Grading and Course Resources | College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences | The University of Vermont(title)

Grading & Roster Management FAQ's

Grading Deadlines

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Grades must be reported to the Registrar’s Office (via myUVM) as soon as possible after the course is completed but not later than 72 hours after the final examination for that course. If the final exam is on the Friday of exam week, grades are due by noon on the following Tuesday.

Grade Appeals

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A student who believes that s/he has received an unfair course grade should first contact the registrar’s office to verify that the grade submitted by the instructor is the same grade the registrar has recorded. If the grade has been recorded correctly, the student should next contact the instructor, department chair (or the chair designate in academic units that do not have chairs), and dean of the college/school in which the course is offered (in that order) to discuss the matter.

The following deadlines must be observed by the student who wishes to appeal a grade (though extensions may be granted by the dean of the college or school offering the course). The student should contact the instructor as soon as possible, and no later than the tenth day of instruction of the fall or spring semester following the assignment of the grade in question.

Grade Appeals Policy (PDF).

UVM Final Exam Policies

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Complete Exams and Grading Policies (current catalogue year)

No course may conduct more than one in-class exam or test during the last two weeks of the semester (the week before finals week and the week of finals).

The time and place of each final exam are determined by the registrar under the direction of the Faculty Senate and a schedule is circulated and posted. Any change in the scheduled time or place may be requested by the chair of the department concerned when conditions seem to warrant such special arrangement. The decision on such requests rests with the registrar.

Students having a conflict in their final exam schedule must notify the faculty concerned of such a conflict not later than the close of business one week before the last day of classes for the semester in which the conflict arises.

Students who are absent from a final exam for any reason must report that fact and the reason, in writing, to their instructor within 24 hours. If the absence is due to any situation beyond the reasonable control of the student (e.g., illness or family tragedy), the instructor must provide the student with the opportunity to complete the course requirements. At the instructor’s discretion, this may be an exam or some other suitable project. The instructor may require evidence in support of the student’s reason for absence.

If the absence is not reported as provided above or is not excused by the instructor, the exam is regarded as failed.

No student shall be required to take four or more final exams in one 36-hour period.

If a student has four or more proctored in-class final assessments in 36 hours then, unless a mutually agreeable alternative time can be reached by the student and one instructor, the make-up will be scheduled for the next day after the regularly-scheduled exam. These considerations are subject to the constraints that all exams will be given in the final exam period and all conflicts must be resolved before the start of the final exam period.

Students will select which of the four exams they wish to take at an alternative time. In cases where the instructors in all four sections feel it is impossible to give the exam at an alternative time, and all conflicts are in the same academic unit, the appropriate dean's office, in consultation with the faculty involved, will establish which of the four exams will be taken as a make-up. If the unresolved conflict involves more than one college, the deans of the units in question will resolve the matter. If the deans involved cannot reach an agreement, then a person from the provost's office will establish which of the four exams will be taken as a make-up.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I give a student a registration override?
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Within myUVM, click on the ‘Registration Override’ button located in the ‘My Classes’ channel on the ‘Teaching’ tab. Choose the appropriate term from the drop-down menu and click ‘Select Term’. Choose the appropriate course from the ‘Course (CRN)’ drop-down menu. Enter the student's netID or 95 number. Choose the appropriate override from the ‘Override Action’ dropdown menu. Click ‘Perform Action’. Students then need to go to the registration add/drop page and enter the 5-digit CRN directly in that field and press ‘Submit Changes’. They will not be able to register via the ‘Look Up Classes to Add’ process.

How do I know what type of override to give?
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You need to ascertain why the student cannot register. Is the course full, requiring a ‘Capacity’ override? (Note that capacity overrides should only be given if the classroom is not yet at capacity). Or is there a restriction on the course based on class, program, college, etc.? Or is it past the first five days of the add/drop period, requiring an ‘Instructor Permission’ override? Students should be able to tell you what kind of error message they are receiving, which will in turn inform you what kind of override you should process if appropriate.

How do I add a student to my course roster?
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As much as possible, students should manage their own schedules, doing the adding and dropping classes themselves. In rare cases when a student needs to add the class after the add/drop period is over, this action must be completed by the instructor of record. CEMS Student Services does not have the ability to add students beyond the add/drop deadline. Within myUVM, click the ‘Add student to roster’ at the bottom of the class roster. (The button only displays when students are not able to add the class themselves). You’ll need the student’s netID or 95#. Students’ netIDs are available in the UVM directory.

