This page is not yet updated for General Biology I. General Biology I students (online, hybrid or Face-2-Face) can IGNORE this page. You should read the Endterm (Final) Exam information inside the Endterm (Final) Exam folder on Blackboard Plaza instead.)
Please read this information before attempting to take the Endterm (Final) Exam!
Endterm (Final) Exam 
For online students, since they do not submit an "in-class part", the Endterm (Final) Exam consists of two exam parts. You have ONE attempt on each part. Part one has two questions, each worth 3 p, for a subtotal of 6, and part two has depending on semster 25 - 28 questions, for a subtotal of 94. Both grades are added, e.g., 6 + 94 = 100. The exam is comprehensive.
For F-2-F students, since they DO submit an "in-class part", the Endterm (Final) Exam consists of TWO exam parts. Part 1 is worth 30 percent ('fill-in-the-blanks-all-or-nothing-grading'), part 2 (scantron, multiple choice, true or false, 'partial-credit-grading) is worth 70 percent. Part two has depending on semester 25 - 38 questions, this semester for a subtotal of 70. Both grades are added, e.g., 30 + 70 = 100. The exam is comprehensive. (The percentages may vary depending on the semester, the 30 + 70 is for the fall 2016 semester.)
For students in the online class the final exam folder will be available on Blackboard Plaza when students have submitted Lab Practicum II (or at the end of the semester for students who have not submitted Lab Practicum II). To make part 1 of the Endterm (Final) Exam available you must first submit a "key" quiz (Endterm "Key" Quiz GB2) located inside the folder:
Endterm "Key" Quiz GB2 (prerequisite Reading Quiz 13c -- also called Biome Quiz part 3): The "key quiz" is a 3-question critical thinking "quiz". You must pass it with 100 -- to make the Endterm (Final) Exam part 1 available (you have unlimited attempts to earn 100 on the "key" quiz). You have UNLIMITED attempts to submit the "key" quiz with the required grade. The "key quiz" will be available below as per the semester calendar, if you have submitted the Reading Quiz 13c (with minimum 90), -- OR -- if you have not passed this assignment it will be available at the end of the semester, as also noted in the semester calendar.
(This option is only available for F2F students certain semesters as discussed in the classroom.) [Not available fall 2016.] For students in the F-2-F class (who have selected to take the exam online the final exam folder will be available on Blackboard Plaza after students have taken the "in-class part" of the exam). . F-2-F students do not have to submit a "key" quiz since the quiz is part of the "in-class part" of the exam.
-------- The below is for online students only. F2F students will get further instructions in the classroom. -----
Unlike the Reading Quizzes -- where you had 4 hours (basically "unlimited time") to complete a quiz -- all students are NOT expected to earn minimum 90 on the final exam parts. Both parts are TIMED (6 minutes and 25 minutes) to reduce the "usefulness" of the textbook when taking the exam at home without a proctor. To EARN 100 you are EXPECTED to KNOW the answers without the need to use a textbook or other references. Use of the textbook is, however, allowed -- because it would be impossible to control. More information about each of the exam parts are below. Again, online students do part 1 and 2. F-2-F students only do part 2.
Endterm (Final) Exam, part 1 (prerequisite Endterm "Key" Quiz GB2. F-2-F students do NOt do this part.): Unlike the reading quizzes and the memorization quizzes, you have only ONE timed attempt (6 minutes) for this part of the exam, and it will be available when you have passed the Endterm "Key" Quiz GB2 with 100. This part of the exam has 2 questions with the same topic and very similar to the memorization quizzes -- two slightly different fill-in-the-blank-questions (10 blanks for both questions). Which of the memorization quizzes it will be will not be disclosed -- you will know when you take the test. Test time: 6 minutes.
The 6 minute time-slot can be stressful if you are a nervous test taker -- but it is necessary to keep the time short to reduce the student's use of notes. You might want to refresh the memorization quizzes before you attempt this part. (Link on the General Biology Hub.) You are supposed to KNOW the answers by now, and most of you are going to finish this part of the exam in 3-4 minutes. CHECK YOUR SPELLING BEFORE YOU CLICK SUBMIT!!! The test is set to NOT allow backtracking -- i.e., it prevents changing the answers to a question that has already been submitted. Once started, this Endterm (Final) Exam, part 1 must be completed in one sitting. Have fun doing this, since you have drilled it during the semester -- right!?
Endterm (Final) Exam, part 2 (prerequisite for online students, Endterm (Final) Exam, part 1): Unlike the reading quizzes you have only ONE timed attempt (25 or 28 minutes, depending on semesters) for this part of the exam -- to at least assure that students cannot look up all questions and so demonstrate some learning. The exam will be available anytime when you have passed Endterm (Final) Exam, part 1. Depending on semester, this part of the exam has 25- 28 questions -- mostly multiple choice, true or false questions, and "a couple" fill-in-the-blanks questions. The 25 minute (or 28 minute depending on semesters) time-slot is plenty of time (most of you are going to finish the exam in 15 - 20 minutes). The test is set to NOT allow backtracking -- i.e., it prevents changing the answers to a question that has already been submitted. Once started, this Endterm (Final) Exam must be completed in one sitting. If you take the exam early, depending on the semester your score may not be available until later. Don't rush, but also don't wait until the last day to take the exam.
