Administrative policies . Daniel Paul O'Donnell. (Last Revision: September 10, 2005).

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Summary

This document describes general administrative policies followed in all my classes. It includes policies on grading, extensions for late work, missed quizzes, texts, or exams. It is to be treated as part of the course syllabus. Students taking my classes are required to be familiar with the material.

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Grading

Grade scale

The University of Lethbridge keeps track of student performance using a letter and grade point system (See section 4 of the University Calendar <http://www.uleth.ca/reg/2005-06/calendar/part04.pdf>). Instructors assign students a letter grade at the end of each course (the University does not issue or keep track of mid-term grades). These letter grades are converted to a numerical value (a Grade Point) for assessing overall academic performance (a Grade Point Average or GPA). The University does not record percentage-type grades and does not have a fixed scale for conversion from percentage scores to letter grades and grade points. Each instructor is responsible for determining their own methodology for determining students' final letter grade.

In my classes, I use the following letter-grade to percentage correspondences:

	Excellent			Good			Satisfactory			Poor	Minimal pass	Failing
Letter	A+	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	F
Percent range	100-94	93-90	89-86	85-82	81-78	77-74	73-70	69-66	65-62	61-58	57-50	49-0
Conventional value	100	92	88	84	80	76	72	68	64	60	56	49-0
Grade point	4.3	4.0	3.7	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.3	1.0	0

How your grade is determined depends on the type of work being assessed. Tests of specific skills or knowledge (such as identification questions in literature classes, or fact-oriented tests in my grammar and language classes) are usually assigned a numeric score which is easily converted to a percentage. Essays, presentations, and other performance-oriented tests are usually graded by letter. I convert letter grades to percentages by taking the median value in each grade-range, and rounding up to the nearest whole percent (the only exceptions are A+ [which is converted to 100%], and F [which is converted to an arbitrary percentage between 0% and 49% based on my estimation of the work's quality]). These scores can be found in the conventional value row of the above table.

In marking work I try to keep the University's official description of these grades in mind (a description can be found in the University Calendar, Part IV.3.a). If you get an A it means your work is excellent; a B means your work is good; a C means it is satisfactory; a D that it is poor; and an F that it is failing to meet University-level standards.

Final grade calculation

I calculate your final grade in three steps:

I convert all letter grades to a percentage.
I calculate your final grade as a percentage using the weighting announced at the beginning of each class and listed on the class syllabus.
I convert your final percentage to a letter grade using the correspondences supplied in table 1, above.

Grading errors, disagreements, and appeals

It may happen that I make a mistake in grading your work, that you feel that I have graded your work unfairly, or that you believe I have incorrectly or inconsistently applied my policies to your work. If you find yourself in this situation, I recommend that you arrange to meet me to discuss the problem. I will gladly correct any mistakes I have made; in the case of a disagreement as the the application of a specific policy or the merit of a specific piece of work, I usually am willing to reconsider my decision, and always am willing to explain my position. If you are still dissatisfied, the University has a procedure by which you can appeal any grade you believe to be unfair or improper. You can find out more in the Calendar or by contacting the Student Union.

Although I am under most circumstances willing to correct or reconsider grades I have assigned, I do have some requirements that must be met before I will do so:

I will not reconsider grades or correct minor mistakes after final grades for a course have been submitted ("minor" in this case means errors that will not affect your letter grade or grade point. This rule only applies after the grades have been submitted; I will fix all mistakes before the end of term.
Students who wish to have their work regraded for substantive reasons (e.g. because you feel I have misunderstood something or made some other non-trivial or quantitative mistake) must explain to me in person the grounds for their request. I will not reconsider work if I am not told why I should do so.

Criteria for grading essays and presentations

Few aspects of university-level humanities work seem to worry students more than the criteria their instructors will use in grading essays and presentations. This is reasonable: in writing essays or giving presentations, students are often asked to define and answer their own questions; in very few cases, moreover, is there any single correct answer. How then can an instructor assign a value to any presentation or essay? How, before students hand something in can they know what their instructors are looking for?

The answer is that essays and presentations are only partially about finding the right answer: your grade has as much or more to do with the quality of your performance as it does with whether you get the right answer. This is also true of other disciplines: students in Physics 1000, for example, are required to perform an experiment in which they determine acceleration due to gravity. The point of this exercise is not so much finding the right answer (which has been known for some time) as much as it is to test how well students go about setting up and carrying out the experiment. A very wrong answer is obviously not going to help your lab grade—because it probably indicates a serious problem in the way you conducted the exercise. But the right answer isn't going to get you an A either (you could always look it up), if your performance was not also of the highest quality. Expectations for University level work do vary from discipline to discipline and instructor to instructor. At the same time, however, there are some cross-disciplinary standards. Poorly executed, sloppy, or extremely incorrect work will get you a poor grade in both sculpture and computer science. But it is hard to think of a discipline where highly original, well-thought-out, and carefully executed work would not receive a very high grade.

The following rubric explains the criteria I use in grading student work.^[1] Although its primary focus is the literary essay, I have seen similar criteria in other disciplines and at other Universities. Mutatis mutandis, you should find that it is applicable to your work in most courses

I use the following criteria in grading student work. Few papers will match all or exclusively the criteria listed under each grade (a highly original, well argued, well-written, well-documented paper might have an unacceptable number of typos, for example). The weighting of the criteria is also not absolutely rigid: I tend to reward originality or subject-mastery more heavily than I penalise its absence. In one area, however, I am rigid: serious or frequent errors of fact, inadequate or non-existent documentation, and misrepresentations of your own or others research will be severely punished. In addition to a lower over all grade on your paper, you can also expect to be assigned additional penalties starting at least 1/3 of a letter grade and ranging up to an F in course.

