MSUMAcademic AffairsGuidebookGrading

Grading

Academic Dishonesty
Change of Grade
Course Grade Appeal Policy
Final Examination Policy
Grading
Grading System
Pass/Fail Courses
Pass-No Credit Grades
Plus/Minus Grading Policy
Posting Grades (also see FERPA)
Student Conduct Code

Academic Dishonesty
Course instructors should take all reasonable measures to prevent academic dishonesty. If you feel you have a case of academic dishonesty in your class, you are urged to discuss this with your Department Chair for advice or with the College Dean. When the instructor has convincing evidence of cheating, including plagiarism, the following actions may be taken:

1. Assign a failing grade to the paper, examination, report, etc., on which the student cheated.

2. Assign a failing grade for the course in which the student cheated.

In either case, the instructor must inform the student and, may, but is not required to, report the offense and his/her action to any or all of the following: the Registrar, the Dean of the College, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Vice President for Student Affairs. If the offense is reported, the student must be notified simultaneously by the faculty member.

If the instructor feels the seriousness of the offense warrants a more severe penalty, or if he/she believes it is appropriate to do so for any other reason, the incident may be reported to the Student Conduct Committee through the Vice President for Student Affairs. The instructor's report must be in writing and be accompanied by evidence. After its study of the case, the Student Conduct Committee may take disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion from the University.

Any student who has been accused of cheating has the right to appeal to his/her advisor, the department chairperson, the College Dean, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and, ultimately, to the President of the University.
 

Change of Grade
Any change of a grade on the official grade report must be made by the instructor, who submits a change of grade form to the appropriate academic dean. See also Grade Appeal Procedure. Forms are available from your department secretary or the Records Office.

Course Grade Appeal Policy 

1. A student has a right to expect thoughtful and clearly defined approaches to course grading, but it must be recognized that varied standards and individual approaches to grading are valid. Course grading methods should be thoroughly explained to students at the beginning of the semester and must appear on the course syllabus.
    

2. In a course grade appeal, only arbitrariness, prejudice, and/or error will be considered as legitimate bases for an appeal.

Arbitrariness: The grade awarded represents such a substantial departure from accepted academic norms as to demonstrate that the instructor did not actually exercise professional judgment.

Prejudice: The grade awarded was motivated by ill will, and is not indicative of the student’s academic performance.

Error: The instructor made a mistake in fact, or failed to give students adequate notice of grading policies.

If a student believes that discrimination or harassment was a factor in the determination of the course grade awarded, a complaint should be filed with the Affirmative Action Officer under Minnesota State Colleges and Universities policy, 1B.1 Nondiscrimination in Employment and Education Opportunity (see MSUM Student Handbook.  

3. A student may appeal a grade reduced for academic dishonesty through the Course Grade Appeal Policy.
    

4. The Course Grade Appeal process must be initiated by the student prior to the close of week six of the following semester. If the student moves to the formal process that must be done before the end of the semester in which the appeal was initiated. In cases where an incomplete was originally assigned, an appeal must be made within six weeks of the date the final grade is posted by the Registrar’s office and available to the student on the web. In this latter situation, if the student moves to the formal process, that must be done during the first ten weeks of the next academic year term.
    

5. Normally, the Course Grade Appeal process will be completed during the semester in which the appeal is filed.
    

6. The Course Grade Appeal Process

1. The informal steps:

   1. The student will discuss the issue with the instructor, and may consult with the department chairperson, in an attempt to resolve the matter.  

   2. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, the student will discuss the issue with the dean in whose college the course was offered. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, the student may choose to file a formal appeal.

2. The formal grade appeal:

1. The student will request a Course Grade Appeal form from the dean. The student will submit it along with any supporting documentation to the dean. The student should keep a copy. The dean will send a copy of the Appeal form and supporting documentation to the instructor.
2. The dean will talk to the instructor and to the student to attempt resolution.
3. If no resolution can be reached, the dean will appoint an ad hoc committee and will serve as a resource for the committee. The committee will consist of one faculty member from the academic department offering the course, two faculty members from other departments within the college, and two upper division students who are majors in fields represented in that college. The dean shall designate one of the faculty members as chairperson.
4. The instructor of the course will submit a written response to the appeal using the form provided and such other materials as the instructor chooses to enclose. A copy of those materials will be given to the student, however any material protected by data privacy statutes will be redacted.
5. The ad hoc appeals committee performs an investigative role and may request additional written information from the student and/or the instructor through the committee chairperson or the dean.
6. Based on the information gathered, the committee will prepare written findings with regard to the issues raised in the appeal, that is, the alleged arbitrariness, prejudice, and/or error on the part of the instructor.  The committee will speak to one or more of the criteria as the basis for its findings. The committee chairperson will forward written findings to the student, to the instructor, and to the dean.
7. The instructor and the student may each respond in writing to the dean that the committee’s findings are acceptable or unacceptable. If either does not respond within seven days, the dean will assume that the committee’s written findings are acceptable to that person.
8. If no resolution has been reached, the dean will review the written findings of the committee and the responses of the instructor and the student. The dean will then make a recommendation to the vice president for academic affairs, attaching the committee’s written findings, written materials gathered, and the parties’ responses. A copy of the dean’s recommendation to the vice president shall be provided to the student and the instructor.
9. The vice president for academic affairs, or designee, will review all the materials, and will make a recommendation to the President, or designee, who shall make the final decision. Copies of the vice president’s recommendation to the President shall be provided to the student and the instructor.
10. The final decision may take the form of a:

1. recommendation to the instructor and/or
2. change of grade and /or
3. determination that no action is warranted.

11. If at any time during the formal Course Grade Appeal Process resolution is reached, the Course Grade Appeal Process terminates.

