Preparation for End of Semester Examinations of May- June 2024

Timetables

To All Students,

Please note that end of Semester Examinations will begin on 21st May 2024. The examination timetable has been circulated.

As you prepare for the end of the Semester Examinations, I wish to refer you to section 7.0-7.6 of the Academic Policy and Examinations Regulations January 2024) which provides guiding information on examination procedure. For ease of reference, the section has been appended to this circular.

The purpose of this communication is to communicate the date for beginning of examinations and to advise you to prepare adequately in order to resist the temptations leading to examination misconduct. In the December 2023 examinations, a number of students were involved in examination malpractice which led to the cancellation of their semester results by Senate. Some were dismissed from the University.

Please note that cancellation of semester examination results is tantamount to repeating (Stay put) the entire semester, retaking all courses and payment of all semester fees.

However, all of the above can be avoided by adequately preparing and observing examination regulations throughout the examination season.

Copied to:

  1. The vice Chancellor
  2. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)
  3. Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance & Administration)
  4. University Secretary
  5. University Bursar
  6. University Librarian
  7. Deputy Chief, Quality Assurance
  8. All faculty Deans/Directors
  9. HoDs
  10. Senior Assistant Academic Registrar (Examinations)
  11. Systems Administration Office

Examinations Procedure

The regulations in this section facilitate the proper conduct of examinations; provide for a well-ordered and calm environment in which candidates can complete their examinations; and ensure that no candidate can gain unfair advantage over others.

Eligibility to Sit for Examinations

A student is eligible to sit for end of semester examinations if he/she:

  1. Is duly registered with Kabale University
  2. Has attended at least seventy-five percent (75%) of all lectures unless the student shows acceptable evidence of extenuating circumstances.
  3. Has submitted coursework, received feedback from respective lecturers and has passed with at least a 50% score (20/40) before examinations begin; any student who fails to submit coursework assignments in respect of the deadlines set by the lecturer, department and/or faculty/institute shall not sit for examinations, unless prior acceptable explanation is submitted to the course lecturer and/or coordinator, and/or head of department.
  4. Has paid, in full, tuition fee and other fees by the set deadlines of the semester: any examination taken or re-taken without complete payment of fees shall be invalid and therefore the results shall be cancelled.
  5. Has an Identity Card, a NCHE receipt, and an Examination Card indicating the courses registered for by the student.

Entry into an Examination Venue

  1. No candidate shall be allowed to enter an examination venue unless told to do so by the invigilator assigned to the examination venue.
  2. For the security and integrity of examinations, places of convenience and any other place in the vicinity of examination venues shall, during the duration of examinations, be considered part of the examination venues. Unauthorized material shall not be left in such places before or during examinations. It is an offence to utilise and leave any reading materials in such places.
  3. Candidates shall present a valid Identity Card, examination card and NCHE receipt before entering any examination venue.
  4. Candidates shall be checked for every unauthorised material before admission into an examination venue. Unauthorized materials include books, notes, bags, mobile phones, briefcases, handbags, calculator covers, noisy and programmable calculators, minicomputers, pullovers (jackets, coats, sweaters, veils and scarves), plus any other item that may be deemed as unnecessary or unwanted in the examination venue.
  5. Candidates shall be admitted into the examination venue not more than twenty (20) minutes before the start of each examination session.
  6. Candidates who arrive late shall not be allowed extra time to complete their examination.
  7. Candidates who are more than thirty (30) minutes late without a valid reason shall not be admitted into the examination venue. Such candidates shall be considered as having missed writing that examination paper and shall therefore retake the course when it is next offered.
  8. Candidates must observe silence on entry and whilst in the examination venue.

