Common Exams

The fictional scenario you will be asked to consider presents a situation, or problem, that people actually encounter in their professional lives.

Exam Structure

After reading the scenario (available below via the link for your exam day), you will access the exam, which is divided into three parts:

Part A/Ques 1-7: Evaluate seven documents for credibility and relevance.

  • Credibility – Credible information is based on facts and is authoritative; Credible information does not have the intent to flat-out deceive.  It doesn’t unfairly promote opinion and does not have an agenda.  On the other hand, biased information may promote only one opinion or side of an argument and/or contain “selective” or “cherry-picked” data.
  • Relevance – Relevant information closely relates to the topic/scenario you are considering.  It may be recent.  It affects the stakeholders in the scenario.

Part B/Ques 8: Determine what additional information you would like to have to reach an informed conclusion, and describe a strategy for finding that information.

Part C/Ques 9: Prepare a thoughtfully written recommendation in response to both the situation and the information in the document library.

You may find that you have personal experiences and beliefs that relate to the situation you’re addressing. While we recognize the value of those experiences and beliefs, it is important that you base your response only on the materials included in the Document Library.

Some of the information in the documents may come from actual journal articles, government documents, and other sources. Although the situation is fictional, please proceed as if it were real. As you are reviewing these documents, remember that not all of them may be trustworthy or relevant.


Here are the links to the Common Exam

*You may ONLY select the exam for the date your course is scheduled to take the common exam. For example, if your exam is scheduled for Wednesday, you should ONLY take the Wed, 11/29, exam.*

  • Tuesday, November 28, 2023 — This exam is now closed.
  • Wednesday, November 29, 2023 — This exam is now closed.
  • Thursday, November 30, 2023 — This exam is now closed.
  • Thursday, December 7, 2023 — This exam is now closed.

Instructors:  Common Exam info for you

Contact

April Fugett, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
fugett5@marshall.edu
109 Old Main
304-696-5268

Jennifer Morgan
Office Administrator
jennifer.morgan@marshall.edu
109 Old Main
304-696-2206