Compared to previous years, the number of students who passed their Calculus exam was significantly lower this year. The final exam for the ‘less formal programs’ of category A was taken by 499 students late-October last year. Only 169 passed the exam: 34 percent. Of the B category, 954 first-year students took the exam, 398 of which passed. That’s 42 percent.

Lex Lemmens, Dean of the Bachelor College, does not yet have a proper explanation for the negative trend. Along with the lecturers of the Examination Committee, Lemmens is currently analyzing the results. Any necessary steps will be taken mid-December at the latest.

There are mitigating circumstances, though, he points out. “Whoever wants to be eligible to retake the exam, must have taken the final exam in the first place.” According to Lemmens, students now embark on the final exam prepared or not, just to consolidate that potential re-examination.

Right after the exam, Calculus students received an online survey. Students were positive about their classes, lecturers, and mentor hours, but quite critical when it came to the exam. “Based on online tests and homework, they expected an very different kind of test. We haven’t been fully aware of that, apparently,” Lemmens says. “We’re now starting up a process to make sure our students can pass the exam in the future. And the final exam has to reflect the material the students were offered.”