SFU Records Retention Schedule and Disposal Authority (RRSDA)
Examination Papers and Course Assignments

Description | PIB | Authorities | Retentional rational | Rentention and filing guidelines | Status

RRSDA number

1995-018

Record series

Examination Papers and Course Assignments

Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR)

All University Departments (General Records Series)

Retention periods

Records Active retention (in office) Semi-active (records centre) Total retention Final disposition
All departments holding these records CS grade applied + 1 year Nil CS grade applied + 1 year Destruction

CY = Current calendar year; CFY = Current fiscal year; CS = Current semester; S/O = Superseded or obsolete; OPR = Office of Primary Responsibility; Non-OPR = All other departments.

Description, purpose and use of records

Course work submitted by students in accordance with course requirements, graded by academic personnel, and retained by the course instructor. Examination papers and course assignments are used to evaluate student performance and competence in a particular course of study.

Records may include completed mid-term, final and other examinations and paper tests; project and term papers, essays and laboratory work papers; and artistic projects submitted by students as course work.

This schedule applies only to:

1. Works which the course instructor decides to retain rather than return to students. Completed course work may be returned to the student by the course instructor at his or her discretion.

2. Final examinations. In a course which includes a final examination, the marked examinations are retained by the University.

Personal Information Bank (PIB)

This series is a Personal Information Bank; click here for PIB description.

Authorities

These records are created, used, retained and managed in accordance with the following authorities:

Retention rationale

The FOI/POP Act (RSBC 1996, c. 165, s. 31) requires that personal information used to make a decision that directly affects an individual must be retained for at least one year. Retention period allows sufficient time for grade appeals to be initiated.

Retention and filing guidelines

If retaining completed course work, do not file with other course records (e.g. course outlines, reading lists, etc. -- see RRSDA 1999-002, Course Files). Keep completed work as a separate block of files, organized by course number.

In the event that a student appeals his or her grade: do not apply this schedule until the final decision is rendered; retain the course work under dispute for an additional one year following the final decision.

Do not send these files to the University Records Centre (URC). Following the expiry of the active retention period the records should be destroyed directly. Completed course work contains students' personal information and must be destroyed by confidential shredding; contact Facilities Services to make arrangements.

Status

RRSDA is in force.

Approved by the University Archivist: 24 Nov 1995

Last revised: 14 November. 2011

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