How do I disenroll a student from my class?
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DURING THE ADD/DROP PERIOD:

Disenrollment can be completed through the class roster in myUVM. Click ‘Request’ in the Enrollment Change column for the student you wish to disenroll. Choose the disenrollment reason: ‘Did not meet prerequisites’ or ‘Did not meet attendance requirement’ and click submit. The student will immediately be dropped from the class. If you mistakenly disenroll the incorrect student, that student will have to register for the course again. If it is after the fifth day of class, you will need to give the student an override so he/she can re-register. The disenrollment option is only valid through the drop date of the course.

END OF ADD/DROP THROUGH END OF TERM

After the add/drop period, students can only be disenrolled for having ‘never attended’ the class.

AFTER GRADES HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED

Within the Grading Tab in myUVM, click on ‘Submit Grade Change’. Select the appropriate term, then the appropriate course. Go to ‘Enter Exception Request’ on the bottom right-hand side of the page. Enter grade ‘NA’ and note that the student never attended the course.

How do I change the number of credits in a variable credit course?
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You can change the credit value of a variable credit course for individual students through the class roster in myUVM. Click ‘Request’ in the Enrollment Change column for the student whose enrollment status you wish to change. Select the ‘Credit Change’ option and indicate the number of credits in which the student should be enrolled.

How do I change the section in which the student is enrolled?
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Click ‘Request’ in the Enrollment Change column for the student whose enrollment status you wish to change. Select the ‘Section Change’ option and indicate the section in which the student should be enrolled. You may use the appropriate section letter (e.g. section C) or CRN (e.g. 91976).

How do I assign an Incomplete?
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The first step is to ensure that the student’s particular situation warrants an Incomplete. The University’s Incomplete policy—as approved by Faculty Senate—is as follows:

INC: This grade may be assigned when coursework is not completed for reasons beyond the student's control. Incompletes require the approval of the student's Dean*. The incomplete course requirement will be satisfied at the earliest possible date, but not longer than the beginning of the corresponding semester of the next academic year. In cases of laboratory assignments, the student must complete all work the first time that the laboratory experience is offered again. Instructors will fill out an electronic incomplete grade exception request to the student's Dean* and include the reason for the incomplete as well as the completion date agreed to by the student and instructor. It is the student's responsibility to learn from the student's Dean* whether the request has been approved, the expected date of completion, and, from the instructor, the nature of all outstanding requirements. Incompletes may be approved for the following reasons: medical, personal tragedy or academic.
*For the purposes of this policy, the student’s ‘Dean’ is typically the Office of Student Services in the student’s home college.

Incompletes should not be assigned when a student has stopped attending and has not been in touch with you about the circumstances. Incompletes should also not be assigned when a student’s circumstances are well within the student’s control. You should consult with CEMS Student Services about the reason for the Incomplete, and to discuss whether the Incomplete will be approved. You should also refer the student to CEMS Student Services.

Before the Incomplete, you should discuss a deadline and default grade with the student and CEMS Student Services. You will then enter said deadline and default grade when grading the student in myUVM. The deadline should be the earliest possible date, but no later than the beginning of the corresponding semester of the next academic year. The default grade is the grade the student will earn if the student does not satisfy the course requirements. The Incomplete will automatically revert to the default grade if you do not enter a grade change request by the deadline.

When and how can a student withdraw from my class?
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UNIVERSITY WITHDRAWAL POLICY

The student must act in accordance with the University’s withdrawal policy as approved by Faculty Senate. The withdrawal policy is as follows:

From the eleventh day of instruction until the second business day after the 60% point in the semester^, students may withdraw from courses. To do so, students must use the registration system to withdraw from the course. The student's advisor(s) and dean(s)* will be notified. The instructor(s) will be aware of the withdrawal by the Withdraw status on the class roster and the presence of a grade of W on the grade roster. Between the second business day after the 60% point in the semester and the last day of classes, students may withdraw from one or more courses only by demonstrating to their college/school studies committee, through a written petition, that they are unable to continue in the courses(s) due to circumstances beyond their control. Such petition must contain conclusive evidence, properly documented, of the illness or other situation preventing completion of the course(s). Acceptable reasons do not include dissatisfaction with performance or expected grade, dissatisfaction with the course or instructor, or desire to change major or program. If the petition is approved, a grade of W will be assigned and recorded on the student's permanent record. If the petition is denied, the instructor(s) will assign a final grade (A-F) in accordance with the same criteria applied to all other students in the course(s).
^Withdrawal periods for summer courses differ on a course-by-course basis. Withdrawal dates are published for each section on the class schedule listing page.
*For the purposes of this policy, the student’s ‘Dean’ is typically the Office of Student Services in the student’s home college.

