Biomedical engineering students express concern over exam timetable

On April 2, Biomedical Engineering students were told they were receiving their exam timetables next week. On the next day, they were informed of a safety net policy for their course after KCL students petitioned for a non-detriment policy for university exams. The initial gratitude was quickly replaced by concerns over the exam schedule after it was released.

Second-year biomedical engineering students received their exam timetable on April 8 only to be shocked that their exam session begins on April 28. The Department initially said that the delay of information release was because of assessment method planning. However, students told Roar the assessment pattern for two of the modules has been fully kept.

Concerns over the lack of time for exam preparation were quickly shared by distressed students. Further information revealed they were not given an extension on their coursework with their last deadline being April 15. This leaves students only 13 days between that deadline and their first exam. Students are also concerned with the little time they have until submission, which may be detrimental to those who have poor Internet access.

Some expressed annoyance over how disorganised the department has been with their coursework dates and types. A student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Roar that  the department originally had set the deadline for their Synthetic Anatomy for April 9, later rescheduling  for April 8. Furthermore, students were initially informed that one of their modules, Computational Methods, will have 4 coursework and yet, a fifth one was introduced without notice.

This is not the first time students have expressed discontent over the lack of management by the Department. Many have shared unpleasant experiences from their January exams. Two out of the three exams had errors in the questions, blackened printouts (which had to be replaced during the exam), formula booklets with missing pages, diagrams with mislabelling and incomplete questions. They were told that both those modules were going to be rescaled, but as of April 8, official markings have not been released.

Students hope to get their exams rescheduled to late May as many have found it difficult to self-teach some of the modules. Most had to leave London and take care of their families. Given the unpleasant situation, students ask for the Department’s understanding.

Students from other courses express the same sentiment over lack of time to revise, including those doing History and Liberal Arts.