The change from school exam to home exam in many courses has brought on questions about which assessment scale to use.
On the one hand grades are important in many application processes (employment, internships, exchange, applications to other schools, etc.). They give incentives to understand the topic and is a way of certifying that understanding. On the other hand, an argument raised by many, including the Student Committee at NHH (SUN), is that pass/fail reduces students’ incentives for cheating on their home exams. As this is the second semester with exceptional measures, the school has a greater focus on grades this semester.
The school has taken measures to reduces the possibilities of cheating on home exams. You should be aware that attempts to cheat, for instance by cooperating or communicating during a home exam, may lead to annulment of the exam and exclusion from attending courses for up to one year. The rules on exclusion also apply to aiding and abetting. You will be asked to sign a formal contract with the school where you declare that you are aware that cheating is not allowed and that you will not cheat on home exams. If you are caught cheating, this will be used against you.
More information about cheating and its consequences
Furthermore, course responsibles have been asked to consider how they can prepare the exam in such a way that the students do not benefit from communicating with each other or others, to answer the exam questions. The school has set up internal seminars and support for how to design exams in such a way, without penalising students who prepare for the exam in the usual way and do not cheat.
NHH’s regulations state that the two grading scales, A-F and pass/fail, cannot be combined in the same course (section 4-4). Hence, if one part is assessed with grades A-F (or pass/fail), the same grade scale must be used on the exam.
MRR students will obtain letter grades (A-F) in all courses, regardless of the overall grading scheme of the course. Students in this program need A-F grades in all courses to fulfil the requirements for state authorized public accountant.
Grading when retaking a course/an exam with new grading scale:
[A-F → pass/fail] Students who have a passing letter grade and retake a pass/fail course:
- If failing the new exam: Letter grade counts
- If passing the new exam: “Pass” counts
[pass/fail → A-F] Students who have a “pass” (from autumn 2020) and retake a course with A-F scale:
- If failing the new exam: “Pass” counts
- If passing the new exam: Letter grade counts
Students in all courses where school examination is replaced by home examination will be given the opportunity to withdraw from the exam (without using an examination attempt) when NHH has published information about the grading scale, regardless of the previously announced deadline for withdrawal.