SPSU 1001
Hitchhiker’s Guide to SPSU
Mid Term Assessment
Copyright © 2010 by Bob Brown
Midterm Grades
• For undergraduate students only.
• Are submitted by faculty in week 3 of a
regular semester
• Visible to you nearly immediately after.
(Must be “released” by the Registrar.)
• Grades are S (satisfactory) or U
(unsatisfactory.)
• Midterm grades are evanescent; they
“disappear” at the end of the semester and
are replaced with your final grade.
A Midterm Grade of S
• A grade of S means you are on track to
earn a satisfactory grade.
• That’s a C in some courses (all computing –
CS/IT/SWE/CGDD – courses and ‘basic’
ENGL and MATH)
• It’s a D in others.
• A grade of S is not a guarantee of a
satisfactory grade at the end of the term.
A Midterm Grade of U
• A grade of U means, if you were given a
final grade on work to date, it would be
unsatisfactory: a D or lower.
• It is probably not too late to “pull it out.”
• Check the grading plan in your syllabus:
• What part of your course grade is already
accounted for.
• How well did you do on that part
• What would you have to do on the remaining
work to bring your grade up.
Withdrawing from a Course
• You can withdraw from a course using
BANNER until the midterm deadline.
• If you withdraw, your transcript will show
a grade of W.
• A grade of W does not affect your GPA.
• It may affect your financial aid by
affection your completion ratio; you must
check with the Financial Aid office.
• If you withdraw from a required course,
you must repeat it.
Withdrawal After the Deadline
• If you withdraw from a course using
BANNER after the deadline, your transcript
will show a grade of WF.
• A grade of WF counts the same as an F in
your GPA.
• A grade of WF is very likely to affect your
financial aid.
Petition for Late Withdrawal
• You can petition for a late withdrawal up
to the last day of classes. (And no later!)
• If granted, your grade will be a W.
• Late withdrawal is not automatic.
• Usually you must present evidence of hardship,
for example, illness or a changed work
schedule.
• Your professor must agree.
• In some cases, the department chair and dean
must also sign off.
A Grade of “Incomplete”
• These are rare at SPSU because…
 You must be doing satisfactory work in a
course when…
 A non-academic event makes it impossible for
you to complete the course.
• You have one semester to complete the
remaining work, or your I turns into an F!
• You and your professor should agree in
writing what “the remaining work” is.
Grade Forgiveness
• If you repeat a course:
• The last grade you earned is used for your GPA
• All grades appear on your transcript.
• You must repeat required courses for which
you earned an unsatisfactory grade
• Below C in major required courses
• Below D in other courses.
• Grade forgiveness allows you to improve
your GPA, and maybe avoid probation
• Grade forgiveness may not apply to
financial aid.
The Grade Forgiveness Trap
• Example: Bob earned a C in CGDD2002.
• Bob’s GPA needs help, so he repeats 2002
to earn a higher grade and get that C out of
his GPA.
• But, Bob is overconfident and earns a D on
the second try.
• Big trouble:
• The D is now used instead of C for Bob’s GPA
• Bob must repeat 2002 again because it’s a
required course for his major and so needs a
grade of C or better!
“Satisfactory Academic Progress”
• To continue to receive financial aid, you
must make satisfactory academic progress
• There is a time limit
• There is a completion requirement
• There is a GPA requirement
The Time Limit
• It’s expressed in credit hours, not years.
• You must complete your program within
150% of the hours required to graduate
• Determine hours to graduate from the catalog
• Multiply by 1.5 (150%)
• Subtract any hours transferred in
• Example:
• 128 hours to graduate in Construction
• 50 hours transferred in
• 128  1.5 – 50 = 192 – 50 = 142 hours maximum
The Completion Requirement
• You must complete 66.7% of hours
attempted. In other words, you must pass
2/3 of your classes, credit hours being
equal.
• The completion requirement is cumulative.
(That’s good after you’ve been here a
while, but a couple of F’s early on can put
you in jeopardy.)
The GPA Requirement
• Your cumulative GPA must be 2.0 (could be
higher for some types of aid.)
• Your GPA is the number of quality points
earned divided by total credit hours
attempted.
• A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F, WF, or I=0
• Times credit hours for the course.
• Grade forgiveness may not apply
• Example: A, B, and C in three 3-hour courses
43 + 33 + 23 = 27 / 9 = 3.0
Financial Probation or Suspension
• Probation:
• GPA less than 2.0 but greater than 1.0
• Completion less than 66.7% but greater than 25%
• Suspension:
• GPA less than 1.0
• Completion rate less than 25%
• On probation, but still not making SAP
• Computed at the end of each spring term.
Academic Standing
• Dean’s List: 12+ credit hours, 3.5 GPA for
the current term
• Dean’s Merit List: Less than 12 hours, 3.5
GPA for the current term.
• Good standing: cumulative GPA of 2.0
• A cumulative GPA below 2.0 refers
student to Student Status Committee for
consideration for probation.
• Students who do not meet probation
requirements are suspended.
Grade Appeals
• The only basis for a grade appeal is “clear
evidence that a grade was assigned by
some criteria other than an evaluation of
academic performance.”
• Grade penalties for academic misconduct
are allowed (up to a grade of F for the
course)
• You may appeal a misconduct penalty on
grounds of innocence.
• All appeals start with the professor.
So, You’ve Gotten Behind…
• Take stock:
• Where do you stand now?
• What do you have to do to earn a satisfactory
grade?
• Can you do it? (Be honest with yourself!)
• By yourself?
• With help?
Getting Help
Your professors want to help you:
• They are available during office hours and
probably at other times.
• They can answer specific questions.
• They usually cannot provide personalized
tutoring
Tutoring
• Available for many core subjects in the
ATTIC (it’s in the basement of the Student
Center.)
• Available for computing subjects in the
CSE main lab.
• Tutoring schedules are posted in both
places.
Helping Yourself
• Have you read the assigned material before
class? Every time? (You need to do so.)
• Have you been in class (and engaged with
the professor and the class) on time?
Every time? (You need to do so.)
• Have you made an honest attempt at every
homework problem on time, every time?
About Grades for This Course
• All grades are based on discussion,
assignments and assessments (no exams)
• And, it’s all (or at least mostly) work you
should be doing anyway.
Homework
• For each of your classes, based upon
graded work to date, assess your expected
final grade.
• You will have received emails from me
confirming grades
• I’ll also pester you this semester, but don’t
expect that later
• If your expected final grade is less than A,
identify three things that could help you
improve it.
Questions