GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY
2007-2008 A.Y.
Bachelor of Science Programs (3-y)
7.
EXAMS
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. Last change 09/06/2007 11:31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.1.
Exam program
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 four 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 the course 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 paragraph 6.6). 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. Last change 06/09/2007 11:34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.2.
Assessment methods
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. Exams may be entirely written or entirely oral or a combination of a written exam with either an obligatory or optional oral part. Generally the exam assessment methods include partial exams (one or more) and/or a single general exam. 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. For courses with multi-class groups in the same undergraduate program, the exams are organized in the same way. 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 sign up for other exams to complete the requirements, etc.) and to check the expiration date of the mark of those written exams that are followed by an oral exam. Last change 09/06/2007 11:34 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.3.
Past exam papers
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 secretary's office of the Institute. Last change 06/09/2007 11:31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.4.
Period of general/partial exams and timetable
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7.4.1.
General and partial exams
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. Students can take exams in all sessions as long as they satisfy the attendance requirements (semester of lessons of the course 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 (1st semester course exams are held after the Christmas holidays). The exam periods and exam sessions (reference period: October 2007 - September 2008) are scheduled as follows.
Note
There is NO overlapping between compulsory course exam sessions of the same year, undergraduate degree program; therefore no 2 exams on the same day are usually scheduled. Last change 24/07/2007 16:58 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.4.2.
Exam timetable
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. 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 and/or personal interest activities, and organize and print all the information recorded in their diary for the desired period (daily, weekly, monthly, etc).
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7.4.3.
Classroom and student allocation
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/rooms.
It is also posted daily:
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. Last change 07/09/2007 16:44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.5.
Exam and partial exam registration procedure
Registration for written, oral and partial exams can be carried out at Punto Blu terminals or through Virtual Punto Blu up to the fourth last 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 not included:
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7.6.
Examining boards
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. Last change 04/07/2007 14:48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.7.
Exam procedure
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7.7.1.
Procedure
Students must come to exams equipped with:
During exams students may decide to withdraw, in which case their papers are not considered valid and the exam result is not registered. Last change 01/08/2007 19:35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.7.2.
Exam conduct
Exams are official assessments which must be taken in full compliance with the rules.
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:
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.).
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7.8.
Marks
A mark of between 0 and 17 out of thirty is considered unsatisfactory. Last change 26/07/2007 16:30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.9.
Publication of exam results
The results of written exams are available from the secretary's office of the Institute responsible for the courses. Last change 02/08/2007 12:42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.10.
Recording, registering and certifying
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. Last change 04/07/2007 14:53 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.11.
Credit for foreign language certifications
For the first and second foreign language courses, a list of international language certificates (the mark will be converted into a mark out of thirty) are recognized as an alternative to Bocconi exams. Last change 06/09/2007 11:39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.12.
How to calculate the Grade Point Average (GPA)
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. 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. Last change 09/06/2007 11:54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.13.
Exam sequence and progress requirements
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. Last change 06/09/2007 11:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.14.
Credit for exams passed at universities abroad
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:
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7.14.1.
Credit approval procedure for exams taken as part of Exchange, Free-Mover Semester and Free-Mover Summer Programs
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. To start the credit approval procedure students should contact the International Relations Office which 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 Director 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. Last change 06/09/2007 11:41 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.14.2.
Registration of exams taken as part of the Campus Abroad Program
Credit is granted for all exams taken as part of the Campus Abroad Program. Last change 04/07/2007 15:00 |