Grades and Grading
Instructions
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Midterm grades
Midterm grading is an important retention tool. Providing early feedback to students gives them a sense of how they are doing in your course and lets them know where they may need to make adjustments while they still have time to do so. These grades are monitored by advisors who will reach out to students struggling academically.
Midterm grade sheets open on the first day of the semester. Those grades will be available to students in goWMU or on the WMU mobile app as soon as an instructor enters midterm grades and hits the submit button.
Midterm grades are not part of a student鈥檚 academic history at WMU. They will not appear on any WMU transcript, nor will they be part of a GPA at WMU. Instructors should use the "X" grade for students who have never attended or have stopped attending a course. Those instructors choosing to submit midterm grades should let their students know when they submit the midterms so that students will know to look for them. If an instructor makes an error in submitting a grade that grade can be changed online through the end of the midterm grading period.
Final grades
Grades are due by noon on Tuesday immediately following the end of each semester or session. The final grade worksheet becomes unavailable for grade submission at noon. Students will not be able to see their grades online until the grade roll process is completed in the Registrar鈥檚 Office. This is done shortly after noon on the day grades are due and nightly thereafter.
Grades not submitted on time can cause problems for student graduation, financial aid and academic standing. A list of instructors who do not meet the grade deadline will be sent to the Provost on Tuesday afternoon. Instructors should not provide additional work to students after the semester has ended and after a final grade has been assigned.
The difference between E and X
A grade of "E" should be used as a failing grade. A grade of "X" should be used when a student either never attended or ceased attending and is not eligible for an incomplete. Both the "E" and "X" grades count as a 0.0 in a student鈥檚 GPA.
Last date of attendance
When submitting final grades of "E" or "X" instructors will be required to enter the last date the student attended class or the last date of recorded academic activity. Instructors will be prompted to enter a valid date that is between the start and end date of the semester. In cases where the student does not come to even one class session or does not complete any work, the first day of the semester should be used.
Grading guidelines
| Grade | Honor points | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | Outstanding, exceptional, extraordinary |
| BA | 3.5 | |
| B | 3.0 | Very good, high pass |
| CB | 2.5 | |
| C | 2.0 | Satisfactory, acceptable, adequate |
| DC | 1.5 | |
| D | 1.0 | Poor |
| E | 0.0 | Failing |
| X | 0.0 | Failure (unofficial withdrawal) |
| I | Incomplete | |
| CR | Credit | |
| NC | No credit | |
| AU | Audit (noncredit enrollment) |
When to give an incomplete
An incomplete grade is a temporary grade given for reasons beyond the control of the student and should not be given as a substitute for a failing grade. Students receiving an incomplete grade must not re-register for the class. Only the instructor who assigned an incomplete can remove it.
To assign an incomplete grade, choose the letter grade "I" on the final grade worksheet and submit. Report the incomplete using the Report of Incomplete Work form located in the faculty services menu in goWMU. This form documents the work that the student is to complete. A copy will go to the instructor, the student, and the Registrar鈥檚 Office.
A student has one year from the time the incomplete is given to make up the work and have the grade of I replaced. After one year the incomplete grade will be converted to an E for undergraduate students and an X for graduate students. The instructor can designate a shorter time than one year if desired.
Extensions beyond the one-year deadline are granted in a situation where the instructor is convinced that the student should be given more time to complete the work. The instructor should email the Registrar鈥檚 office with an extension request. Instructors receive notification from the Registrar鈥檚 Office about six weeks before all incompletes they have granted expire.
Grade changes
The change of grade process is completely electronic. It operates much the same as the removal of an incomplete grade process except that the request is routed to the department chair for approval or denial. Once your department chair has completed processing the request it goes to the Registrar鈥檚 Office for processing.
Faculty who determine鈥攐utside of the student course grade appeal process鈥攖hat an error was made in the assignment of a grade must submit a grade change within one calendar year of the original grade assignment and must provide a rationale for the change.
Log in to goWMU with your Bronco NetID and password at .
- Click the "Apps" navigation item in the top menu bar.
- Scroll down to the "For Faculty and Staff" app list and select the "Faculty/Advisor Self-Service" link.
- Click the "Removal of Incomplete Grade/Change of Grade Form" link and follow the prompts.
You can also find the forms by using the search bar. Simply search 鈥済rade change鈥 and click the article.