What are my exam responsibilities?
You are expected to set an appropriate exam for the courses you teach. You will need to submit two copies of your question papers and model answers to the main administration office (Huxley room 436) by a set deadline. They should be accompanied by a signed submission form accessible from the examinations web page . Details about writing exam papers and submitting them can be found at https://exams.doc.ic.ac.uk/staff/prog/papersubmission.cgi.
My exam paper came back from the external examiners with comments on it. What do I need to do?
You need to make any of the small typographical, spelling changes that fix errors in your paper. After the external examiners have commented on your paper a small group within the Department will have looked at the comments on your paper. If the group believes the more substantive changes requested need to be made you will be asked to make them or justify why you shouldn't. Otherwise it is up to you to make the changes depending on whether you think it will improve your paper or not. If you don't make the changes you may need to provide a justification.
I've been told that I have to use different coloured pens to mark an examination script, is this true?
Yes, if you are a "First Marker" you should annotate the scripts in red ink and if you are a "Second Marker" you should annotate the scripts in green ink.
When are examinations held?
Most MSc students and the 3rd and 4th Year undergraduates have their exams in the last week of the autumn and spring terms. The 1st and 2nd Year undergraduates have their exams in the first three weeks of the summer term. Some MSc exams are also held in the summer term.
How much coursework should I set?
You should set one or possibly two pieces of coursework per course. The coursework for a given course should take the student approximately three hours to "copy out" for presentation. Individual work, group work and the completion of coursework in pairs are all permissible. When setting coursework it is always a good idea to check that it will not clash with courseworks set by other staff. A piece of "in house" on line software called a "Continuous On Line Tracking Engine (CATE)" will indicate what courseworks have been set and allow students to access and submit coursework.
I have a large class. Can I have help with coursework marking?
Compulsory courses are allocated a certain number of helpers for the tutorial sessions (on a ratio of 30 students per helper, including the lecturer, with variations depending on previous years needs). The helpers can assist you with both supervision and marking. These allocations can be retrieved by consulting the appropriate entry in the Departmental Database.
Optional courses are, in general, not allocated helpers, unless historical records show the option to be popular and hence an initial estimate number of helpers is assigned. Once the term starts, if the lecturer need (more) helpers, then a request should be made to the Tutorial Support Coordinator, clearly stating the number of students attending and keeping in mind that students drop out gradually during the first month or so.
The Teaching Fellows will look after the provision of the required number of Lab demonstrators according to the expected number of students and the nature of the various laboratory exercises. Helpers tend to be undergrduate students.
If I hand out a coursework when should I say it is due and when to I have to get it marked by?
The coursework should be handed in within two weeks of being set. Marking and the dissemination of marks should be completed within two weeks of being handed in.
Also all coursework must be returned at least one week before MSc students and the 3rd and 4th undergraduate students sit their end of term exams. Likewise1st and 2nd Year undergraduate students must have all their coursework returned before they leave for their Easter break so they can revise for their Summer term exams. If you feel you cannot achieve this then you need to give them model answers so they have something to study from for their Examinations.
Students come to me asking for an extension to the coursework I set. What should I do?
If it is an individual with a personal reason rather than a group then they need to get permission from the Senior Tutor. Giving one student an extension is unfair to the others and so it is handled centrally to ensure fairness. If it is a group then they need the extension to be given by the appropriate Teaching Fellow. Just extending a deadline may cause havoc with several other deadlines and so should be avoided if possible.