(Revised 5/28/02)

Final Examination Policy
All instructors are expected to effectively evaluate the performance of the students in their classes. However, there may be some classes where formal examinations may not be appropriate. Many faculty members give major examinations at approximately the middle of each term and again at the end of the term. Final class periods during the last week of the term are scheduled by the Registrar and each one may last for as long as two hours. All instructors are expected to use the final class schedule for its intended purpose; i.e., final examinations or other appropriate classroom activity.

These class periods may not be rescheduled without the permission of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Student requests for early examinations during final class schedule must be referred to the appropriate college dean for review and approval.

Night classes are to meet during the final class schedule.

[M&C 5/15/92]

No student should be expected to write more than two final examinations on the same day during the Final Class Schedule. Any student who has three exams on a single day as scheduled by the University may appeal to any of the instructors concerned to re-schedule one of the exams. Should the instructor(s) be unwilling to re-schedule the examination, the student may appeal to the Academic Dean of the appropriate college.

[APAC 4/6/99]

Grading
All study for university credit is recorded with the following grade designations: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- or F.  “A” grades indicate excellent, “B” indicates above average performance, “C” is average with “D” fair and passing and “F” is failing. A “C” average in majors, minors and Dragon Core is the minimum required for graduation and a number of departments require higher GPA’s for various purposes. In addition to the above “letter” grades, there are “I”, "FN", “P, “IP”, “AU”, “W” and “X”. Step-by-step instructions for Entering Grades on the Web is available online from the Records Office.

All study for university credit is recorded with the following grade point assignments:

The grade point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the number of grade points earned in a given course by the number of credits attempted. Credits with grades of  “P”, “I”, "FN", “IP”, “AU”, or “W” are not included in computing the grade point average. Credits with grades of "F" are included in computing the grade point average. Only those credits and grades earned at MSUM are used to compute the GPA. 

"FN" is used if you have a student on your class roster who has NEVER ATTENDED your class. You should not use the "FN" grade if the student came for at least one class. It is restricted for those students who NEVER came to your class.
                                                                                   
An “I” grade (incomplete) is granted when students are unable to complete course requirements for reasons beyond their control and when arrangements have been made with the instructor before the end of the semester. It is the instructor’s responsibility to decide if an "I" should be given. It is the responsibility of the student to develop a contract to meet the instructor’s requirements for making up an Incomplete. Ordinarily, the Incomplete must be made up during the next semester in which a student is enrolled. When requirements have been met, the instructor will submit a change of grade form through the department chair. It is neither appropriate nor legal to allow a student to make up an "I" grade by “sitting in” on the course the following term. The student is expected to register as an audit if that student is attending a class and is not seeking a credit or a grade.

An “AU” grade (audit) is made on the student's permanent academic record when a course is audited without credit. A student who wishes to audit a course (i.e., attend without seeking credit) must be admitted to the University, register for the course, and pay full tuition and fees. An "audit" student may attend all class sessions but is not required to complete assignments or projects, participate in discussions, take examinations, or meet other requirements. A student must declare the intent to audit a course by submitting a Course Audit form, signed by the instructor, within the first ten class days of a term or by notifying the instructor at the time of registration in an evening class, workshop, or off-campus course. A student may not receive credit for auditing a course except by re-enrollment for credit and successful completion of the course in a subsequent term. 

“W” grades may not be given by faculty, but are recorded by the Registrar provided the student has followed appropriate procedures and met the deadline date for withdrawal. Students who have missed deadlines also have the right to file an academic appeal to change a grade to a W.

“X” grades are reserved for courses such as undergraduate research where the effort continues longer than one term. They are not to be a replacement for an "I" grade. Usually the entire class receives X grades. Consult the Registrar for further information.  

Grading System
The grading system for the semester must be clearly outlined in the syllabus. It should be specific and changes or improvements should wait until the following semester.

Pass/Fail Courses
Certain courses, the nature of which makes it impossible to differentiate between passing grades, may be offered on a pass ("P") or fail ("F") basis upon receipt of permission from the Vice President for Academic Affairs. All students in such courses must be graded on a "P" or "F" basis. Student teaching and internships are always graded on a pass-fail basis.

Pass-No Credit Grades
Any student with sophomore, junior, or senior standing may take one course per term for a Pass-No Credit grade in areas outside the student's major or minor discipline. Pass-No Credit courses may not be applied to the Liberal Studies or Dragon Core programs. A student may apply up to 16 credits under the Pass-No Credit option to a baccalaureate degree program.  No course that the student has previously failed may be repeated under the Pass-No Credit option. Pass-No Credit courses are not included in computing the grade point average.  A Pass-No Credit entry on the grade sheet is indicated by a slash (/) where the grade is to be entered.

A grade of "P" is recorded for any course successfully completed under the Pass-No Credit option. No entry will be made if the student fails to earn credit. A Pass-No Credit agreement form, available from the Records Office, must be signed by the student and his/her advisor and returned to the Records Office on or before the tenth class day of the term.    

Plus/Minus Grading Policy
President Barden approved the plus and minus grading policy which became effective Fall Semester 1999. Faculty have the option of using the grading scale (see below) if they choose. Plus and minus grades will appear on the student's transcript, and will be used when grade point averages are calculated.

Posting Grades
Faculty wishing to post exam or course grades must do so in a manner that does not allow for identification of individuals. For example, names, student numbers, initials, and social security numbers may not be used. See FERPA policy.

Student Conduct Code
The official university conduct statement sets forth standards, examples of violating acts, probable sanctions that may be expected, and the procedure to be followed when the policy is violated. See the Student Handbook  for the Conduct Statement of the University or contact the Director of Student Support Services, Comstock Memorial Union 222, phone 477-2524.
 

MSUMAcademic AffairsGuidebookGrading