A112: Course Grade System

DEFINITIONS

Credit Unit: A value assigned to every course based on the method of instruction and course hours. The Credit Unit is used in the calculation of the grade point average (GPA). (See Standard 1.)

Cumulative GPA: The grade point average assigned to a student based on the Weighted GPA Average of the course grades in the program curriculum up to that point.

External Credit: Credit granted by the College for one Fanshawe College course on the basis of previous post-secondary academic achievement at another recognized institution or as defined in an approved articulation agreement.

Internal Credit: Credit granted by the College for one Fanshawe College course on the basis of previous credit achieved in a different Fanshawe College course(s).

Term GPA: The grade point average that is assigned to a student at the completion of a term and is based on the Weighted GPA Average of the grades for courses completed in that term.

Transcript: The official record of a student's graded activity at the College that includes all graded activity, all program activity, all academic standings, a credential statement, and certain honours awarded to the student.

Weighted GPA Average: A weighted average for a group of courses of the grade achieved and the Credit Units assigned to the course.

POLICY

The College will utilize one grading system that is established in a clear and consistent manner.

Scope

The course grade system is used in all courses where student achievement is graded.

Administration

Associated addenda to this policy may be amended by authority of the Policy Sponsor.

REFERENCES

College Policy

• A101: Accommodation of Applicants and Students with Disabilities
• A102: Post-Secondary Academic Calendar
• A105: Academic Standing
• A106: Academic Withdrawal and Termination
• A122: Graduation from Approved College Programs
• A124: Recognition of Prior Learning
• A128: Student Appeals

ADDENDA

• Standard 1: Grade Designations
• Standard 2: Overview of The Credit Units System
• Standard 3: Definitions for Instructional Methods
• Standard 4: Credit Weighting for Instructional Method Types

Standard 1: GRADE DESIGNATIONS

Issued by: Sr. Vice-President, Academic

Effective: 2024-09-01

PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to establish the College's grade designations

LETTER GRADES AND SYMBOLS

Letter Grades and Symbols

One of the following letters or symbols are reported at the appropriate time for the official record for every student enrolled in a course.

* Some programs/courses may require more than 50% achievement in order to receive the 'P' grade.

The minimum grade to pass a course is 50% unless otherwise approved by the Sr. Vice-President Academic.

A statement identifying a course as "Graded" or "Pass/Fail" is required. Only the grades of A+, A, B, B+, C, C+, D, D+, and F will be used in the calculation of both the Term and Cumulative GPAs. In the case where a student has retaken a course, the highest grade achieved will be used to calculate the Cumulative GPA (see section 2.2 for re-take rules).

Internal Credits and External Credits are not used in GPA calculations.

Credit achieved through Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition will display on the student's transcript as described in policy A124: Recognition of Prior Learning, and will be used in the Cumulative GPA calculation as appropriate.

An 'I' (Incomplete) grade is assigned only in extraordinary circumstances when a final grade is not available during the official reporting period. The professor submits an 'I' grade in cases where they assign a later deadline for a final assignment or schedule a supplemental examination.

• To support a student-centred philosophy, the professor is encouraged to replace the 'I' grade with a passing or failing grade by the "refund date" of the subsequent term or an equivalent date. The deadline for 'I' grade conversion will be the "withdrawal without academic penalty date" of the subsequent term or an equivalent date at which time it will be automatically converted to an 'F' grade. The Academic Manager and Registrar or designates must approve any exception to this deadline.
• While an 'I' grade in a prerequisite course does not prevent a student from enrolling in a subsequent course, an 'I' grade replaced by an 'F' grade in that prerequisite course will result in withdrawal of the student from the subsequent course.
• Please refer to policy A101: Accommodation of Applicants and Students with Disabilities, policy A106: Academic Withdrawal and Termination, and policy A105: Academic Standing for additional information.

An 'F' grade is a failing grade and can only be upgraded based on section 2.3. A failing grade submitted in error can be corrected only on the authorization of the course Academic Manager or designate.

