Pictured Above: Final exam blocks at USF St. Petersburg have been reduced from three to two hours. Information in graphic courtesy of USF
Darnell Henderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Annalise Anderson and Sophie Ojdanic
USF St. Petersburg’s final exam schedule has been reduced from three-hour blocks to two-hour blocks.
“In previous semesters, St. Petersburg final exams have been three-hour time blocks,” an email sent to USF faculty and staff on Monday said. “Under a consolidated One USF, we have a new final exam policy which calls for two-hour time blocks.”
Following Thanksgiving break, all classes, as well as final exams, will be conducted virtually.
The new final exam policy also established that “the last full week of classes before final examinations is designated as Test Free Week,” as of Fall 2020.
“The intent of this policy is to establish a one week period of substantial and predictable study time for students,” the new policy said.
Consistent with the previous final exam policy, instructors maintain the right to formulate exams without regulation of structure, content or style.
“As long as they adjust the finals accordingly to fit that time frame, I think it’s great,” said Madison Herrington Nichols, a junior economics major. “I’d prefer a shorter time frame to get it over with faster.”
Aleicha Pratt, a junior biology major, is concerned about how this change may increase student stresses around testing.
“I think it’s a little messed up,” Pratt said. “What about people who need more time but aren’t able to go to the disabilities office to file for that kind of stuff? And less time can create a lot more test anxiety.”
According to Deborah McCarthy, director of student accessibility, under 2,000 students are registered with Student Accessibility Services, or SAS, at all three USF campuses.
“Of that 2,000, 1,767 students or 88% utilize accommodated testing services. In regards to accommodated testing, consistency and equity are important,” McCarthy said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
Although exams will be held online this semester, McCarthy emphasized that SAS staff will remain available to help students and will continue to adapt for individual in-person accommodations as needed.
According to the email, questions about final exams can be sent to usfsp-academicspace@usf.edu.
