Faculty and Contract Staff Handbook
(6) Instructional Policies, Responsibilities, and Guidelines
(6A) JOINT STATEMENT ON RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF STUDENTS
(6B) FACULTY INSTRUCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
(6C) EVALUATION OF STUDENTS (GRADES)
(6D) ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
(6E) ADVISING
(6F) STUDENT RECORDS
(6G) EXCEPTIONS TO ACADEMIC POLICIES
(6H) STUDENT EVALUATION OF COURSES AND FACULTY
(6I) NONSEXIST LANGUAGE, EFFECTIVE WRITING, AND ORAL COMMUNICATION
(6C) EVALUATION OF STUDENTS (GRADES)
For a summary of recent changes to this chapter, see Chapter 9A: Summary of Recent Revisions to this Handbook.
Contents of this page:
Section II of Chapter 6A: Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students specifies that the professor in the classroom should encourage free discussion, and that students have protection against improper academic evaluation and improper disclosure.
I. GRADE
SCALE
(Effective June 1982)
The grading system at Trinity University involves letter grades that are assigned a quality point value per semester of credit. The plus/minus system is the designated standard for grading Trinity University undergraduates. Instructors should be careful to state their grading policies clearly and in detail on each course syllabus. Instructors may choose not to use the plus/minus grading, but such a policy must be stated in the course outline.
|
A |
(superior) |
4.00 |
|
A- |
3.67* |
|
|
B+ |
3.33* |
|
|
B |
(good) |
3.00 |
|
B- |
2.67* |
|
|
C+ |
2.33* |
|
|
C |
(average) |
2.00 |
|
C- |
1.67* |
|
|
D+ |
1.33* |
|
|
D |
(poor) |
1.00* |
|
F |
(failure) |
0.00 |
|
I |
(incomplete) |
|
|
PR |
(course in progress) |
|
|
W |
(withdrew from course) |
|
|
FF |
(failing in a pass/fail course) |
|
|
PP |
(passing in a pass/fail course) |
|
|
N/C |
(not for credit) |
* Not applicable to graduate students
I, PR, W, FF, and PP grades carry no grade point average, but hours earned with a grade of PP will count toward the student’s total hours for graduation.
II. MID-SEMESTER GRADES FOR UNDERGRADUATES
Only students whose work at mid-semester warrants a grade of D+, D, F or I should have grades reported to the Registrar. Mid-semester grade reports are prepared by the Registrar and distributed to the student, his/her advisor, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Office of Student Affairs. These grades do not become a part of the student’s permanent record and are intended to serve as a warning of inadequate progress. Mid-semester grades are not reported for the summer session.
III. GRADE REPORTS
Grade reports for each course are due in the Registrar’s Office at the date stipulated by the Registrar. In order to expedite the compilation of grades for graduating seniors, grades for these students may be asked for at an earlier specified time. Non-attendance does not constitute an official withdrawal from a course. A grade should be reported for each student listed on the grade report.
IV. PASS/FAIL OPTION
Certain undergraduate courses may be taken on a pass/fail basis. Such courses may not be taken to fulfill Common Curriculum requirements or major or minor requirements. The purpose of the pass/fail system at Trinity University is to encourage students to take elective courses in new fields of interest. A student applying to take a course on a pass/fail basis may not subsequently request a regular letter grade, and a student registered for a regular course grade may not change to pass/fail after Add/Drop day. The last day to designate a course as pass/fail is the 15th day of classes.
V. COURSES IN PROGRESS
A graduate student or an honors student enrolled for a thesis should receive a letter grade if the document has been completed. If the thesis is in progress, the grade PR should be entered on the grade report.
VI. INCOMPLETE GRADES
A grade of I (incomplete) indicates that a student has done work of a passing grade in a course but has failed to complete some portion of the course because of an emergency condition. With each grade of I the instructor must file a special report concerning the circumstances and the required action to remove the I. The letter I should be entered on the grade report sheet. Incomplete grades are changed to F unless the required work is completed within the prescribed time limit. For undergraduate students, this limit is one semester. For graduate students, it is one year. If the student completes the work before the time limit expires, the instructor should notify the Registrar to change the grade by filling out a change of grade card. This procedure is also to be followed when a PR grade is to be changed.
VII. NON-CREDIT GRADES
A non-credit student is one who is not eligible for credit or does not desire credit. He/she may receive full instructional attention and may participate in class. He/she is not required to take a final examination or other tests in the course. The grade N/C should be entered on the grade report for the students. No course taken as non-credit may subsequently be requested for credit unless it is repeated.
VIII. WITHDRAWAL
A student may withdraw from a class with a grade of W until the beginning (Monday) of the ninth full week of classes of the fall or spring semester or third week of the summer session. Classes offered for a portion of a semester are exceptions to this rule. A student may withdraw from such a class with a grade of W until the end of the third week of the course during the fall or spring semester, or the first week during the summer semester. After the beginning of the ninth full week of classes in a semester or three weeks of a summer term, no student may withdraw from a class except in an emergency such as hospitalization. Please see also Chapter 6G: Exceptions to Academic Policies. A graduate student who wishes to withdraw from the University entirely must initiate this action with the director of his/her graduate program. Please refer to “Enrollment Information” in the Courses of Study Bulletin.
IX. DISMISSAL FROM A COURSE
A student may be dismissed by the instructor from a class roll with an “F” in any course when
The student has consistent unexcused absences and has not notified the instructor, department, or Vice President for Student Affairs; or
The student engages in behavior inconsistent with membership in a scholarly community as outlined in the section on Academic Integrity.
See Chapter 6D: Academic Integrity Policy Section II.D: Classification of Penalties; and Chapter 6B: Faculty Instructional Responsibilities Section XI: Dismissal from a Class and Student Attendance and Section XII: Policy Regarding Disruption of Class.
X. GRADE
CHANGE POLICY
(Approved by the University Curriculum Council November 5, 1982)
A. The grade change approval form does not require the signature of the Chairperson.
B. The grade change
approval form is a triplicate form. The original is retained by
the Registrar. The two copies are sent to the
Chairperson, and
the course instructor after the grade change has been posted by the
Registrar’s Office. This insures that the faculty member knows of any changes
made under his/her name and it informs the Chairperson of grade
change activities. The instructor is required to write in the name of the Chairperson on the form in order to expedite the process.
C. If a grade change is for a grade which is more than a year old, the instructor is required to attach to the grade change form a memorandum from the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs: Curriculum and Student Issues giving formal permission to make this grade change.
D. This policy applies to all grade changes including I grades. It applies to both undergraduate and graduate grade changes.
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