Suggested Regrade Policy

If you are still using paper exams and allow students to return graded examinations for a regrade, the Academic Integrity Office recommends a very specific procedure and policy.

Guidelines to Avoid Miscommunication

Protect against student alterations, and tell students what you're doing.

To enable you to clearly see if an exam is altered:

Photocopy all exams before you return them.
- If this is too time consuming and costly, try to copy only pages that have incorrect answers, randomly choose pages or exams to photocopy, or photocopy pages with questions you suspect would be altered.
Mark incorrect answers in a way that illuminates changes. For example, draw a red circle as close to the text of the answer as possible, or draw a line through incomplete or incorrect answers.

Tell students if you're photocopying or marking exams, and explain why, so they understand you're trying to reduce opportunities for cheating. Honest students will appreciate your efforts and may be more inclined to report cheating to you.

Do not accept exams that look as if they've been altered.

Tell students that no exam will be regraded if there is any additional writing on the exam, in any location.

Accept only formal regrade requests, in writing.

Require students to submit examinations with a cover sheet that puts the regrade request in writing, specifying which questions the student thinks were incorrectly graded.

The student should sign and date the regrade request.

You can use this sample exam cover sheet (Word file).

Set time limits.

Allow regrades to be submitted only to the instructor during office hours, and only for a limited period after the exam has been returned. This avoids the likelihood of third-party (i.e., TA) miscommunication and misunderstanding.

One other thought - use Gradescope (available within Canvas) to return graded exams to students instead of handing back the original exams. Bonus: Gradescope can also make grading more efficient!