• In clinical, field placement, or other experiential learning, an 'F' grade may be assigned at any time during the duration of the course. This may occur if the student's performance in the course is deemed to be detrimental to the student, to other students, to the well-being of third parties in a practicum arrangement, or to the well-being of the College.
• Where a student has received an 'F,' and there is a co-requisite course, the student is not allowed to proceed in this course and is assigned a 'W' grade. Where the student is enrolled in other courses, the student is allowed to proceed in these courses. The 'F' grade assigned may not be superseded by the 'W' grade.

The symbol '–' (dash), meaning 'in progress,' is recorded for each student enrolled in a course.

The grade 'P' (Pass) is used in reporting the successful completion of a course specifically designated by the Lead Academic Manager of the course as a course which will operate in the pass-fail mode. The grade 'P' is the only grade indicating successful completion that may be used in connection with such courses. The grade 'F' (Unsatisfactory) is used to report failure in such courses. The grade 'P' (Pass) is also used to report Prior Learning Acceptance and Recognition (PLAR) credits where the regular grading system cannot be used. Some programs and/or courses may require more than a 50% achievement in order to receive the 'P' grade.

The symbol 'W' (Withdrawn) is used to record the fact that a student has withdrawn from a course during the period established for this activity.

The symbol 'X' (Audit Status) is used to report the fact that a student has enrolled in a course on an audit basis. Enrolment on an audit basis entitles a student to attend classes, but it does not entitle the student to have assignments or tests evaluated or other wise to make demands on the professor's time. Credit standing cannot be granted as the result of enrolment on an audit basis and consequently a letter grade cannot be reported.

Students may change their status from audit to credit or vice-versa by agreement with the professor before the deadline to change their full or part-time status, or, in the case of courses offered through Continuing Education, before the conclusion of the third class meeting.

Repeating a Course

A student may repeat a course for the second time. The third time a student attempts to take a course, the attempt must be approved by the Academic Manager or designate and is granted based on extenuating circumstances and with recommended interventions such as counselling and/or a learning contract.

Subsequent repeat opportunities will only be available as part of an overall success strategy developed in consultation with the student, the academic area, and subject to any associated program accreditations.

The best grade achieved is used in calculating the Cumulative GPA.

Upgrading Opportunities

A final course grade may only be upgraded to either improve a failing grade or the cumulative program GPA to meet the minimum graduation requirements. Refer to Policy A122: Graduation from Approved College Programs.

Principles:

• Not all courses are eligible for upgrading opportunities. If a course is eligible for upgrading, it will be stated in the course outline.
• Students wishing to transfer from their current program to another program may be provided upgrading opportunities beyond the conditions stated in this section for identified transferable course(s), at the discretion of the Academic Manager or designate.
• Students may submit a petition to the Office of the Registrar, through the prescribed form, which will adjudicate the validity of the request. The completion of the upgrade will be determined by the student's Academic Manager or designate.

Improve a failing grade:

• The failing grade must be within 10% of the minimum passing grade.
• Students are allowed to continue progressing and attending classes pending the outcome of the upgrading opportunity.
• Upgrading opportunities will normally be provided within 14 calendar days (excluding holidays as defined in the academic calendar) of the award of the failing grade.

Improve the program Cumulative GPA to meet the minimum graduation requirement:

• The upgrading opportunity must be part of an overall student success plan developed between the student and the Program Coordinator and designed to upgrade the GPA.
• The upgrading opportunity is normally available when the Cumulative GPA is between 1.90 and 2.0, or in the case of Degrees, between 1.95 and 2.5.
• Should the original grade be better than that awarded through the upgrading opportunity, the original grade is used.

Assignment of Grades

The assignment of a grade is the responsibility of the "professor of record" for the course section as shown in the student information system. The professor of record is the professor assigned to teach the course. Where more than one person is assigned to teach a course section, one of the professors of the team will be designated as the professor of record by the Academic Manager of the course school or campus.

