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Office of Academic Administration and Student Affairs

Asst. Dean Stephen Sowle

Week of October 23, 2017
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Fall 2017 Final Exams. 

•Exam Schedule and Exam Number. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period. To find your personal exam schedule, go to your Web for Students account and navigate to "Fall 2017" link under the "Schedule" heading in the lefthand menu. Your exam number is also provided there. 

Exam Types and Distribution. There are three types of exams:

Fixed Exams: First-year doctrinal courses and certain other courses have fixed exams. Students will report to designated classrooms on specified days and times for these exams. The dates and times are listed on your Exam Schedule in Web for Students (see above).

Self-Scheduled Exams: Self-scheduled exams are those with time limits less than 24 hours (for example, 3-hour and 4-hour exams) where you are able to choose the date and time to take the exam, within the confines of the exam period (December 6-15). You do not need to pre-schedule the exam time. Self-Scheduled exams may be picked up from the Exam Administration Office (Rm. 305) as follows:

   Monday-Friday: between 9:00am and 5:45pm 

   Saturday: between 9:00am and 11:00am

   No exams are given on Sunday

Please note: These times are pick-up times, not return times. For example, if you pick up a 3-hour exam at 5:45pm on a weekday, you will have the full 3 hours to complete the exam and must return it by 8:45pm. 

You must present photo identification to pick up your exam. Your exam will be time-stamped and you will then proceed to one of the designated Self-Schedule exam rooms to take your exam using Examplify (formerly known as SoftTest). Examplify will record a download time for the exam as well as an upload time for the exam. Once you download the exam in Examplify, you must complete the exam.  When you have uploaded your exam answer, return the exam questions to the Exam Administration Office (Rm. 305).

Take Home ExamsTake-home exams are those that allow students 24 hours or more to complete the exam and are given through the Registrar’s office. In some situations your professor may give you the exam during class and have you return it to the Registrar’s office.  In other situations, you will need to pick up and return the exam to the Registrar’s office. In addition, some take-home exams may be distributed and/or returned electronically. Details will be provided for each exam prior to the start of the exam period. Please note that you do notneed to use Examplify for take-home exams.

If you have a take-home exam and it is to be picked up from, and/or returned to, the Registrar's Office, please note the following hours for the Registrar's Office:

Monday-Thursday, 8:30am - 6:00pm
Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday/Sunday: CLOSED

Please arrive at least 10 minutes before closing time if you are picking up or returning a take-home exam. 

Because the Registrar's Office will be closed on Saturday, December 9 and Sunday, December 10, you will not be able to pick up or return a take-home exam on those days, and you should plan accordingly, unless your exam is authorized for electronic distribution and/or submission. (For example, if you have a 24-hour take-home exam, you should not pick it up on Friday, December 8, because you will not be able to return it on Saturday.)

The last day of exams is Friday, December 15. If you have a take-home exam that allows you to choose when to take it during the exam period, please note that all such exams must be returned no later than Friday, December 15. In other words, you may not pick up an exam on December 15 and return it after that date.

If your take-home exam requires in-person pick up and/or submission, you must pick up and return the exam yourself; you may not have another person do so on your behalf.

•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: October 30 - November 8. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams at the times scheduled unless you have an exam conflict (as defined below), or you have a "serious illness or other extraordinary or compelling reason" beyond your control. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into Web for Students and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form in the left-hand menu. The form will be available beginning Monday, October 30; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, November 8, at 5:00 pm. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.

Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student has two exams at the same time, or has two or more exams within 24 hours (e.g., exams at 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or at 6:00 p.m. and 1:15 the following afternoon). A conflict does not exist if two exams are scheduled exactly 24 hours apart (e.g., exams at8:30 a.m. one morning and 8:30 a.m. the next morning).

•Exams Method Registration: October 30 - November 8. Students have two choices for taking most exams: handwriting the exam, or taking the exam on their own laptop computer. (Some professors may require all students to handwrite the exam.)

Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to handwrite the exam. Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam

To complete the form, log into Web for Students and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form in the left-hand menu. The form will be available beginning Monday, October 30; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, November 8, at 5:00 pm.

•Notices About Exams on Computer. Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the  Examplify exam-taking software (formerly known as SofTest). You will receive information from the Information Technology Services department about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install Examplify.

Unless a professor specifies otherwise, Examplify is configured to lock students out of other programs and services on their computers for the duration of the exam. This means that, unless a professor specifically authorizes access, students will not have access to notes, outlines, or other materials stored on their hard drive or the network.

The Information Technology Services (ITS) department (ITS) will provide detailed information on the use of laptop computers and Lab computers during exams. For now, please make a note of the following items:

  • All students have to download the latest version of the Examplify software. Previously installed versions (under the SoftTest name) will not work for Fall 2017 exams.
  • The Examplify software will be available for download at a later date (you will be notified when it is available).
  • Windows 10, 8, and 7 are the only supported Windows platforms for exams.
  • Windows 10 Creators version 1703 is supported, however, the Fall update, version 1709, is NOT supported at this time.
  • Alternate versions of Windows 10, such as Windows RT and Windows 10 S, are NOT supported at this time.
  • Only genuine, U.S.-English versionf of Windows operating systems are supported.
  • Non-Pro Microsoft Surface devises are NOT supported.
  • "Virtualized" Windows operating systems via products such as Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion will not function for exams.
  • Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), OS X 10.10 (Yosemite), OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), and OS 10.12 (Sierra) are the only supported Mac OS X platforms for exams.
  • Mac OS 10.13 (High Sierra) is not currently supported.
  • A native Mac version of the Examplify exam-taking software is available for Mac users to download.
  • Any individual found to be running an unlicensed or "pirated" operating system on their computer may be declined technical assistance.

