GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

Assessment methods such as exams and other types of tests are designed to evaluate whether students have reached the required level of preparation in order to be awarded the relative credit points for the various educational activities. Exams and assessment items are marked out of thirty or given a pass or fail grade and they are always individual.

Exams, like lessons, are based on the topics described in the course program that is available in 2 versions: the course profile and the course syllabus.

The course profile includes the main topics dealt with in the course and is divided into 4 distinct sections: Course Objectives, Course Content Summary, Textbooks and Detailed Description of Assessment Methods. Students can access the course profiles on the Bocconi Internet site at http://www.unibocconi.it/profiles where students can read, print or save the profiles on file by following the indications given on the site. To help students in choosing courses on the basis of the course contents, the course profiles are published on the site well before the start of lessons. Substantial variations to the course profiles are not envisaged during the year,  except for some changes to the textbooks that may be made as a consequence of new publications or updated material that were not available when the profile was finalized.

The purpose of thecourse syllabus together with the information published online is to explain in more detail the topics covered. For every learning session of the course, if possible the reference materials necessary for an in-depth appreciation and consolidation of the concepts dealt with or referred to in lessons and assessment methods are specified and tutors are available (see 4.6). The course syllabus is prepared by the Course Directors in conjunction with the views of the Program Director. The syllabus is generally distributed during lessons and is also available from the secretary's office of the Institute responsible for the course.

The assessment methods are indicated in a summarized form in the course profiles and are explained in further detail in the course syllabuses. In addition, they are also explained by the teachers during lectures and indicated in the notices issued by the secretary's office of the Institute  responsible for the course.
The assessment methods may be different for attending and non-attending students. Furthermore, some exams can only be taken by attending students.
Exams may be entirely written or entirely oral or a combination of a written exam with either an obligatory or optional oral part.

Students are considered "attending" if they fulfil the course attendance requirements established by the teacher.

Generally the exam assessment methods include partial exams (one or more) and/or a single general exam.
Partial exams are not compulsory, although they are strongly recommended.

The results of partial exams are taken into account to pass the complete exam and to be awarded the relative credit points; passing two partial exams can, if the assessment methods allow, be equivalent to passing the general exam.

Oral exams are open to the public, while for written exams (either general or partial exams) students are guaranteed the right to inspect their exam paper, which they are advised to do before the mark is registered.

Courses that are organized in modules may include assessment at the end of each module, although credit points are not awarded for each single module. Credit points are awarded for the whole course only when students have completed all the programmed modules.

For courses with multi-class groups in the same undergraduate program, the exams are organized in the same way. For undergraduate programs taught in Italian and English, written exams are presented both in Italian and English so that students can choose the version which corresponds to the class group they attended.

It is important to always check how exam marks are registered either with the teacher or with the secretary's office of the Institute (whether or not it is necessary to register for other exams to complete the requirement, etc.) and to check the expiration date of the mark of those written exams that are followed by an oral exam.

The Course Director will decide on the availability of past exam papers, together with the correct answers. If a Course Director decides to distribute past exam papers, a copy is placed in either the University bookshop or in the secretarys office of the Institute.
Students can photocopy this material on presentation of their Bocconi ID card (which must be left as a deposit while they make copies).
Past exam papers which are released are available for 12 months, unless otherwise stipulated by the Course Director.

The exam timetable is organized in periods that do not coincide with the periods when lessons are held. Each exam period consists of one or more sessions.
The exam timetable (October 2007 - September 2008) allocates 7 exam sessions for all courses and when necessary also include partial exams.

Students can take exams in all sessions as long as they satisfy the attendance requirements (semester lessons of the course included in the study plan must be finished).

Lessons are suspended at mid-semester in both the first and second semester for 1st  partial exams. 2nd  partial exams are held at the end of the semester of lessons (1st semester course exams are held after the Christmas holidays).
The dates of partial exams may or may not coincide with the dates fixed for general exams.

The exam periods and exam sessions (reference period: October 2007 - September 2008) for all second and third-year undergraduates are scheduled as follows:

 Note

•  "Session" refers to both the exams of the current year and the previous 
     years;
•   for those students:
  
  - participating in the Exchange and Free-Mover Programs abroad in the 2nd semester 2007-2008 a.y.
  - participating in the Campus Abroad (winter)
  - incoming 1st  semester (exchange, single courses for visiting students)
  
  there is an early session scheduled during the 10 to 21 December 2007 period prior to the January 2008 session.
  Please note that the above students cannot sit exams for previous year's courses in such period.

