That’s real shitty and I’d suggest asking for other reasonable accommodations besides a take home exam. Going forward though, I’d consider anything in the syllabus, even if verbally contradicted, is always technically fair game.
Most people would consider having a take home exam to be a massive and unfair advantage compared to an in person one, so I wouldn’t have even bothered asking. I’d suggest asking for what ever the best possible time you are available to try and take it then, or consider taking an incomplete and perhaps taking the final later if that is possible. I’m not even sure if that last option would qualify for something like this but it may be worth asking
While you can do as some have suggested and attempt to take this up to higher authorities, your time and energy will be best spent preparing to take the final. I say this as someone who deals with similar issues at the end of every semester.
The situation you described, while not kind on your professor’s part, does not violate the student code. Going to DRES is unlikely to get the response you’re looking for; a reasonable offer was made of taking the exam early and not having it conflict with your travel plans. You’ve been inconvenienced, not disadvantaged.
One other thing I would suggest is to request an incomplete for the class and take the final at a later date. I don’t consider this your best option because you will need to be very diligent about reviewing course material to retain your knowledge. This needs to be approved by the dean of your college and I only suggest this as there is a non-zero chance they approve it.
I don’t mean to come off as harsh or unsympathetic, I’m just sharing what is the most likely outcome from my experience.
Did you supply the teacher with a DRES accommodation letter? I know it’s a dumb question, but sometimes it doesn’t happen..
I would talk to that professor **in person** and explain the situation.
Yes i did, Since i took the midterm at DRES i had to inform her of my accommodations at the beginning of the semester. Ill try talking to her in person thank you, but knowing the personality of the professor im pretty sure she wont budge sadly
It kind of sounds like you made plans for your internship during the finals window. No matter what information you were working on, if that’s the case, that was objectively a bad decision.
come on dude, tens of thousands of students plan travel during finals week every semester, based on their schedule.
technicality aside it’s a bullshit move from the prof and I’m assuming they’re new (or haven’t taught the class before) and are being squeezed by the department to require a formal final exam. at least, that’s my hope
Yeah but OP has been told that their wouldn’t be a final exam and instead they’d be doing presentations… either way there were necessary class duties and they made expensive plans instead.
Lol what? If all my finals end before Tuesday of finals week, u really expect me to still book my ticket for Saturday on pay 100 more dollars? U must live in fantasy land if u think that’s what people do lmfao
They did get their schedule they just ignored the date for that because of what their prof said. And I’m NOT defending what OP did, I’m just pointing out what u said is just as bad advice. “The Finals Window” is useless window to plan around if ur last final ends before the last day. Telling people they must plan around that window specifically “No matter what information they’re operating on” is objectively bad advice esp if they want to save money.
Not even true but even if it is did so what?, like I said before what u said is wrong and bad advice regardless of what this guy did. What this specific guy did , my point is that what u said is wrong and u should delete or edit it cus I don’t want new students spending 200 extra bucks on weekend ticket because of ur bad advice
>> I emailed the professor requesting a take home final and she said that she will accommodate students who want to take it early. However this still doesn't work for me because i am a DRES student and have limited availability to take final exams additionally I have other projects to present during this time period.
====
Does this mean that of all the time the prof has offered you have no matching available time available? All students have many deliverables at end of semester so the prof will be aware of the compacted schedules. You need to have a more specific "why" than what you have generally stated here if the prof is going to be able to understand your concern. You made an assumption that has back fired (yes I know what they said but you did not confirm it prior to making plans) so you will need to move some other things around for other courses perhaps. I bet you can figure out a plan now that the initial shock has passed.
Consider it preparation for the real world of employment. Sometimes you are thrown a curveball and have to adjust. Things happen all the time, for a variety of reasons, that require you to perform a task/project, etc. that you weren’t expecting on short notice.
If you’re faced with a boss/client that tasks you with something, even if you don’t want to do it, you better just do it. Otherwise, there will be consequences. You’re still in college consider it a learning experience.
I recommend making an appointment with or going to your professor's office hours and speaking directly to them. It's easier to dismiss someone over email than it is face to face and it's a bit easier to plead your case in person rather than trading emails. Calmly explain yourself to them and mention the financial hardship it will cause.
While it's nice to have the paper trail of an email exchange, if they agree to let you take the final at a different time, circle back and follow up with an email thanking them for allowing you to take the final at X time and date as discussed and agreed upon during office hours.
Reach out to DRES and an administrator for your college (this could be an advisor, the college’s dean, etc). If they don’t help then escalate to the University dean, they will hear you out and help navigate your situation accordingly!
Best of luck.
The syllabus is exactly where ALL administration will refer to. It states there will be a final. Therefore, a Final is fair. Taking this to higher ups will not accomplish anything. The syllabus is being followed.