To avoid any technical or computer difficulties, please make sure you bring the following items with you to the exam.

  • The contents of your ExamSoft Registration confirmation email

  • Your laptop power cord

  • Note: Use of a standard Ethernet network cable is encouraged in areas where there are ports available.

Notice About Borrowing Laptops: The ITS department has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. These laptops may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the Examplify program. Because of limited supply, the ITS department's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact Jenna Abhijeet (jabhijeet@kentlaw.iit.edu) to discuss your situation.

Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room.

Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1982 are available online by clicking here. Earlier exams are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.

Change of Division Requests: October 30 - November 8. Students wishing to request a change of division for the Spring 2018 semester (e.g., from evening division to full-time or part-time day division, or vice versa) should submit a Change of Division request. The form will be available beginning Monday, October 30. To complete the form, log into Web for Students and select "Request to change division" in the left-hand menu. The deadline for submitting the form is Wednesday, November 8, at 5:00 pmPlease note: Absent unusual circumstances, students may not switch divisions until they have completed their first year. 

Flu Shots. The IIT Student Health and Wellness Center will give flu shots at the Law School for students, faculty, and staff on Wednesday, November 8, 4:00-6:30 pm, in Rm. 290. Any student who has the IIT Aetna Student Health Insurance does not need to pay for the flu shot. For all others, the flu shots cost $20. Payment should be made ahead of time by clicking here (please bring your receipt with you). Although faculty and staff do have to pay the fee if they get the shot here, you can avoid the fee, if you have the university's Blue Cross/Blue Shield health coverage, by going to any in-network provider (e.g., many local pharmacies accept the university insurance).

1L Your Way. All first-year full-time students will be required to take Civil Procedure, Property, and Legal Writing 2 in the Spring. For their fourth course, they will either take Legislation, or one of the "1L Your Way" choices described below. Part-time day students and evening division students will begin taking electives next Fall (or this Summer if they elect to enroll for the optional Summer term). The final Spring schedule, with further details, will be issued prior to Spring registration in November.

Full-time students will have three options in the Spring:

Taking Legislation (a 3-credit required course). This is the "default" option unless you choose to take one of the 1L Your Way choices below.

Taking one of several designated elective classes. The tentative list of classes includes Business Organizations (4 cr.), Employment Relationships (3 cr.), Criminal Procedure (3 cr.), International Law (3 cr.), and Trademarks & Unfair Competition (3 cr.). (Please note that this list is subject to change.) Students may also petition to take other elective classes that fit their schedules; petitions will be considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the professors teaching the courses. If you take an elective, you will be in class with upper-level students. 

Taking the Clinic Rotation (see the description below).

First-year students who choose to take an elective or the Clinic Rotation will be required to take Legislation in the Fall of their second year. For the Clinical Rotation, an application will be due prior to Spring registration (we will give ample notice of when and how to apply). If the number of applications exceeds the number of available places in the Rotation, we will conduct a lottery to select the students. In addition, depending on demand, we may not be able to accommodate all first-year students who wish to take one of the designated electives classes, although we are hopeful there will be sufficient spaces available for all interested students.

To ensure that all full-time first-year students are assessed on a common set of courses, grades for Legislation or for an elective taken its place will not be considered in calculating Spring class ranks for first-year students or for purposes of probation and dismissals, Law Review selections, or merit scholarships for first-year students. (As noted below, the Clinical Rotation will be graded pass/fail and thus won't count into students' GPA's for that reason.)

Clinic Rotation Description: The Clinic Rotation option aims to help students refine their career interests by gaining exposure to diverse areas of law practice. It matches first-year students with faculty practitioners, allowing students to gain exposure to three different practice areas and to the day-to-day activities of the clinical faculty. Based inside Chicago-Kent's in-house law firm, the Clinic Rotation course is the first of its kind in the country. The law firm's faculty practitioners participate as both teachers and mentors. Students enrolled in the Clinic Rotation spend four weeks with each of three practitioners, observing and participating in their day-to-day lawyering activities. In addition, there is a weekly plenary classroom session that covers lawyering activities that arise within real life law practice. The available practice areas include criminal defense, employment/civil litigation, entrepreneurial law, family law, vaccine injury litigation, and tax law. Although student activities will vary from rotation to rotation, based upon current caseloads and calendars, students may be exposed to such activities as: accompanying lawyers to court appearances, proceedings at administrative agencies, or mediations; client meeting; document drafting; case strategizing; and simulated activites that help develop professional skills. The Clinic Rotation will be graded on a pass/fail basis only.

Joke of the Week. How do you know the moon is going broke? It's down to its last quarter.

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