LSA Student Services Reference Manual
Chapter 2 - Registration
Grades
Pass/Fail (P/F)
A student can choose any regularly graded course pass/fail by modifying this preference
through http://wolverineaccess.umich.edu by the end of the third week of a full term (end
of the second week of a half-term). As with the drop/add deadlines, the specific date by
which a student must make this decision is posted in the Academic Advising Center
(1228 Angell Hall, 764-0332) and on the LSA website
(http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/students/academic_calendars/). A student cannot change to
or from Pass/Fail after the deadline for making that decision. Students are not obligated
to tell you whether or not they are taking your course pass/fail. You will report letter
grades for all students. The Registrar’s Office will convert grades of “A+” to “C–” to “P”
and “D+” through “E” to “F.” You cannot submit a grade of “P” or PASS.
Audit (VI)
An official audit in LSA is unusual. The audit requires approval in advance from both the
instructor and the Academic Standards Board. The student must then treat the course as a
regular election by participating in class and fulfilling the usual exam and paper
assignments. Students pay for an officially audited course as if it were for credit. It is not
a way of taking a course that one doesn’t have time to treat seriously. A grade of “VI” is
reported on the student’s transcript when the course is completed. Official audits are
treated differently by other units. If questions arise, contact the Academic Standards
Board (764-0332).
Grade Grievances
Students are encouraged to discuss their grades with their instructors if they do not
understand the reason(s) for the awarding of a particular grade or need clarification of
any instructor comments received for any work. Instructors are urged to discuss all such
questions in as thorough a manner as possible and help the student learn how to apply the
results of previous work to future assignments.
Students have the right to appeal any alleged unfair or improper grading by filing a grade
grievance. Each department has specific procedures for handling such appeals, which
follow general guidelines set by our College. An appeal always involves a specific
statement from the student, along with any relevant graded materials in the student’s
possession; and a statement of explanation or rebuttal from the instructor, along with any
relevant graded materials in the instructor’s possession.
The Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs (1228 Angell Hall, 764-7297) has the
responsibility for ensuring that your department’s guidelines have been followed when
hearing grade appeals. Once appeals under your department’s guidelines have been
exhausted, there is no further appeal within the College or University. Questions about
policy or about specific cases should be directed to the Assistant Dean for Student
Academic Affairs
Web Grades
All grades are entered via Teaching Support on Wolverine Access. Instructors are
assigned either Grade Entry or Grade Approve access by their department. If an
instructor has Grade Entry access but no Approve access, they must go to Teaching
Support in Wolverine Access to assign a proxy with Grade Approve access.
Instructors may either enter each grade individually or upload grades from a spreadsheet.
Instructions for these functions can be found in the Resources/Training section of the
Registrar’s Office web site on Web Grades at
http://www.umich.edu/~regoff/webgrades.html.
Benefits
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Instructors enter grades from anywhere in the world using the internet.
Grades are entered by the instructor (person who determines the grade), which is
more efficient, accurate, and faster than the current paper method.
Paperless process. Paper grade rosters will not have to be generated, distributed,
filled out, and collected before data entry of grades can begin.
Students can view their grades faster because fewer steps are required for grade
entry.
Resources/Training
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Web Grades Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
Job Aids
Incompletes
An "Incomplete" (denoted on the transcript by the symbol I) may be reported only if the
amount of unfinished work is small, the work is unfinished for reasons acceptable to the
instructor, and the student's standing in the course is at least C-. The I grade is not
included in the computation of the term or cumulative grade point averages during the
period when a student has the privilege of making up the work. Incomplete grades may
be made up while a student is not in residence even if a student has been suspended from
the College for reasons of unsatisfactory academic performance. An incomplete grade
must be made up by the fourth week of a student's next fall or winter term in residence or
by an extended deadline approved by the Office of Academic Standards.
An instructor has ten days following the four-week deadline or ten days following an
approved extended deadline in which to report a final grade. The final grade is posted on
the transcript, and credits and honor points are posted accordingly. The I is not removed
when the course is completed but remains on the transcript. An I grade not finished by
the incomplete deadline or an approved extended deadline lapses to E. In such cases, no
degree credit is earned and the course is then computed as an E in the term and
cumulative grade point averages. Unfinished courses elected on a non-graded pattern
("Pass/Fail," "Credit/No Credit," etc. ) lapse to "Fail" or "No Credit" but do not affect the
term or cumulative grade point averages.
SOURCE: LSA Bulletin, Chapter IV: Academic Policies and Procedures
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/lsa/cg/bulletin/chap4/
Time Extension for Incomplete Grades
If a grade has not been submitted within ten days after the applicable deadline for
incompletes, the course lapses to "E". An extension of the deadline must be approved in
writing by the Academic Standards Board. A student must request an extension by
obtaining the instructor's signature on a Time Extension Request Form. This form can be
obtained from the Academic Standards Board (764-0311 or at
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/UofM/Content/lsa/document/time.extension.pdf ).
If the instructor is not willing to allow the student extra time, then s/he should not sign
the form, and the matter ends there. If the instructor does agree to extra time, the Board
will make the decision to approve the time extension based on
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the student’s academic history
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current circumstances
Ø
and the resolution of any other requests for extensions.
As much detailed information as possible should be included on the Extension Form
regarding the amount of work yet to be finished. The instructor's advice and
recommendation is most helpful in this decision. Whatever the extended deadline, the
Records Office will still allow ten days from that date to receive the grade. In general, an
extension should be brief and should not extend beyond the ninth week of the term.
Posting Grades
It is important not to post grades by name, social security number, or in an alphabetical
list that permits identification of students. To do so violates the student's right to privacy.
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which governs access
to student records, directly affects faculty in their handling of information relating to
students. For instance, FERPA prohibits the posting of grades by the student’s name or
the student’s ID number. Grades can be posted by using randomly assigned numbers
known only by the faculty and the individual student or by using the last four digits of the
student ID numbers in such a way that individual privacy is protected (e.g., not listing the
students in alphabetical order). A system must also be used in returning student tests and
papers to prevent access and/or release to anyone other than the student.
SOURCE: UM Faculty Handbook, 12.E Faculty Handling of Student Records/References
http://www.provost.umich.edu/faculty/handbook/12/12.E.html
Supplementary Grade Reports (SGRs)
How to Submit an SGR
The Supplementary Grade Report (SGR) is used:
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to report the final grade in a course previously incomplete,
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to change a final grade already submitted, or
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to report a grade for a student whose name was omitted from the Grade Sheet.
When an instructor fills out an SGR and returns it to you,
1. stamp each copy of the form in the box at the upper-right corner of the form with
your department stamp;
2.
remove the pink copy for your files;
3.
send the white and yellow copies to the Registrar's Office.
When the Registrar's Office has approved and processed this grade change, they will send
the yellow copy back to you with a Registrar's signature on the bottom. Replace the pink
copy in your files with this yellow copy to show that the grade change has been
processed.
If the Registrar's Office does not approve the grade change, they will return the form to
you with a description of the problem and instructions on how to proceed.
Supplementary Grade Reports are still to be done on paper. A web application for
submitting Supplementary Grade Reports will be developed after Fall 05.