To: Faculty of Science, University of Ottawa

Subject: Request for Review and Resolution of Issues in BIO3124 Final Exam

 

We, the students who took BIO3124 (General Microbiology) with Dr. Elaine Beaulieu, are writing to formally express our collective concerns regarding the final examination conducted on December 6, 2024. This exam, which constituted 50% of the final grade, was not reflective of the learning objectives (LOs) provided in the course. Also, the questions were inappropriate, irrelevant, and unfairly assessed the student’s knowledge.

 

Key Issues Raised:

                  1.              Misalignment with Learning Objectives:

                  •                The final exam included questions that were not directly tied to the LOs or adequately covered during lectures, readings, or assigned materials.

                  •                The syllabus assured students that the exams would align with the learning outcomes, which was not adhered to.

                  2.              Poorly Worded and Ambiguous Questions:

                  •                Many exam questions were described as “confusing,” “vague,” and “poorly constructed,” creating unnecessary stress for students.

                  •                Despite assurances from the professor that “fuzzy questions” would not be included, numerous questions lacked clarity, leading to widespread frustration.

                  3.              Inappropriate and Offensive Content:

                  •                The exam included a question that perpetuated harmful stereotypes about Indigenous peoples, suggesting they consume “poor food” and are “dirty” compared to “Westerners.” This question was deeply offensive, irrelevant to microbiology, and caused significant distress among Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike. Such rhetoric has no place in an academic setting and contradicts the university’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

                  •                This question has been reported to faculty by several students and is indicative of a lack of cultural sensitivity in the exam’s design.

                  4.              Irrelevant and Out-of-Scope Questions:

                  •                One question, which referenced the Mars rover, lacked any correlation with microbiology and left students confused about its purpose in the exam.

                  •                Questions like these make it hard to see the exam as a fair way to measure how well students understood the course material. 

                  5.              Excessive Weight on the Final Exam:

                  •                Making the midterms and final exam the only way to pass the course no matter how well students excelled in other assignments puts too much pressure on just one part of the class. 

                  •                This policy, combined with the issues in the final exam, unfairly penalizes students who excelled in other components of the course.

                  6.              Impact on Academic Performance and Wellbeing:

                  •                Many students, including high performers in the midterms, struggled to comprehend and respond to the final exam questions, leading to significantly lower grades.

                  •                The widespread frustration and distress caused by this exam have been voiced across platforms such as Reddit, Rate My Professor, and Discord, reflecting a consensus among students that the exam was unfair and inappropriate.

 

Our Requests:

We respectfully request the Faculty of Science to:

                  1.              Conduct a full review of the final exam to evaluate its alignment with the course objectives, appropriateness of content, and overall fairness.

                  2.              Investigate the inclusion of the offensive question regarding Indigenous peoples and take necessary steps to ensure culturally sensitive and respectful content in future assessments.

                  3.              Adjust the grading policy to ensure that students who performed well in other components of the course are not unfairly penalized due to the flawed final exam.

                  4.              We ask that the policy requiring students to pass both the midterms and final exam to pass the course be revised or made less strict. 

                  5.              Provide clarity and consistency in future exams to align with course materials, ensuring all assessments are reflective of the LOs outlined in the syllabus.

                  6.              Establish a platform for students to voice concerns about course content and assessment design, ensuring similar issues do not occur in the future.