Purpose of evaluation:
Keep in mind that evaluation should be aimed at
helping students, not as a method of weeding out. Do not rely solely on tests for evaluation. Remember that we all learn differently. Some students might shine on an essay or a presentation but freeze during an examination and the opposite may also be true.
Once you have set the criteria for evaluation and the student has been informed through the course outline in the section entitled Evaluation Criteria, it is your responsibility to follow that criteria. If you want to make any changes, you must get approval from the dean and once the course outline has been distributed to students, changes should only be considered when absolutely essential.
Students require frequent feedback on their progress in order to stay on track. It is expected that students will receive at least one progress report/evaluation prior to final evaluation.
Academic Council Marks Policies
1. Faculty should not bell-curve marks.
Rationale:
Pedagogically, student assessment should be designed in such a fashion as to test the average student based on the material taught in the course. There should, therefore, be no need to bell-curve marks.
2. Two status reports to every student in every course each semester must be made available to the student. First year students will continue to receive interim grade reports.
Rationale:
Students should be made aware of their progress at least once during a school term. The manner in which the mark is disclosed to the student is entirely up to the professor of the course, however, as a result of these recommendations, electronic submission may be possible.
3. A final grade should be rounded up on 0.5 or higher and rounded down for less than 0.5 (example - 78.5 becomes 79 and 78.3 becomes 78).
Rationale:
This is a standard mark accounting process as substantiated by the faculty survey.
4. No mark should be rounded down with the exception of marks with the decimal lower than 5.
Rationale:
An overwhelming majority of those surveyed felt that student marks should not be rounded down. Students can keep track of their own marks and the professor/college can be placed in a challenge (appeal) situation if a mark is lower than the actual calculated mark.
5. For any marks recorded as INC (incomplete), there must be sufficient backup supplied at the time of the mark submission. There will be a form available for faculty members that submit incomplete marks that will be used to submit the backup information. After a maximum of 60 days, the mark will revert to the standing at the time of mark submission. (Example - a student receives an INC with backup documentation of 42% at the time of the incomplete mark. After 60 days with no change to the student's mark, the student will receive the 42% as their final mark.
Rationale:
Our present college marks database allows for INC marks to be recorded. At the end of sixty days, the mark reverts to zero. In order to adjust the mark accordingly, it may be necessary for someone other than the originating professor (due to attrition) to adjust the mark. With the appropriate backup documentation in place, this process can be facilitated efficiently and with student satisfaction.
6. A mark earned stays as originally calculated except under the following circumstances:
Appropriate documentation must be submitted and reviewed by the program team and/or the dean.
Rationale:
Marks are transparent and students know what their mark should be. Altering the mark could lead to distrust and potential appeals.
7. All marks at a GPA breakpoint (such as 49, 54, 59, 64, 69, etc) will be left as calculated as per recommendation 6. However, faculty members, programs teams and/or the deans will review all marks for graduating students in an attempt to ensure that deserving students will have an opportunity to graduate from their program with an appropriate GPA.
Rationale:
In the survey, faculty members indicated that they would like some flexibility. Faculty would like to reward students who consistently participate actively. Students who are very close to graduation GPA will be given extra consideration.
8. Participation/discretionary marks (maximum of 10%) will be continued but criteria for achieving those marks must be specified.
Rationale:
Faculty members will have an opportunity to reward students who are actively participating in class. Students will understand how these marks are calculated.
9. Any exception to these policies must be determined and reviewed by a program team and/or the dean.
Rationale:
In order to provide for flexibility within the marks policies, any hard rule should be capable of examination by those involved in the marking process. This includes the professor, the program team and/or the school dean.