Implementing CR/NC Grading, Changing Course Weighting, and Grade Submission Deadlines
27 March 2020
This update was posted more than one month ago. Directions, policies, and safety measures may have changed during this time. To find the latest information, please consult the COVID-19 site or try searching the U of A website.
Posted: March 27, 9:30 a.m.
Implementing Credit (CR)/Non-Credit (NC) grading
We know that there are still questions about how instructors implement a Credit (CR)/Non-Credit (NC) grading scheme for the Winter 2020 term. There are already existing institutional policies that provide us guidance in this area. In particular the Assessment and Grading Policy, sets out the fundamental principles and core elements that characterize and guide the assessment of student performance and achievement in University of Alberta programming. This policy also recognizes the important role that faculties and departments can play in developing and providing guidelines to instructors in setting out a reasonable distribution of grades. The GFC-approved Evaluation and Grading Procedures in the University Calendar also provides clear guidance on these issues and highlights information on final grades and remarks that can be placed on the transcript. Information specific to graduate programs can be found here.
It is important to note that individual program requirements for grading may differ in cases where other grading standards have been put in place (e.g. professional programs that have minimum pass requirements) and those will be considered independently.
Changing Weighting on Final Exams and Course Assessments
Instructors can change the final exam weighting but should maintain a weighting consistent with the grading policy that states that the weighting of a final examination needs to be between 30% and 70% of the total grade. Any weighting reallocated to previous coursework can be redistributed provided that the relative weighting of assessments remains the same.
For example, in the original course syllabus if quizzes made up 10% of the total grade and a midterm was worth 20%, weighting moved from the final exam should be distributed in a way that still reflects the relative distribution between those two assessment mechanisms, i.e. the weighting of the midterm is double the weighting of the quizzes.
If adjusting the weighting of the final exam or final assessment below 30% makes sense in your course, please reach out to your Chair (or Associate Dean in non departmentalized Faculties) before adjusting in order to discuss.
Deadline for Submitting Grades
As outlined in the Notification of Results section of the University Calendar, grades must be approved within 5 working days of the final examination, or (for courses with no final exam) within 5 working days of the due date of the final assignment.