Deans apply new policy to old exams

The Calhoun School '92 New York, N.Y. As of this spring, students in the the four undergraduate schools can only obtain old exams that have been approved by the professor, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Kent Peterman said. Students who want access to old exams from the Tutoring Center that have not been approved must receive individual permission from their professor, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Matthew Santirocco said. The decision was made by a unanimous vote during a February meeting of the Council of Undergraduate Deans. "I've heard the legitimate concerns of the faculty and students," Santirocco said earlier this semester. "I'm bringing up questions of how best to help students prepare." The policy applies to students in the College, the Wharton School of Business, the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Nursing School. The previous exam policy, which allowed students open access to all old exams, was called into question last semester. Several faculty members approached Santirocco and expressed concern that they were not notified that their exams were available at the Tutoring Center. Faculty members who do not release old exams for student use were requested by the deans to offer sample questions and other study aids. "The questions will be truly indicative of the types of questions that the professors will be using on their exams, to allow students to know what they should expect to see on their tests," Nursing Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Mary Naylor said. Santirocco said he would allow faculty members another alternative of offering old exams in departmental files, such as those currently in the Economics and Chemistry Departments.

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