Arrangement in the Examination Venue

  1. On entry, candidates shall take the sitting arrangements as deemed appropriate by the invigilators assigned to the examination venue.
  2. Candidates shall produce their valid identity cards, registration cards, examination cards, and NCHE receipt, and place them on their desks for inspection by the invigilators. Cards that do not have clear or damaged photos, resulting in cards being illegible, may not be accepted as valid cards in examination venues. A candidate who for valid reasons is unable to produce an identity card/registration card at the time it is required may be allowed to proceed with the examination.  The Chief Invigilator shall report such a candidate to the Academic Registrar on the same day.  Such candidate must present authentic identification to the Academic Registrar within the next working day. If a candidate fails to comply with the aforementioned requirement, his/her answer booklet and/or results for that examination paper shall be withheld at the discretion of the University Senate.
  3. Candidates shall be given ten (10) minutes’ reading time prior to the scheduled time of commencement, during the ten minutes the students will:
    1. Check that they are in possession of answer booklets and the correct examination paper
    2. Write their registration numbers on the answer booklets and question papers and sign on them
    3. Read the instructions on the answer booklet
    4. Listen to any other announcement(s)
  4. A candidate shall raise a hand if he/she has a question.
  5. Candidates shall not write on question papers during the examination time. Candidates who write notes on their examination papers are liable to disqualification from the examination(s).
  6. Students are required to supply themselves with pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, calculators, and other materials permitted by the Department. Borrowing or lending of such items shall not be allowed in the examination room.
  7. At the commencement of the examination invigilators shall check the names of the candidates against the copy of the list to ascertain who is present and who is absent, and to confirm that every candidate is where he/she should be (so that no candidate attempts the wrong paper).
  8. Students shall be required to sign an attendance list/register at the beginning and at the end of the examination.
  9. At the end of the first half-hour, the word “ABSENT” shall be written on the list against the appropriate names, and the total numbers present and absent shall be entered in the space at the bottom of the list.

Arrangements for Students with special needs

Students with special needs under legitimate confinement and those encumbered by any health condition (incapacitation by pregnancy inclusive) shall require alternative examination arrangements which accommodate their special needs, which may include the provision of a scribe and/or reader, separate supervision, extended time, medication access, or the use of assisted technology or any other appropriate intervention.

Students who require alternative examination arrangements need to register with their Faculty Dean/Director, who will assess their needs and liaise with the Academic Registrar’s office. Considerable preparation is required for the provision of this accommodation, so that arrangements are made at the beginning of each session.

The Academic Registrar shall issue a coupon informing the invigilators that the student is a special needs case.

The invigilators have the discretion to grant students with special needs more time. In consultation with the Dean, the Academic Registrar should determine the time.

Leaving the Examination Venue

  1. No candidate may leave the examination venue within one hour of the beginning of the examination, except in exceptional circumstances, and with permission from the Invigilator.
  2. If a candidate has completed the paper before the specified time and wishes to leave, he/she shall seek permission from the invigilator, and shall leave quietly so as not to disturb other candidates.
  3. Candidates who wish to leave the examination room before the end of the examination shall hand in their answer booklets to the invigilator and sign before leaving the examination room.
  4. Candidates shall not leave examination venues during the last fifteen (15) minutes of the examination, except in exceptional circumstances, and with permission from the Invigilator.
  5. No candidate shall leave and return to the examination venue during an examination unless subject to surveillance by an invigilator while outside the venue.
  6. If a candidate falls ill during an examination, he/she shall inform the Invigilator. The candidate is then accompanied to the University Health Facility by the Invigilator.
  7. Candidates shall be told by the Invigilator(s)to stop writing at the end of the examination. They should then remain seated until they have made sure that all the details required on the answer booklet have been completed. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that all the answer books and supplementary papers are fastened together.
  8. Candidates shall remain silent and seated in the examination venue until all scripts have been collected, and the candidates have been told to leave the venue by the Invigilator(s).
  9. A candidate shall not take any examination material, used or unused, out of the examination venue other than:
    1. The authorised materials he/she brought into the examination venue
    2. The question paper (if permitted to do so)

Examination Malpractice/Misconduct

The following shall constitute malpractice and misconduct in any examination venue:

  1. Taking into the examination venue, be in possession of, while in the examination room, any unauthorized material
  2. The use of any answer book, writing or blotting paper, other than that supplied by the invigilator
  3. Sharing of calculators, rulers, or any other examination material
  4. Aiding or attempting to aid, soliciting or attempting to solicit aid from, another candidate or any other person, directly or indirectly
  5. Prior access to examination questions.
  6. Any writing on body parts, clothes, shoes, mathematical sets/instruments, registration and examination cards and any other material.
  7. Consulting or trying to consult, during the examination, any unauthorized material (books, electronic gadgets or other materials), or any other person while temporarily outside the examination venue
  8. Impersonating another candidate or allowing oneself to be impersonated
  9. Attempting to sit for an examination using any fraudulent credentials (registration card, identity card, examination card or receipt)
  10. Committing an act of violence, or any form of breach of peace, against a fellow student and/or the Invigilator(s)
  11. Running away from an examination venue with or without examination materials

From:
The Office of The Academic Registrar