There is NO overlapping between compulsory course exam sessions of the same year, undergraduate degree program; therefore no two exams on the same day are usually scheduled. The overlapping rule refers only to courses of the year in which the student is enrolled and do not refer to previous years' exams which have not been passed yet.

The exam timetable for the October 2007 - September 2008 period is published in the second half of September on the University Internet site at http://www.unibocconi.it/examtimetable.

During the year the timetable of an exam session may be changed (only to a later date or time), in which case students do not need to re-register for the exam since their registration is automatically transferred to the new timetable.
Exam dates are updated daily on the Internet site, so that if the timetable is changed, the new date or time is displayed and students may check the original timetable of the exam session by clicking on the relative exam icons.
Changes to the exam timetable are displayed on the "Exam timetable changes" bulletin board located on the ground floor of the University building in via Sarfatti 25.

Personalized exam timetables can be printed at Punto Blu terminals and from the yoU@B student diary, which can be accessed from the Bocconi homepage. Via yoU@B students can integrate their personalized exam timetable with the deadlines of other educational activities or personal interest activities, and organize and print all the information recorded in their diary for the desired period (daily, weekly, monthly, etc).

The different types of exams are identified in the exam timetable by the following letters:

• PI Partial exam
• S Written exam
• O Oral exam
  
   

Students can check the classroom assigned for their exam via yoU@B student diary as a general guide in the afternoon of the working day prior to the exam date.

If the exam is held in more than one classroom, students are allocated following criteria set by the Institute the course refers to.

In any case the classroom published on the yoU@B student diary is the one the student has to go to.

The list of classrooms assigned for exams is also published on the website (following the same timelines explained above) at http://www.unibocconi.it/classrooms.

It is also posted daily:

• on the ground floor of the University building in via Sarfatti 25 on the "Today's exams and activities" bulletin board;
• on the ground floor of the University building in piazza Sraffa 13, on the monitors and on the bulletin boards.

Classrooms and student allocation are displayed on the bulletin boards Exams breakdown of students, located on the ground floor of the University buildings in via Sarfatti 25 and Piazza Sraffa 13.

Students can also check exam dates and classroom allocations by mobile phone using the SMS Bocconi service.

Registration for exams (written, oral, partial) can be carried out at Punto Blu terminals or via Virtual Punto Blu up to the fourth working day before the exam itself. Students can also register for exams by mobile phone using the SMS Bocconi service.

The following days and periods are classified as non-working days and therefore are not included:

• Saturdays and Sundays;
• Holidays and periods when the University is closed, as indicated below:
  -   for 2007: 1 and 2 November, 7 December, from 24 to 31 December;
  -   for 2008 (up to the September period): 1 January, 24 March, 2 June.

To register for exams and partial exams students must have paid the first instalment of the university fees and tuition and have no academic penalties.
To register, select IP exam registration: a list of the un-passed courses included in the study plan appears (excluding computer skills, see 3.4). Students should select the type of exam they want to register for (O = oral; S = written; I = partial exam). It is possible to register or cancel for the current date (first date available for that type of exam) or for the next date (second date available for that same type of exam), however, it is not possible to register for both at the same time.
If general exams (O or S) are on the same day as partial exams (one date only), students must choose between the exam types as it is not possible to register for both at the same time.
If the exam timetable shows both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam students must register for both of them (even if they are on the same day). If students do not register for both of them, they cannot sit the exam.

In some cases when registering for an exam students will be asked to make a specific choice from among a group of alternatives ('registration to the groups') for example, "attending students" or "partial exam instead of general exam", etc). After selecting the type and date of exam for which they want to register/cancel, a window will automatically appear giving students the possibility of selecting the group they want to register for.
The registration/cancellation operation is carried out only if all confirmation prompts asked for by the system are given. If confirmation is not given, registration for the specific activity will NOT take place.

It is possible to display and print the operations carried out for all active exams (that is for the next exam scheduled at the transaction date) at Punto Blu terminals. In addition, students can display all the operations carried out over the last 90 days, including information regarding exams that have already been held.
If the system does not allow you to register for or cancel from an exam, it may be as a result of one of the following:

• the registration deadline has passed;
• the course is not included in the study plan;
• the exam has already been passed;
• the student is suspended for non-payment of university fees and tuition;
• the student does not have the right to sit the exam because the exam is scheduled before lessons finish (end of semester); this does not apply to partial exams.

When the registration to the session has closed, the above criteria will be checked again. If the criteria has not been met the student cannot sit the exam. Students who are suspended after registering for one or more exams and/or partial exams are sent a message on their yoU@B student diary and via SMS informing them that they cannot sit the exam. Students who clear up their position before registration closes have the right to sit the exam. Once students clear up their position they will receive a message via the above channels.