PRACTICES IN CEMS

Late and retroactive withdrawals are only approved when extenuating circumstances are present. The CEMS Studies Committee governs the late and retroactive withdrawal processes for CEMS students. Currently, the guidelines are as follows:

REQUESTS FOR LATE/RETROACTIVE WITHDRAWALS – NON-MEDICAL

The CEMS Studies Committee will review all non-medical late and retroactive full and partial withdrawal requests on a case-by-case basis. The student must demonstrate that they are unable to continue in the courses(s) due to circumstances beyond their control, e.g. a family emergency or personal tragedy.

 REQUESTS FOR LATE/RETROACTIVE WITHDRAWALS – MEDICAL

If a student wishes to withdraw for medical and/or disability-related reasons from one or more course(s) – or from all courses, i.e. from the University – after the withdrawal deadline, personnel from the Center for Health & Wellbeing (Student Health or Counseling & Psychiatry Services) or Student Accessibility Services must confirm that the student has a condition that warrants consideration for a late withdrawal. The student should be advised to meet with CEMS Student Services to initiate the appropriate paperwork. If the student has been meeting with a third-party provider, the student will need to provide additional documentation. 

Additional information on the medical withdrawal process may be found here.

If Student Health, CAPS or SAS sign off on the late medical withdrawal request, CEMS Student Services will process the request. Medically-confirmed retroactive full medical withdrawal requests will also be processed. Any retroactive requests for individual course or partial medical withdrawals will be reviewed and approved or denied by the CEMS Studies Committee.

How do I submit grades?

CEMS Schedule of Courses - Process & Responsibilities

Department Admins & Chairs: Initial Schedule Build (~6 Weeks)
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Schedule from the corresponding semester of the previous year rolls over in Banner form SWCSCHD. The version of the schedule that rolls is the final version, not the initial schedule build. For example, the end-of-term version of 201809 (fall 2018) is copied to create the draft version of 201909 (fall 2019).

The Registrar’s Office notifies departments and Deans' Offices when the schedule has been rolled and sets deadlines and the overall timeline for the remainder of the process.

Departments (Chairs and Admins) edit the SOC (through SWCSCHD) and enter new information for the subsequent term. SWCSCHD typically closes to departments at the end of the first week of a given semester for the subsequent semester. For example, the SOC for 202001 (spring 2020) closes to departments at the end of the first week of classes for 201909 (fall 2019).

Note: CEE is responsible for scheduling and entering courses with the ENGR prefix; ME is responsible for the EMGT prefix; the Complex Systems group is responsible for the CSYS prefix.

CEMS Dean's Office: CEMS Prefix, Crosslist Checking, Student & Local Room Conflicts (~2 Weeks)
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CEMS DO schedules and facilitates a SOC meeting with all chairs early in the DO schedule review phase. The purpose of the meeting is to identify and resolve issues efficiently (i.e. with everyone in the same room). Issues may include conflicts, negotiating capacities, and inconsistencies in cross-listed course entries, resolving typos and other oddities in the SOC, etc.

CEMS DO enters/edits any "CEMS" prefix courses (e.g. CEMS 101, CEMS 290).

CEMS DO identifies cross-listed courses and works with Chairs

The CEMS DO examines the collective schedule through the lenses of both traditional and off-cycle students, ensuring that requested meeting patterns allow typical schedules to be built. CEMS DO works with Chairs to resolve conflicts that were either not identified or resolved during the conflict resolution meeting. For example, if all ME sophomores have a conflict with MATH 271, CEMS SS works with ME and MATH Chairs to move course(s) from one or both departments.

CEMS DO identifies opportunities to manage conflicts by restricting enrollments by section. For example, if EE sophomores have conflicts with all but one section of MATH 121, an initial restriction of EE majors only on the section that fits into their schedule may be added in order to prevent those with more flexibility from taking seats from those with less.

CEMS DO views the requests for all locally-controlled CEMS rooms – Innovation E204, Votey 229 & Perkins 108 – through the Votey computer lab schedules website. If there are conflicts, CEMS DO works with appropriate department Chairs to resolve them.

SWCSCHD typically closes to Deans’ Offices at the end of the third week of a given semester for the subsequent semester. (CEMS DO has access for two weeks after departmental access ends).

