Dear Hebrew University Students,
Re: Exams Policy
The Hebrew University is preparing to hold exams at the end of the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year, in a format that will ensure the health of students and members of the administrative and academic staff, while maintaining the integrity of the exams and providing students with numerical scores.
We are aware that studies this past semester have been challenging. Alongside the many efforts we made to teach the best we can, many of you experienced difficulties. The teachers were asked to make special efforts in order to best prepare you for the exams. These include: setting special practice sessions to go over answers from exams from previous years, and encouraging students to learn together. Thank you for your cooperation and good luck in your exams!
Introduction
1. The exam period is scheduled to span from January 24th 2021 to March 11th 2021. According to government rules, along with the obligation to wear a mask, maintain social distance and to carry out home isolation in relevant cases, it is permissible to hold on campus "exams at a rate not exceeding 10% of all examinations to be held at the institution during the period that these regulations are in effect.” There is no guarantee that these rules will still be in effect during the exam period. The University is prepared to hold at least some of the exams on campus and to hold online exams.
Exams on Campus
2. The academic units will publicize by December 31, 2020 the list of exams that will take place on campus, as long as the government rules allow it. If we are unable to hold exams on campus, they will take place online and we will announce this as soon as possible.
3. The following special arrangements apply for exams that will be held on campus at the conclusion of courses that were taught in the first semester of 2020-2021 academic year:
A) Students who are required by the Ministry of Health to be in home isolation due to the COVID-19 epidemic at the time of the scheduled exam (including students that have developed relevant symptoms of the disease), and will thus not be able to come to campus to take the exam on the first or second exam date, will be entitled to take the exam on a special date, provided that they submit to the faculty’s secretariat a certificate signed by a physician, detailing the circumstances that prevented them from attending the exam,.
B) Students who, due to special personal medical circumstances, are at risk of complications if they contract the COVID-19 virus, may submit a detailed application to the student dean's accessibility unit, no later than January 7th,2021. Students who receive approval from the accessibility unit will be eligible to take an online exam on the same day and time as the exam being held on campus. The online exam will be held under the conditions set out in section 7 below.
C) Students who are not Israeli citizens or residents, and who will be abroad on the date of the exam, will be entitled to take the online exam on the day and time that the exam is given on campus. To this end, an application must be submitted to the faculty’s secretariat, no later than three weeks before the first exam date. The online exam will be administered under the conditions set out in section 7 below.
4. Students, and all other persons present in the exam hall, must wear a mask during all of the exam. The instructor will prepare a seating chart for the classroom, which will allow us to inform a student who sat near another student who turned out to be a COVID-19 carrier, of the need to be tested for the virus and to remain in home isolation. Measures will be taken to avoid crowding at the entrance and exit of the classroom, and leaving the hall will be done in an orderly fashion, according to seating rows.
5. An exam that took place on campus on the first exam date may take place in an online format on other dates, according to changes in Ministry of Health guidelines that will be in force on the exam dates.
Online Exams
6. The provisions set forth below apply to exams that are not defined as “home exams." The provisions regarding “home exams," in which the time allowed for submission of the assignment is over 72 hours, and which is deemed to be a written assignment, are set forth in the Teaching Policy and Procedures regulations.
7. Generally, online exams will be conducted in the following format:
A) The exams will be conducted using the ExamMoodle software.
B) The faculty may determine that students activate their mobile phone camera (only, or in addition to their computer camera) and connect to the instructor or exam proctor via Zoom in order to be supervised during the exam. The camera will be positioned so that the student's upper body and the desktop, that includes the computer screen, can be seen. The academic unit will inform the students of the special arrangements that will take place during online exams in the Unit.
C) The faculty may determine that during certain exams computer monitoring software will run, to prevent opening files browsing websites. All software will be provided by the University. The software has been checked and is not invasive in the student's personal computer nor in the gathering of information (SEB) nor in gathering information that is not connected to the exam (Tomax). Information on the exam itself will be erased within two weeks of the exam date unless there is a suspicion of a breach in the veracity of the exam. The academic unit will inform the students ahead of time which courses will use which software (if at all). If software is used, there will be a short demo exam for the purpose of practice. The demo exam is a pre-requisite to writing the exam.
8. Students who are not able to take the exam under the conditions stated in section 7 above (for example, due to the lack of a suitable place to take the exam off-campus or because they do not agree to install the software, where applicable) will be allowed to take the exam on campus, to the extent permitted by government directives and within space limitations. The exam on campus will be in an online format, identical to the one in which the exam will be held for those who take the remote exam. In order to be eligible to take the exam on campus, the student must submit an application to the department secretariat requesting to take the exam on campus, at least two weeks prior to the exam date. If according to government rules we cannot write exams on campus, even on an individual basis, during the two regular exam periods, students will be allowed to take the exam at another special time after submitting a reasoned request to the department secretariat.
9. The rules for on campus exams will apply for online exams as well, including a ban on using cellphones during the exam (except for filming, as stated above); a ban on speaking during the exam for any purpose; a ban on browsing websites or using any material not approved in advance; and other additional arrangements that the faculty will set and publicize prior to the exam. Students may ask the instructor to clarify questions by writing a short message to the instructor only (not to other students) via the private chat provided in Moodle exams.
10. In the event of a malfunction that prevents all students from completing an exam at any given scheduled date, the department may, with the dean's approval, set an alternate exam date that is close to the original exam date, but students will also be given the option to choose to write the exam on a special date in an alternate place. If there is an individual problem that prevents the student from completing the exam, each case will be considered on its own circumstances and if necessary a special date will be set to rewrite the exam.
Notices to Students
11. In the coming days each faculty inform the students about the exam arrangements for online exams and exams that are set to take place on campus.
You are welcome to send questions or suggestions regarding exams to Department Heads, Deans and, if necessary, to the Rector's Office (rector@savion.huji.ac.il).
Wishing you good health and good luck on your exams.
Barak Medina, Rector