Examining boards are appointed by the Rector or one of his delegates and consist of at least 2 members, including a President, and are presided over by the Course Director. When necessary, exam commissions may be divided into sub-examining boards.

Examining professors include: the Course Director and the official course teaching team, as indicated in the annual teaching activities program, together with those experts in the subject who have the necessary qualifications and have been proposed by the Course Director.

Students will generally sit exams with the teacher(s) of their assigned class group if they take the exam in the first exam period after the end of the course. In successive exam sessions, exams may also be organized in various class groups, in which case student may sit exams with either a teacher or teachers of one of the class groups, or with an expert in the subject. The class groups may not be the same that were assigned to the students.

Students must come to exams equipped with:

• unofficial academic transcript;
• Bocconi ID card;
• valid proof of identity document (e.g. identity card).

Students must sign in to certify their presence at the exam (this does not refer to mark acceptance).
For written exams, students certify their presence by signing the exam paper.
For oral exams, students certify their presence by signing the appropriate documents used to register the exam mark.

During exams students may decide to withdraw, in which case their papers are not considered valid and the exam result is not registered.
For written exams students are deemed to have withdrawn if they hand in their exam papers with "withdrawn" written on them; for oral exams, students may only withdraw before the teacher declares the mark. Withdrawing from an exam is equivalent to not taking the exam.
Handing in written exam papers (whether they are partial or general exams) means accepting the mark the teacher gives the paper, no matter what it is.

Exams are official assessments which must be taken in full compliance with the rules.
During an examination students:

• cannot offer or receive any assistance from students or any other party, nor can they use notes unless authorized by the teacher;
• cannot attempt to obtain confidential information about the specific questions of the exam;
• cannot assume the identity of another nor allow others to assume their identity during an exam; nor can students present as their own a piece of work which has been copied, entirely or partially.
  

Violation of the above rules or the instructions given by the teacher during exams, is cause for cancellation of the exam, and the start of disciplinary procedures. The disciplinary sanctions applied in this University include:

• official warning;
• temporary ban from one or more courses;
• exclusion from one or more exams for one or more exam periods;
• temporary suspension from the University and loss of exam periods (not more than three years).
  

All disciplinary sanctions are registered in the student's academic career, written in the transfer form, and in all university documents used in determining the student's graduation grade. A disciplinary sanction more serious than a warning precludes any student benefits (scholarships, housing etc.).

These rules do not substitute the university in the monitoring of the exams. The university will maintain strict exam procedures. At least one teacher will be physically present at each exam. The university moreover will do its best to ensure that the exams are taken in adequate rooms, with enough space and silence to allow students to concentrate. Teachers are required to set clear questions and to mark exams following clear rules, allowing students to show their ability and degree of understanding of the subject area.

A mark of between 0 and 17 out of thirty is considered unsatisfactory.
A mark of between 18 and 30 out of thirty is considered satisfactory.
The examining board may award "lode" (cum laude) to students who obtain thirty out of thirty (30/30).

Exams that are awarded a satisfactory mark are considered to have been passed and cannot be retaken (whether they are partial exams or general exams).
Exams that are awarded an unsatisfactory mark are considered to have been failed and must therefore be taken again.

The results of written exams are available from the secretary's office of the Institute responsible for the courses and are also generally published on the Bocconi Internet site, where they can be accessed via the yoU@B student diary. The marks posted on the bulletin boards and displayed in the yoU@B student diary are for informational purposes only. Once the result of an exam has been registered, students are advised to check that it has been correctly recorded in their academic career by using the "Certification" menu at Punto Blu terminals.

In addition, results are also sent via the SMS Bocconi service.

The final results of exams are recorded with a mark out of thirty and are registered in the student's academic career by the Student Administration Centre.

Each student's "Official academic" transcript contains all the exams included in the study plan, together with the date when the exam was passed, the marks and the credit points awarded for the exams that have been recorded.

The unofficial academic transcript contains all exams, including those that have been passed, that is the exams for which students have been awarded a sufficient mark.

Only passed exams are certificated.

For the first and second foreign language courses, a list of international language certifications (the mark will be converted into a mark out of thirty) are recognized as an alternative to Bocconi exams.

For more detailed information about this see chapter 3.3.

For the computer skills course, student evaluation is based on the "ECDL start" certification. The marks achieved will be converted into a mark out of thirty.
For more detailed information about this see chapter 3.4.