Registrar’s Office: Soc Review, Hardcoding Restrictions/Prerequisites/Fees (~2 Weeks)
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Registrar’s Office reviews information entered into SWCSCHD and contacts departments and/or CEMS DO with any questions.

RO hardcodes restrictions on courses that have been entered into comments. Prerequisites (whether in the initial comments or not) and fees are also hardcoded at this point.

IMPORTANT: Requested changes to the SOC are put on hold until this process is complete.

Departments & CEMS Dean's Office: Proofing (~2 Days)
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Departments and Deans’ Offices have the opportunity to proof the schedule after the RO review to ensure requests are accurately reflected.

Departments and CEMS DO can request changes to the schedule during the proofing phase, and they will be processed immediately. Any changes requested during the RO review phase are processed during proofing.

Proofing is only open for two days and is a critically important step. It typically occurs in early October (for the following spring’s SOC) and mid-February (for the following fall’s SOC). 

Registrar’s Office: Classroom Scheduling (~3 Weeks)
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RO pre-assigns classrooms for faculty with ADA letters on file with HR.

RO reaches out to academic units to address supply/demand issues, particularly for large classrooms during primetime.

RO meets with Deans' Offices to clarify issues, often around common hour midterm exams, recitation sections, and other unusual meeting patterns.

After the scheduling software is run, RO provides the CEMS DO with a list of all of the courses that are scheduled in General Purpose (GP) rooms and all courses that “fell out” of the room scheduling process, i.e. could not be scheduled.

IMPORTANT: Requested changes to the SOC are put on hold until this process is complete.

The Schedule of Courses is typically posted at this point without classroom information.

CEMS Dean's Office: Classroom Assignment Review (~1 Week)
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CEMS DO has the opportunity to review room assignments and make internal swaps before assignments are released to faculty.

CEMS SS follows up on all “fallouts”, working with Chairs to change meeting patterns and/or capacities, add sections, etc.

Faculty & Chairs: Classroom Assignment Review (~1 Week)
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Department Chairs and faculty review classroom assignments. Change requests should be submitted through the appropriate forms in myUVM as soon as possible to maximize options.

Faculty and Admins can submit change requests themselves through their myUVM accounts. (Faculty-initiated change requests go to Department Chairs, who must approve them by forwarding them to CEMS DO).

Department Chair-initiated change requests are automatically sent to CEMS DO.

Responsibilities

Department Admin Responsibilities
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Initial Schedule Entry Into Banner

