Exam Comment Sessions

In many of your first year courses, there will be a comment review session to consider exam questions. This meeting will occur soon after the examination. If you feel there is a discrepancy between the TRUTH and a keyed correct answer to an exam question, write down your comment on the computer comment page during the scheduled Comment Session, including evidence for support.  In general, questions on the final examination for each course will not receive comments. Following the Exam Comment Session all comments will be evaluated by the M1 Unit Chairs and a meeting will be held with the Course and Component I Directors to determine the outcome of question comments.

Basis for Question Comments

Question comments are meant for you to let us know about incorrectly written questions that result in erroneous conclusions about your competency. To maintain the credibility of the process, please avoid frivolous challenges, which dilute the consideration of serious problems. Remember that the instruction for all multiple-choice questions is Choose the single best answer from among the alternatives. This means that a question comment based on the contention that there is some element of truth to one of the incorrect answers will not succeed unless you can show that the incorrect answer is better than the correct answer on the key. Also, just because some book somewhere states something that favors an alternative answer does not mean that the alternative answer is correct - not everything that is printed is true, shocking as it may seem.

Only question comments presented at the Exam Comment Session can change grading

You have to submit all question comments to any exam question at the time of the Exam Comment Session.  This means that:

• although we encourage you to discuss the exam questions with the faculty, faculty members cannot "give you credit" for something. Only the Course Director can change anyone's grading, and the Course Director will only consider comments presented at the meeting. Of course, a faculty member can choose to support your challenge to his/her question, but you still have to bring it to the meeting.
• if you don't get your challenge to the Component Director in time for the meeting, it can't be considered. So don't miss the deadline.

Replies to your comments

The Course Director may accept or not accept a question comment during the Exam Comment Session meeting, or after consulting with course faculty. The comment outcome will be reported to the Component I Director and Unit Chairs within 24-72 hours. The Unit Chairs will report the outcome of comments along with the rationale, to the class.