• Professors' records of student grades for tests, assignments, progress reports, anecdotal notes and other activities on which end-of-term grades are based must be retained for at least one year after use. If the records are accessed for an appeal, 'I' grade, or any other official purpose, the records must be retained for one year after the last actual use of the records.
• A grade shall be assigned and entered, or changed and entered, only by or with the consent of the professor of record. In case of a formal grade appeal, the procedures outlined in A128: Student Academic Appeals shall be followed. In exceptional circumstances where a grade must be assigned or changed by the Academic Manager outside of the formal appeals process, the professor of record will be notified of the changed grade.
• Grades are assigned and entered by the professor of record within the period designated for this activity. Changes or corrections of assigned grades can be granted by the professor of record up to the refund date of the subsequent semester. This will result in a recalculation of both the Term GPA and the Cumulative GPA. Beyond that timeline, grade changes must be approved the Academic Manager.

Change of an "F" Grade for Compassionate or Extraordinary Circumstances

When a student is assigned an 'F' grade in a course or courses where they believe the failure to be as a result of compassionate or extraordinary circumstances beyond their legitimate control, they may apply for a change to that 'F' grade.

For an 'F' grade to be replaced by an 'N' (No Credit Achieved) symbol, one or more of the following criteria must be met:

1. The student was not able to officially withdraw from the course and receive a 'W';
2. The reasons for receiving the 'F' grade are judged by the College to be legitimately beyond the student's control for compassionate or extraordinary reasons; and
3. The student would normally have been successful before these circumstances presented.

A student who considers that they may be eligible to receive an 'N' symbol must complete the appropriate form and submit it to the Office of the Registrar according to the timelines in A128: Student Academic Appeals. The Registrar, in consultation with the appropriate academic unit, will render a decision.

Denial of an application under this section is subject to appeal in accordance with Policy A128: Student Academic Appeals.

Academic Record

The Office of the Registrar permanently records each course in which a student is officially enrolled after the final date for course enrolment has elapsed. The Office of the Registrar permanently holds a record of the final letter grade or symbol entered for each course. The transcript shows the student's entire record. This includes the final letter grade or symbol for each course in which the student was officially enrolled and both the term and Cumulative GPA. Definitions for all elements of the transcript are also included in the transcript.

Mid-Semester Report

A mid-semester report is made available to all full-time post-secondary students, summarizing their academic status in each course. The grade system used for mid-semester report is as follows:

S – Satisfactory

U – Unsatisfactory

Reporting a 'U' grade indicates the student is achieving less than a C grade at the time the mid-semester grade is assigned. Statements to assist the student to improve this grade are also included in the report.

For students in non-post-secondary programs, processes supporting this principle are implemented wherever possible. Mid-Semester grades are not permanently retained on the student's records and are not displayed on the student's transcript.

Standard 2: OVERVIEW OF THE CREDIT UNITS SYSTEM

Issued by: Sr. Vice-President, Academic

Effective: 2024-09-01

PURPOSE

The primary goal in assigning Credit Units to courses is to ensure that all the courses in a program are given an appropriate level of importance in the calculation of a student's GPA. Because many "hands-on" courses (such as studio, lab, or shop courses) are scheduled for a high number of hours in a program, weighting all types of courses equally would result in the lower number of lecture/tutorial/seminar courses (usually theoretical courses) being worth substantially less in the GPA calculation. Therefore, a system of differential weighting ensures that both types of courses receive appropriate weighting in the GPA calculation. To achieve this, courses will be assigned Credit Units using an initial formula based on total course hours and Instructional Method type. (See Definition of Instructional Methods at the end of this Standard.)

CREDIT UNITS SYSTEM

Credit Units are based on a range of delivery hours combined with the Instructional Method type. For example, the Instructional Method types Lectures (LEC), Tutorials (TUT), Small Group Tutorials (SGT), Seminars (SEM), or any combination of these instructional method types, would receive the following Credit Units:

For a complete list of the Instructional Method Types, see Standard C of this policy. For a complete list of Credit Units, see Standard 4.

