GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

Student performance evaluation includes exams and other assessment items that are designed to assess whether students have reached the required levels so that they can be awarded the credit points that correspond to the various educational activities. Assessment items are marked out of 30 or a pass and fail result (qualifying examinations). Exams and assessment items 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 the following sections: Course Objectives, Course Content Summary, Textbooks and Detailed Description of Assessment Methods, and any course prerequisites.  To help students in choosing courses on the basis of the course contents, the course profiles are published on the site at www.unibocconi.eu/profiles  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 Tutors). 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 as a general rule is also available online (yoU@B student Diary and/or in the course profile and/or on e-learning ).

The assessment methods are indicated in a summarised form in the course profiles and are explained in detail in the course syllabuses. In addition, they are also explained by the teachers during lessons and as a general rule are available online.

The assessment methods may be different for attending and non attending students and/or some exams can only be taken by attending students.

Students are considered attending if they fulfil the course presence requirements as set by the instructor.

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

The results of partial exams are taken into account when calculating the final mark in order 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.

With reference to courses that form part of the MSc programs (codes 20.000-20.999) it is important that exams are taken straight after the end of teaching. This is due to the fact that the overall mark is determined by a combination of the following assessment elements:

• active class participation;
• quality of individual assignments completed during the semester;
• quality of group assignments;
• result(s) of exam(s), written and/or oral scheduled by the Course Director, that may take place during the course (partial exams) and/or at the end.

In fact, the education model adopted by the MSc degrees is characterised by teaching activities aiming to encourage interaction between students and teachers.
In addition to the traditional lessons, teaching also includes case study discussions, practical exercises for which students are asked to prepare beforehand and active class participation. Teachers can also assign individual and/or groups assignments. Therefore, the written and/or oral exam merely represents the final element because the assessment process takes into account diverse elements.

The individual 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,he can do that through:

• the Teachingbox available in the yoU@B student Diary;
• his personal page available on the website;
• the e-learning platform.

Past exam papers released are available for 12 months, unless otherwise stipulated by the Course Director.

In order to sit exams and have marks registered/certificated students must register for exams written, oral and partial exams. Registration is carried out at Punto Blu up to the fourth last working day before the exam itself.

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 2011: 1^st November, 7- 8 December, from 22 to 31 December;

          - for 2012 (up to the September exam period): 1^st January 6 January, 9 April, 25 April, 1^st May and 2 June.

To register for general exams and partial exams students must have paid  and recorded the 1st instalment of the university fees and tuition and have no academic penalties.

After accessing, via yoU@B to the Punto Blu, students must select Exams>Exam Sessions function where they can find a list of courses not yet been passed included in the study plan and the exam sessions.

Through the Punto Blu you can register for only one of the 2 exam sessions following the displaying date for each code and assessment method.

By clicking on the appropriate icon besides an exam session students can carry out the following operations:

• Register for an exam
• Cancel an exam registration

If the exam calendar includes different types of exams on a same date for a course code, students must choose  the exam type they want to register for.

If  the exam timetable shows both a date for the written exam and a date for the oral exam, students must register for both (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 for example "attending students").

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 at Punto Blu terminals. By using the function Exam>Exam Sessions by clicking on the appropriate icon besides the selected session.

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 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.

The exam calendar and timetable for the period October 2011 - September 2012 are published in the second half of September 2011 on the University Internet site at www.unibocconi.eu/examtimetable.

The exam timetable is organized in periods that do not coincide with the lessons . 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 course lessons 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).
Partial exam dates  may or may not coincide with those fixed for general exams.

During the year the date or time 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 date/time.

Exam dates are updated daily on the Internet site, so that if the date or time is changed, the new date or time is displayed and students may check the original date or time of the exam session by clicking on the relative exam icons.

Personalised exam timetables can be printed out from the http://agenda.unibocconi.it/student diary.

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

• I Partial exam
• S Written exam
• O Oral exam

For Bachelor Program courses (codes 6000-6999 and 30.000-30.999)  there are 4 sessions scheduled throughout the year. The exam periods and exam sessions (reference period: October 2011 - September 2012 are scheduled as follows:

For all MSc programs (codes 20.000-20.999) 3 exam sessions scheduled during the year. Exam sessions are distributed as follows:  two at the end of the teaching semester and the third and last one are considered as repeat sessions. The exam periods and sessions are scheduled as follows:

Note

• the third session for second semester courses will be held in October - November 2012 period;
• the sessions for foreign languages will be held in: January, February, April, June, and September 2012;
• there is an additional exam session for 1^st semester courses scheduled during the 12-21 December 2011 period , reserved for those students who are incoming 1^st semester (exchange,  single courses for visiting students.

For  courses of Combined Bachelor and  MSc in Giurisprudenza [Law] (codes 6000-6999 and 50.000-50.999) there are 4 exam periods for the period of reference of trhe exam calendar (October 2011-September 2012)and the are scheduled as follows:

Notes

• The fourth exam session for 2^nd semester elective courses which is also the last will be held in February 2013;
• the sessions for foreign languages will be held in: October/November 2011; January, April, June, July, September 2012;there is an additional exam session for 1^st semester courses scheduled during the 13-21 December 2011 period,reserved for those students who are incoming 1^st semester (exchange,  single courses for visiting students). 
  

If the exam is held in more than one classroom, students are allocated following criteria set by the Department  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 with the same timelines at www.unibocconi.eu/classrooms.

It is also posted:

• 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.

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

 Examining professors are: the Course Director and the official course teaching team, as indicated in the annual teaching activities program, together with those teaching assistants 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.

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.

Examining Boards may award "lode" (cum laude) to students who obtain thirty out of thirty.

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 repeated .

ONLY students regularly registered for the exams can sit for the exams.

Students must come to exams equipped with:

• their unofficial academic transcript
• ID card
• a valid proof of identity document (e.g. identity card, passport)

Students must sign in order 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 withdraw by handing in their exam papers with "withdrawn" written on them. Usually, for written exams students who withdraw must stay in the room until the end of the exam. 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) specifically means accepting the mark the teacher gives the paper, no matter what it is.      

*^{The exam record is indispensable for the mark registration and following mark certification. Students are advised to verify with the professor that the completion of the exam record is correct and complete.}  

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.
• Cannot keep mobile phones on their desks.

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 sessions;
• temporary suspension from the University and loss of exam sessions (not more than three years).

All disciplinary sanctions are registered in the student's academic records.

These rules do not substitute the university in the monitoring of the exams. The university will maintain strict exam procedures. 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.

Finally students are recommended to carefully read what is included in the Honor Code published on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/honorcode where you can find a systematic description of the illegal and unfair behaviours and the relating sanctions.

Exams and assessment methods are public.

The results of written exams are available from the secretary's office of the Department responsible for the courses.
The results are also generally published on the yoU@B student diary. Marks are communicated for informational purposes only, therefore students are advised to check that it has been correctly recorded in their academic career by using the Punto Blu by selecting the appropriate "Career>Study Plan" menu

In addition, results are also sent via the SMS Bocconi service if students have enetered their mobile phone number in the yoU@B student Diary.

The final results of exams are recorded with a mark out of thirty and are registered in the student's academic career by the Office for Study Planning Program.
Each student's "Official academic" transcript contains all the exams chosen by the student, together with the date when the exam was passed, the marks and the credit points awarded for the exams that have been recorded and the relating subject groups.
The unofficial academic transcript contains all the courses included in the study plan including those exams that have been passed, that is the exams for which students have been awarded a sufficient mark.
In addition it includes the grades achieved in the exams of courses subdivided into modules.      

Only passed exams can be certified.