance questions will be emailed to the exam proctor who will return the exam answers to the Graduate Advisor.
Procedure: Answers may be handwritten or word-processed. On-campus administration will include access to a computer (Mac or PC platform) in a quiet environment. Hand written answers or printed copy plus answers on computer disk will be returned to the Graduate Advisor or exam proctor.
Time Frame: All two questions that comprise the exam will be answered in one sitting on the same day. The graduate student should allow up to four (4) hours to complete the exam.
Exam Evaluation
Procedure and Time Frame: Faculty members who wrote the questions and an Outside Reader (not the Graduate Advisor or question author) will evaluate the answers on a scale of 1 to 5, with a score of 3 being a minimum pass. A score of 3 or better by both evaluators constitutes successful completion of a question. All 4 questions must be successfully completed. Comments may be written on the exam, but will only be shown to the student should the student need to retake the question(s).
Sharing Results: The Graduate Advisor will be responsible for collecting individual question results and sharing those results with the student within three (3) weeks of exam administration. The advisor will also report scores for all evaluations on the answers to the Chair of Science Education for Student Outcomes Assessment purposes. A copy of the evaluated questions will be placed in the student's departmental file. Science Education will abide by the policies and procedures of UNI for student access to his or her departmental file.
Retake Options
Students who fail one (or more) of the questions will be given one chance to remedy the situation within one semester by re-taking a question from that same course. The student will be provided the original question with evaluator comments before rewriting the course question. The retake will include the two original questions from which the student may choose the same one as before or the alternate question.
Special considerations
The time frame for taking the exam and evaluating it may be modified upon consent of the graduate advisor if there are extenuating circumstances such as illness. Documentation of this modification, and any stipulations accompanying it, will be made in writing and a copy placed in the student's file.
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