Clinical and co-op placements are Pass/Fail only. Most field placements are also pass/fail, but a few existing field placements are letter graded. Clinical and field placement courses are assigned Credit Units, but unless letter graded, these courses will not be calculated into the GPA. Co-op placements are included in neither the credit weighting nor the GPA. Clinical courses are not letter-graded (Pass or Fail only) and, therefore, are not calculated in the GPA. However, clinical credits are included in the total credits required for the relevant certificate, diploma or degree programs.

Field placement courses fall into two subcategories, Field Experience and Field Placement:

Field Experience (FEX) courses are not supervised by College personnel and do not require work by students outside the actual placement. There is no rigorous assessment of the student. Therefore, a formula is used to reflect this lower level of activity. These courses are Pass/Fail, and therefore are not included in the GPA.

Field Placement (FPL) courses are supervised by College personnel, but not on an hour-for-hour basis. Usually, these courses do not require significant work on the part of the students outside of the actual placement hours. If a field placement is graded (at the discretion of the academic school or campus), it will be counted in the GPA. The formula selected for field placement courses reflects this higher level of activity.

Graduation requirements are specified for each program and include a credit total requirement. A one-year certificate program requires a minimum of 30 Credit Units; a two-year diploma, a minimum of 60 Credit Units; a three-year diploma a minimum of 90 Credit Units and a four-year applied degree a minimum of 120 Credit Units.

This credit weighting system is established based on instructional methods defined at a specific period in time. Recognizing that teaching and learning methodologies change and evolve, so must the credit weighting system described in this Standard. An Academic Manager may recommend a new instructional method to the Senior Vice-President, Academic. Should a change be appropriate, the Senior Vice-President, Academic, submits the change for the consideration of the Academic Policy Working group. As appropriate, a revised Standard is brought forward for College Council consideration.

Note that the table in this Standard may not precisely match the weighting required for a specific course. In such cases, the Academic Manager may request a modification from the Senior Vice-President, Academic, who authorizes the Registrar to implement the modification.

Standard 3: DEFINITIONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS

Issued by: Sr. Vice-President, Academic

Effective: 2024-09-01

Lecture (LEC): Professor-led delivery in which the focus is on theory rather than "hands-on" application. Could involve group work and other collaborative delivery techniques, as well as practice exercises designed to support the students' learning of theory. In this instructional method type, students are expected to do a substantial amount of additional work (preparation, readings and assignments) outside of scheduled class hours.

Tutorial (TUT): Combination of Professor-lead and student-lead delivery in a small group setting in which the focus is on learning theoretical material rather than hands-on application. Could involve group work and other collaborative delivery techniques, as well as practice exercises designed to support the students' learning of theory. Tutorials are usually subsections of a course in which there are a few common lecture hours attended by all students, and then students are assigned to one of several subsections (tutorials) for an additional few hours per week. Workload is similar to Lecture.

Seminar (SEM): Combination of Professor-lead and student-lead delivery in a small group setting in which the focus is on learning theoretical material rather than "hands-on" application. Seminar courses usually involve student presentations as part of the formal evaluation process. Seminars could be subsections of a course with a common lecture or they could be stand-alone courses. Workload is similar to Lecture.

Small Group Tutorial (SGT): Instruction that, for pedagogical reasons, must be provided to groups of fewer than ten students, and that will be provided in a setting in which individual students do not require access to specialized equipment. Work load is similar to Lecture.

Independent Learning (IND): Student contracts to complete tasks and assignments with minimal supervision. Student contact with College staff is limited to situations in which advice or a solution to specific problems is sought.

Laboratories (LAB) and Workshops (WKS) and Studios (STU): Scheduled hours of activities intended to give students "hands-on" experience. Refers to:

1. Activities in which individual students are required to utilize specialized equipment and facilities, or
2. Activities that are often unsupervised, although a technician or technologist may be available to troubleshoot technical problems, or
3. Laboratory, workshop, or studio situations in which students are normally expected to do the bulk of the work within the scheduled class hours, although completion of assignments may require some additional work outside of class.