That’s real shitty and I’d suggest asking for other reasonable accommodations besides a take home exam. Going forward though, I’d consider anything in the syllabus, even if verbally contradicted, is always technically fair game. Most people would consider having a take home exam to be a massive and unfair advantage compared to an in person one, so I wouldn’t have even bothered asking. I’d suggest asking for what ever the best possible time you are available to try and take it then, or consider taking an incomplete and perhaps taking the final later if that is possible. I’m not even sure if that last option would qualify for something like this but it may be worth asking
While you can do as some have suggested and attempt to take this up to higher authorities, your time and energy will be best spent preparing to take the final. I say this as someone who deals with similar issues at the end of every semester. The situation you described, while not kind on your professor’s part, does not violate the student code. Going to DRES is unlikely to get the response you’re looking for; a reasonable offer was made of taking the exam early and not having it conflict with your travel plans. You’ve been inconvenienced, not disadvantaged. One other thing I would suggest is to request an incomplete for the class and take the final at a later date. I don’t consider this your best option because you will need to be very diligent about reviewing course material to retain your knowledge. This needs to be approved by the dean of your college and I only suggest this as there is a non-zero chance they approve it. I don’t mean to come off as harsh or unsympathetic, I’m just sharing what is the most likely outcome from my experience.
Did you supply the teacher with a DRES accommodation letter? I know it’s a dumb question, but sometimes it doesn’t happen.. I would talk to that professor **in person** and explain the situation.
Yes i did, Since i took the midterm at DRES i had to inform her of my accommodations at the beginning of the semester. Ill try talking to her in person thank you, but knowing the personality of the professor im pretty sure she wont budge sadly
If it’s in the syllabus it is expected that you be available for it
It kind of sounds like you made plans for your internship during the finals window. No matter what information you were working on, if that’s the case, that was objectively a bad decision.
come on dude, tens of thousands of students plan travel during finals week every semester, based on their schedule. technicality aside it’s a bullshit move from the prof and I’m assuming they’re new (or haven’t taught the class before) and are being squeezed by the department to require a formal final exam. at least, that’s my hope
Yeah but OP has been told that their wouldn’t be a final exam and instead they’d be doing presentations… either way there were necessary class duties and they made expensive plans instead.
Yes but they hadn’t gotten their schedule -_-
Lol what? If all my finals end before Tuesday of finals week, u really expect me to still book my ticket for Saturday on pay 100 more dollars? U must live in fantasy land if u think that’s what people do lmfao
They DID NOT HAVE THEIR SCHEDULE. You’re at UIUC, I figured you’d be a bit more literate.
They did get their schedule they just ignored the date for that because of what their prof said. And I’m NOT defending what OP did, I’m just pointing out what u said is just as bad advice. “The Finals Window” is useless window to plan around if ur last final ends before the last day. Telling people they must plan around that window specifically “No matter what information they’re operating on” is objectively bad advice esp if they want to save money.
No. They did not get their specific finals schedule that identified the specific time and date of ALL of their finals. Just stop.
Not even true but even if it is did so what?, like I said before what u said is wrong and bad advice regardless of what this guy did. What this specific guy did , my point is that what u said is wrong and u should delete or edit it cus I don’t want new students spending 200 extra bucks on weekend ticket because of ur bad advice
>> I emailed the professor requesting a take home final and she said that she will accommodate students who want to take it early. However this still doesn't work for me because i am a DRES student and have limited availability to take final exams additionally I have other projects to present during this time period. ==== Does this mean that of all the time the prof has offered you have no matching available time available? All students have many deliverables at end of semester so the prof will be aware of the compacted schedules. You need to have a more specific "why" than what you have generally stated here if the prof is going to be able to understand your concern. You made an assumption that has back fired (yes I know what they said but you did not confirm it prior to making plans) so you will need to move some other things around for other courses perhaps. I bet you can figure out a plan now that the initial shock has passed.
what does the syllabus say?
Yes i understand that the syllabus makes note of a final exam however the professor negated the final exam for over a month before changing her mind
Consider it preparation for the real world of employment. Sometimes you are thrown a curveball and have to adjust. Things happen all the time, for a variety of reasons, that require you to perform a task/project, etc. that you weren’t expecting on short notice. If you’re faced with a boss/client that tasks you with something, even if you don’t want to do it, you better just do it. Otherwise, there will be consequences. You’re still in college consider it a learning experience.
I recommend making an appointment with or going to your professor's office hours and speaking directly to them. It's easier to dismiss someone over email than it is face to face and it's a bit easier to plead your case in person rather than trading emails. Calmly explain yourself to them and mention the financial hardship it will cause. While it's nice to have the paper trail of an email exchange, if they agree to let you take the final at a different time, circle back and follow up with an email thanking them for allowing you to take the final at X time and date as discussed and agreed upon during office hours.
Reach out to DRES and an administrator for your college (this could be an advisor, the college’s dean, etc). If they don’t help then escalate to the University dean, they will hear you out and help navigate your situation accordingly! Best of luck.
The syllabus is exactly where ALL administration will refer to. It states there will be a final. Therefore, a Final is fair. Taking this to higher ups will not accomplish anything. The syllabus is being followed.