I want to cancel my class. That's okay, right?
If you need to miss a class for whatever reason, try and get a substitute using other GTAs or send an email to graduate@math.sfsu.edu. If you do get a substitute, please tell the front desk anyway. There have been past emergencies where the office has wanted to find a GTA and hasn’t found them at their class. If you are unable to get a substitute, call or email math office immediately so they can notify students.
I want to give an early final exam and let my class skip exam week. I hear everyone does it.
This is absolutely not allowed. To discourage this, according to Academic Senate policy F76-12, "all classes are expected to meet during the final examination period whether an examination is given or not". Please adhere to this policy to show our students that we value their time in the classroom. Please notify your Chair if special circumstances require you to make an exception to this policy. Note that making yourself available in your office does not meet the requirement. You must hold a class where attendance is required during the scheduled final exam time for your course. -DM
The principle reason not to is that when one class gives exams in the last week, it messes things up for all the other classes as those students are too distracted during the last two weeks to participate fully. -EH
I want to give a take home final. What do you think?
Please don’t. Take-home exams are notoriously hard to secure from cheating, and you will have to meet during exam week anyway, so it won’t save anyone anytime (see the question on early finals).
I want to give a non-cumulative final exam. What do you think?
Please don’t. Math 59/60/70 are structured so that the later material builds on the earlier material. It is logically impossible to give a non-cumulative exam. However, your students might think it
is possible, and not study earlier material, which can only hurt their grasp of the later material.