Faculty have implemented a protocol that also allows them to act in this way if they are questioned about content not included in the subject programme.
The Faculty of Medical Sciences at the National University of Rosario (UNR) has implemented a protocol that allows students to fail final exams If they consider that they are being asked about content not included in the district program, if they judge concepts duly supported by the reference list to be incorrect or if the teacher is subjected to disrespect or inadequate treatment.
The so-called examination suspension protocol began to be used for November-December semester final assessments for the medical degree.As a pilot test and based on students’ request, which was approved by the college’s Board of Directors last September.
This measure amends the college’s assessment regulations and seeks to avoid “unfair situations that arise in final examinations.”, in accordance with the Council’s decision. Specifically, students have the right to request suspension of the examination and replacement of the assessment board.
All colleges have exam regulations that set standards for how assessments are developed, and most include instances for assessment review. If the student sees that there are errors.
However, at least in health field faculties, there is no possibility of suspending the schedule. In all cases, once the exam is completed, the student has the right to request a review of the final grade. Some academic institutions’ procedures also allow a student to request not to take another exam with the same professor who has failed on another occasion, but this is an exceptional resource.
Controversial procedure
In fact, the issue sparked a heated debate in the college’s board of directors. The student advisors of the Alde Group presented the project for developing the new protocol for final exams and revealed the conflict situations that occurred during the exams.
“Students reported being exposed to situations of abuse In exams, they ask for things that are not compatible with the field, But among teachers the procedure was not good, as many felt that they were being monitored, especially since teachers often received verbal attacks from students.“, summed up one of the faculty members who participated in the discussions.
The study plan for the Medical Sciences degree is organized around different areas covering anatomy, physiology, histology or social aspects of the health-disease process. The first year is divided into two areas: growth and development and nutrition; In the second year, areas of work and leisure time are taught; sexuality, gender and reproduction; Man and his environment; Third: Insult and defense. In the fourth and fifth years, clinical, obstetric and surgical subjects are taught, with their respective practices.
In all regions, final oral examinations are held before a committee composed of more than one teacher, as specified by regulations. In general, abundant and diverse content is developed in each field. “They are long subjects, with a lot of content, but in general the teachers handle the exams well,” point out two recent graduates.
What does the protocol say?
On September 28, the Medical Sciences Board approved the decision enabling the Faculty of Medicine to implement a pilot test for the November, December, February and March schedules of the examination suspension project.
The ruling also stipulates that once the two evaluation periods have ended, the results of the implementation of the new protocol will be analyzed and a decision will be made on the continuation of the measure.
Among other things, writing He warns against the occurrence of “unfair situations” in final exams The students report that they “suffer from mistreatment by some teachers without having the necessary tools to confront the situation, which makes them vulnerable to continuing in a context of hostility or withdrawal and denunciation.”
For this reason, and in order to propose solutions to this problem, the new protocol allows the student to request the suspension of the exam for three reasons.: Evaluation of contents not included in the area program, evaluation as incorrect of concepts duly supported by the bibliography, disrespect or inadequate treatment of the examination.
The document states that, During the course of the examination, if the student feels that he is in one of these three expected situations, “he must announce to the committee members his decision to discontinue the examination.”.
then, Anyone who requests suspension of the schedule must fill out a form explaining the reason for stopping the evaluation. The document will be delivered to the secretariat of the region to which the assessment corresponds. In the case of virtual testing, administration is via email.
The members of the arbitration panel may record in the examination report the word “interrupt” in place of the memorandum and Those responsible for the area or the schedule in their possession must summon the student to retake the exam.
“Once the exam is completed, the corresponding note will be placed in the record,” the protocol states, adding that “District Directors will ensure dissemination of this protocol through the Virtual Transparency of the District Program and will provide exam schedulers with a paper copy.” (or numerical) for each unit of the problem that corresponds to the assessment of the area that the court members will have in their possession at the time of the test.