Most questions included in part 2 of the exam are the same as the questions in the reading quizzes -- some may have slightly different number of multiple choice answers or may be listed in a slightly different order. However, read each question carefully, because some may have been modified slightly (e.g., a true or false question that was false in a reading quiz may have been modified to be true on the endterm exam). You are supposed to learn the ANSWERS, not memorize the letters (whether it was A, B, C, D, or T or F). A couple of questions (2-3) may be new, but cover topics that you now should be familiar with.
Due to earlier Blackboard problems with textbook figures in quizzes, very few figures or no figures are included -- the questions selected do not need the figures. Also because of Blackboard platform problems, Respondus Lockdown Browser is NOT required to take the key quiz or the two Endterm (Final) Exam parts. The password for all is exam.
The time allowed for each exam part is plenty of time for what the tests are set to test -- EVEN IF BLACKBOARD HAPPENS TO BE SLOW. However, unlike the chapter quizzes, since time IS a factor for this assignment, make sure that you work on a reliable computer and have reliable Internet access -- you can always take the test using a reliable STC computer. Also, some students click more than one time to save answers -- that is not necessary and it might mess up and cause a crash. Just calm down, accept that perhaps you are taking the test at a "peak" hour when Blackboard will slow down because of the amount of students using it at the same time. In fact, if you have answered the question you only need to click to go to the next question -- if a question has been answered Blackboard will automatically save the answer -- whether you want it saved or not...
I am sure you will do fine! If you are nervous, take a deep breath, and sip on coffee (or whatever your favorite brew is). Good luck!
FAQ about the Endterm Exam:
FAQ 1: "What should I study for the final exam?"
Instructor comment: The question is NOT what should you study, but rather what HAVE you studied during the semester, since the exam is mostly based on the open book reading quizzes (so you might want to repeat them even if you scored the minimum grade required in your first attempt), the reading assignments (so don't skip the reading just because you can post without reading anything in the class discussions).
Obviously, since you can take the exam online from home, you are allowed to use your books -- there is no way to control if you use them or not. However, the test is timed and you will NOT have time to look up the answers to all questions. Unless you are extremely fast (and no one is that fast) and very WELL ORGANIZED -- with all answers marked in your textbook and worked out on study notes, for the final exam you actually have to know the answer to some of the questions...
In other words, even though it is an "open book" final exam, the goal is for you to show the instructor that you actually have learned something during the semester...
FAQ 2: "We don't have 4 hours, like we did on the Reading Quizzes, on the second part of the exam?"
Instructor comment: Unlike the reading quizzes you have only ONE timed attempt for this part of the exam -- to at least assure that students cannot look up all questions and so demonstrate some learning. If you don't know the answer after 1 minute -- to demonstrate some learning -- you will not know the answer after 2 minutes, 10 minutes or 4 hour either. If you have studied well and learned, you have PLENTY of time. However, if you have NOT studied well and NOT learned -- well, as already stated, unlike the reading quizzes there is not enough time to locate all the answers in your books.
Understand that it is normal that some students may not be able to finish all questions. Unlike the reading quizzes you are NOT expected to EARN at least the minimum 90. The Final Exam is set up, hopefully, to only allow A-students to EARN an A. If you have not learned much this semester -- in other words you need to look up all the answers in the textbook -- you may EARN an F on the Endterm Exam.
FAQ 3: "I didn't get a good grade on the final exam. Will I get an F in the class now?"
Instructor comment: This question indicates that either the student has not looked at the grading criteria for the class (and have no idea what the final exam is worth), or the student has poor math skills (and don't understand the basic concept of "percent").
The final exam grade might vary slightly with class and semester, but let's assume in order to make the math easy that the exam is worth 10 percent. That means that if a student "bum" the test worth 100 and only earn a 10, the student will loose 90 percent of the test grade. The test is worth 10 percent of the total biology grade and since 90 is 9 percent of the test grade, the student loose 9 percent of the total 10 percent the exam is worth.
Now assume the student has scored 100 on all other class assignments (most assignments in class will earn that grade -- OR -- nothing). 100 - 9 = 91. The student will earn a 91 in this class, letter grade A, even though the final exam was bummed with a 10 (which indicates that the student has learned basically NOTHING in class). Of course, if a student didn't earn a 100 on all other assignments -- which usually means that that students skipped assignments -- well, that is a different story...
A really high grade on the final exam might better your total biology grade, and a really low might lower it. Again, how much lower you will find out if you study the Grading Criteria. An "F" on the final exam may not be "catastrophic" if you already have a high grade average in class (which should tell you to take advantage of the easy assignments and NOT skip anything that will help your grade in this class...)
I am sure you will do fine! Good luck!
Dr. Nilsson
Disclaimer: The final exam may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances to meet the needs of a particular class. The instructor therefore reserves the right to alter (add, delete, or revise) any items of the above, online or via verbal instructions in class. The student is responsible for taking note of any such changes and acting accordingly.
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