COMMENTS
ROOM REQUESTS
  • Avoid internal room request conflicts, e.g. CE 001 and CE 170 MWF 12:00-12:50 in Votey 207.
  • Room requests are not required. It is possible to request a particular building without requesting a room or leave both the building and room fields blank. (Note that the ‘NSM’ code will display).
COMMON HOUR EXAMS
  • If possible, request and enter only specific dates/times (e.g. October 4 & November 8, 6-8 PM)
  • Request same day of week to minimize impact on student schedules.
MULTIPLE MEETING PATTERNS (E.G. EE 141)
  • Enter both meeting patterns for course on separate lines in SWCSCHD (e.g. MWF 1:10-2:00, R 4:05-5:20).
LECTURE/LAB COMBINATIONS (E.G. EE 120)
  • If there is only one lecture and one lab, enter both the lecture and lab meeting patterns for the course on separate lines in SWCSCHD.
  • If there are multiple lab options, they should be set for 0 credits and listed as L01, L02, etc. or A01, A02, etc.
PROOFING DURING TWO-DAY PROOFING PERIOD AND REQUESTING APPROPRIATE CHANGES
  • Print final schedule prior to CEMS DO and RO review and proof against it.
  • Proof against initial schedule in format submitted by Chair.
  • If there are inconsistencies or other items of concern, communicate them to Chair.
  • Check that RO has cleared out comments that aren’t intended for/helpful to students.
SUBMITTING ROOM AND SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS (ON BEHALF OF CHAIR AND/OR FACULTY) THROUGHOUT THE SOC LIFECYCLE
Department Chair Responsibilities
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GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
  • In an effort to keep average class size low, split classes before they reach an enrollment cap of 70.
  • Convey all PTL and overload requests to the DO.
RESTRICTIONS: WHO CAN REGISTER?
  • Do you want to open a given course to students outside of your program/college?
  • Some courses, e.g. MATH 015, MATH 018 have intended audiences in other units. Communicate with them about restrictions and expected enrollments.
  • Don’t forget the interdisciplinary programs: Data Science, ENGR (BA/BS) and EMGT.
SETTING REALISTIC CAPACITIES
  • Overestimating capacities maximizes the number of sections that can be scheduled into the meeting patterns being requested. (This is particularly true for large sections with enrollments of 70 or greater).
  • Underestimating capacities leads to late requests to find larger rooms or split classes, which isn’t always possible.
  • If you are offering any x-listed courses, negotiate with your counterpart in the other department(s) offering the course regarding the breakdown of seats for each of the x-list iterations. For example, if ME and EE 295 are x-listed and the total capacity of the course is 30, how many seats should be in the ME version and how many in the EE version? (NOTE: If the overall cap is set at X and each section is also set at X, students are able to register for either course until the overall cap is met).
REVIEWING RELEVANT DATA TO SET CAPACITIES
  • Examine current enrollments in feeder courses.
  • Examine the relationships between feeder and subsequent courses from year-to-year, e.g. what % of students in fall ME 040 sections go onto ME 042 in the spring?
  • Use the Enrollment Summary report in the Schedule of Courses Tools section of the Dean/Chair tab, which allows you to compare course enrollments across terms. 
SPREADING OUT COURSE OFFERINGS OVER ALL MEETING PATTERNS
  • There are enough rooms to accommodate sections if all meeting patterns are used. Limit requests for non-standard meeting patterns, particularly in GP rooms.
  • Schedule larger, required courses in non-primetime meeting patterns.
  • Use the Course Distribution tab in myUVM to view distribution of courses across the day.
  • Set 50/50 primetime/non-primetime as the goal for your department.
ROOM REQUESTS
  • Match room requests with capacity needs.
  • An enrollment cap set at room cap will result in the scheduling software giving priority to a CEMS class versus another class competing for the same space with a lower enrollment cap.
  • Use Virtual EMS to view capacities, technology specs and photographs of the space.
  • Use the Warrington Room Finder Tool to find rooms that aren’t being requested during a given timeslot.     
  • Convey to faculty that room requests during the initial stages of the SOC process are only requests – they are not assignments!
CEMS Dean’s Office Responsibilities
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Initial entry of courses using CEMS subject code.

Examining schedule through student lens; working with appropriate Chairs to resolve student conflicts.

Looking for opportunities to manage conflicts by restricting enrollments by section; communicating about and enforcing restrictions.

After the room scheduling run, work with Chairs to resolve courses that “fall out”.

Advising Chairs on courses to offer during summer sessions and how to maximize summer enrollments (e.g. offering courses in succession; offering lower division courses online).

Collaborating with CDE on marketing for CEMS summer courses.

Liaising with RO on faculty and student ADA issues that have SOC implications.

Working with Chairs and RO on Block Scheduling process for FTFY students.

Ongoing maintenance of SOC, including:

  • Monitoring enrollments and communicating issues to Chairs; working with Chairs and Dean to develop solutions for full sections, such as adding additional capacity, changing rooms, and/or adding sections.
  • Adjusting capacities, personnel, and comments. NOTE: Any x-listed course capacities must be adjusted by the RO, and thus may have a longer turnaround time.
  • Negotiating internal room swaps with appropriate Chairs.
  • Working with Chairs and Dean to make adjustments to the SOC due to sabbaticals, retirements, resignations, medical leaves, and other unforeseen circumstances & personnel changes.
  • Advising Chairs, Admins, and faculty on SOC processes.

Online SOC Resources

Resources Tab (MyUVM)
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  • Room change request for faculty & Admins

Dean/Chair Tab (MyUVM) — Schedule Of Courses Tools
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  • Proof courses
  • Section change request form
  • New section request form
  • Room change request form
  • Link to GP classroom information (from EMS)
  • Standard meeting patterns
  • SWCSCHD Banner form instructions
Course Distribution Tab (MyUVM)
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  • Displays course distribution across prime-time & non prime-time meeting patterns.
  • Displays MWF versus TR meeting patterns.
Research and Graduate Resources
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The CEMS Research and Graduate Resources Sharepoint drive is where you will find the latest policies and forms to help you manage your research and graduate student employment-related needs.  Here is the link: CEMS Research and Graduate Resources - Home (sharepoint.com) *Please note, that for security, participants must be added individually to have access to the site.  If you do not have access, please email jane.kimble@uvm.edu and request access.

When you are ready to submit completed appointment forms for administrative processing and for other related support, please send them to cems.research@uvm.edu.  Once you submit a request, you will receive confirmation so you don’t need to worry about where your request is or who is handling it.