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by the mathematical average weighted on the credit point values of all courses with marks expressed out of thirty recorded in the student's academic career.

Exams that have been awarded "lode"(cum laude) are given the value 31.

A maximum of 2 additional exams can be included in the calculation of the GPA. If a student has passed more than 2 additional exams, the 2 best results are considered.

The exams ratified for students transferring from other Italian universities are assigned the mark awarded by the University where the exam was originally taken.

The exams ratified for students transferring from universities abroad are assigned the mark awarded by the University where the exam was originally taken. If the original marks are expressed in different numerical scales or in letters, they are converted to marks out of thirty on the basis of the specific conversion table.

The exams taken at other universities that have an agreement with Università Bocconi are assigned the mark awarded by the University where the exam was originally taken. If the original marks are expressed in different numerical scales or in letters, they are converted to marks out of thirty on the basis of the specific conversion table.

Exam sequence indicates the sequence that must be followed in terms of time and prerequisites in preparing exams and obliges students to pass some exams before sitting for others.

There is no pre-ordered sequence in sitting the exams of programs, however students are advised to sit exams following the sequence of the teaching activities for the current academic year and semester.

Students enrolled in undergraduate programs may obtain credit for exams (marks and credit points) taken abroad as part of the following programs which are promoted and coordinated by the International Relations Service: International Exchange, Free-Mover Semester, Campus Abroad(*) and Free-Mover Summer Program.

Please note:

• with reference to these periods abroad, students can receive credit for a maximum of 4 recognised exams; not more than 4 in the Exchange Program, not more than 3 in the Free-Mover Semester Program and not more than 1 in the Free-Mover Summer Program;
• students who take part in the Exchange Program cannot also take part in the Free-Mover Semester Program, and vice versa, since it is not possible to accumulate 2 semesters abroad;
• credit can be granted for both compulsory and elective exams, either in full or after integration of part of the program, on the following conditions:
  
  - compulsory courses: students cannot receive credit for the courses listed on the Internet site at paragraph 10.4 "List of exams for which credit cannot be granted if taken abroad". In addition, they cannot receive credit for foreign languages and computer skills courses taken at universities abroad. However, students can receive credit for international certificates for foreign language and computer skills recognised by Università Bocconi acquired during study abroad. These certificates do not count towards the maximum credit limits for the international programs context;
  - elective courses: all exams that correspond to elective courses offered by Università Bocconi can be sat abroad. In addition, for the Exchange Program, only in special cases, students can receive credit for exams that correspond to elective courses without a Bocconi equivalent (for more information see 5.14.1).
  

(*) Exams passed as part of the Campus Abroad Program do not come under the "Credit for exams passed at universities abroad" section, as they are Bocconi courses.

Gaining credit for exams taken as part of the Exchange, Free-Mover Semester and Free-Mover Summer Programs is not usually automatic and depends on the following credit approval procedure.
In order to obtain approval, students seeking credit must present the course program before departure to the Course Director of the corresponding Bocconi course.
If the elective courses do not correspond to any courses offered by Università Bocconi, students must apply to the Program Director or one of his/her delegates before departure. This refers to the Exchange Program only and is limited to particular cases.

To start the credit approval procedure students should contact the International Relations Office who will receive the academic transcript from the host university abroad. Based on this document and the student's request, the "Summarized credit approval report" and "Individual exam report" will be prepared. These will be used for exam conversion together with the "mark conversion table".
Students can go to the Course Director of the Bocconi equivalent course (or the Program Direct or his/her delegate for courses that do not have a Bocconi equivalent) with the "Summarized credit approval report" and "Individual exam report" in order to have the exam mark recorded. Exam registration via Punto Blu or Virtual Punto Blu is not necessary.
The Course Director (or the Program Director or his/her delegate) will send the "Individual exam report" to the Student Administration Centre.
Once this process has been completed students will hand in once again the "Summarized credit approval report" to the International Relations Office. They will then go to the Teaching Services and Organization Desk to make any elective course changes that have not yet been included in the study plan.

The normal credit approval procedure does not apply to some courses (indicated on the Internet site at http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/exchange). These courses are automatically recognized. Therefore, it is not necessary to submit the course profile before departure to the Course Director or Program Director or one of his/her delegates. Nor is it necessary to submit the individual exam report to have the course registered.

Credit is granted for all exams taken as part of the Campus Abroad Program.
On completion of the program, the International Relations Office sends a list of students who have passed exams with the relative marks to the Student Administration Centre. The course is automatically registered in the student's academic career, as long as it conforms to the program structure regulations.