Default credit weighting for LAB/WKS/STU is provided in the chart attached to Standard D.

Note 1: Where a Lab, Workshop or Studio is Faculty-supervised and involves a structured learning experience which requires significant time outside the scheduled hours for the student to prepare for the learning experience (e.g., research) and to follow up the learning experience (e.g. a lab report), then the lab, workshop or studio can be assigned a higher credit weight. Normally, this higher credit weight for labs, workshops, or studios (identified in the chart as LAB1) would be 0.75 Credit Units for each range of hours identified in the accompanying chart. Academic units must supply a written rationale to the Senior Vice-President, Academic in response to the criteria listed below in order to assign this differential weighting.

Note 2: Courses taught by Faculty in computer labs are not necessarily classified as a LAB instructional method type. Frequently, they will more closely match the description of TUT or LEC instructional method type.

Clinical Placement (CLI): Scheduled hours of activities performed under supervision to give students "hands-on" experience in the real world setting of a hospital or health care unit. Refers to activities:

1. That are an integral component of the curriculum of the program and necessary for completion of the program, and
2. In which students are continually supervised directly by College staff or by individuals working on behalf of the College.

Field Placement (FLD): Scheduled hours of activities intended to give students "hands-on" experience in the workplace, but for which the students are not paid a regular salary or wage by the employer. Refers to:

1. Activities that are an integral component of the program and necessary for the completion of the program;
2. Activities in which college staff do not directly supervise the student, but do undertake one or more of the following activities:
   1. Make periodic visits;
   2. Ensure that the assignment given to the student and the work being done by the student are suitable for the program;
   3. Monitor the student's progress in the field placement activity;
   4. Assist to address problems encountered by the student in the field placement activity;
   5. Evaluate the student's performance in the field placement activity.

Field Experience (FEX): Scheduled hours of activities intended to give students "hands-on" experience in the workplace, but for which the students are not usually paid a regular salary or wage by the employer. Field Experience courses are NOT supervised by College personnel and do not require work by students outside the actual placement. There is no rigorous assessment of a student on a field experience course.

Practicum (PTM): Scheduled hours of activities intended to give students "hands-on" experience in the workplace environment which is usually created on site (e.g. logging hours in a radio or television studio to work on the delivery of actual programming material). Refers to:

1. Activities that are an integral component of the program and necessary for the completion of the program;
2. Activities in which college staff do not directly supervise the students on an hour-for-hour basis, but do undertake one or more of the following activities:
   1. Make periodic visits;
   2. Ensure that the assignment given to the student and the work being done by the student are suitable for the program;
   3. Monitor the student's progress in the practicum activity;
   4. Assist to address problems encountered by the student in the practicum activity;
   5. Evaluate the student's performance in the practicum activity.

Practicums are assigned Credit Units equal to those assigned for Field Placements.

Co-op Work Placement (COP): Scheduled hours of activities intended to give students "hands-on" experience in the workplace, for which the student does receive a regular salary or wage from the employer. Refers to:

1. A period of time that is normally one-half, and should not be less than one-third of the time spent in academic study. The work placement does not replace the academic portion of the program;
2. Activities that are not an integral component of the curriculum of the program, but an enhancement to the program;
3. Activities in which college staff do not directly supervise the student, but do undertake one or more of the following activities:
   1. Evaluate the work placement site;
   2. Make periodic site visits;
   3. Ensure that the assignment given to the student and the work being done by the student is suitable for the program;
   4. Monitor the student's program in the co-op placement activity;
   5. Assist to address problems encountered by the student in the co-op work placement activity;
   6. Evaluate the student's performance in the co-op work placement activity.

Standard 4: CREDIT WEIGHTING FOR INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD TYPES

Issued by: Sr. Vice-President, Academic

Effective: 2024-09-01