A (Excellent)

Originality:
- Paper looks at the assigned material from an unexpected but appropriate angle, explores a significant and appropriate original topic, and/or finds appropriate evidence in unusual or unexpected places.
- Has an argument that goes significantly beyond material discussed in class or found in the course outline and textbook.
Mastery of the Subject Material:
- Paper matches its argument and evidence perfectly: finds exactly the evidence necessary to demonstrate its thesis; matches its thesis exactly to the limits of the available evidence.
- Has exactly the right mix of secondary and primary sources: handles secondary sources critically when required; relies on them for support or background information when appropriate.
- Goes far beyond description, using evidence analytically.
- Integrates its evidence flawlessly into the argument.
Quality of Writing:
- Paper is clear and, within the limitations of its subject matter, easy to follow.
- Matches styles and diction to the subject matter and argument.
- Is well structured and appropriately and thoroughly documented.
Accuracy:
- Paper reports facts accurately and in a fashion appropriate to their original context.
- Recognises and confronts (where appropriate) possible counter-arguments.
- Maintains a clear distinction between demonstrable assertions and necessary but undemonstrable assumptions.
Presentation:
- Paper pays obvious attention to details of presentation: clean paper, appropriate typeface, no typographical, grammatical, or spelling errors; matches standards of appropriate style guide.
- Reproduces quotations and references to the work of others with absolute accuracy. Bibliography/documentation is complete.

B (Good)

Originality:
- Paper successfully applies standard approaches to material, or reaches well-supported but obvious conclusions.
- Successfully applies or tests pre-existing approach against new set of evidence.
- Attempts an intelligently chosen and original approach or topic with only partial success.
- Shows signs of adhering to a formula.
Mastery of the Subject Material:
- Paper demonstrates sound knowledge of primary and (where appropriate) secondary material.
- Is able to use evidence analytically to support argument.
- Has an appropriate mix of secondary and primary sources.
- Works evidence into the argument with little or no trouble.
Quality of Writing:
- Paper is mostly clear and, within the limitations of its subject matter, easy to follow.
- Paper usually matches styles and diction to the subject matter and argument.
- Paper is mostly well structured and appropriately documented.
Accuracy:
- Paper reports facts accurately and in a fashion appropriate to their original context.
- Paper recognises and does not attempt to hide possible counter-arguments or disguise unproven or undemonstrable assumptions as facts.
Presentation:
- Paper is mostly well-formatted and error-free. There are few or no typographical, grammatical, or spelling errors; standards of assigned style guide have been usually followed with care.
- Quotations and references to the work of others show no more than exceptional inaccuracies. Bibliography/documentation is complete.

C (Satisfactory)

Originality:
- Paper correctly applies standard approaches to material or reaches obvious conclusions.
- Is over-ambitious in its attempts to take a more original approach or subject--for example, by making obvious mistakes, or failing to avoid obvious limitations in the nature and availability of evidence.
- Obviously following a formula.
Mastery of the Subject Material:
- Paper demonstrates basic knowledge of primary and assigned secondary material.
- Evidence is usually presented analytically, rather than descriptively (i.e. argues position instead of supplying plot summary).
- Evidence is usually appropriate to subject but may not always be well-integrated into argument.
- Evidence is usually adequate for argument being made; some points may be poorly or insufficiently supported.
Quality of Writing:
- Mostly observes the norms of University-level writing: few if any serious errors in essay, paragraph, or sentence structure; uses appropriate diction.
- Documentation is mostly present and reasonably complete (Warning: Failure to document correctly carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).
Accuracy:
- Paper reports facts more-or-less accurately and in a fashion appropriate to their original context.
- Paper does not attempt to hide or ignore obvious counter-arguments or to disguise unproven or undemonstrable assumptions as facts.
Presentation:
- Paper is mostly well-formatted and checked for errors. There are a number of minor typographical, grammatical, or spelling errors; standards of assigned style guide have been followed more often than not (Warning: Failure to check your work carefully or follow the assigned style guide carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).
- Quotations and references to the work of others are accurately presented. Complete bibliography can be recovered from the documentation or list of works cited.

D (Poor)

Originality:
- Paper uncritically follows approaches suggested in assigned question, textbook, or class discussion.
- Paper is more-or-less coherent, but takes an inappropriate approach or one that betrays an ignorance of the standards and expectations of subject.
- Argument shows signs of incoherence.
- Carelessly implements 'original' or 'non-standard' approach. Ignores obvious and foreseeable evidentiary or logical problems.
- Carelessly follows formula.
Mastery of the Subject Material:
- Paper restricts self to extremely limited range of evidence.
- Overlooks obviously superior evidence in favour of easily accessible material or examples from the textbook or class discussion.
- Makes insufficient or too limited use of necessary secondary sources.
- Evidence is usually presented descriptively rather than analytically (i.e. engages in plot summary rather than argument).
- Evidence is usually present but often inappropriate or poorly sourced.
- Other obvious evidence of incomplete preparation or reading.
Quality of Writing:
- Requires improvement: frequent minor errors in basics of essay, paragraph, and sentence structure; inappropriate--too formal, too informal, or poorly chosen--diction.
- Documentation is often missing or incomplete (Warning: Failure to document correctly carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).
Accuracy:
- Paper is sometimes inaccurate either in fact or context.
- Paper fails to recognise or occasionally appears to skirt around obvious counter-arguments; sometimes appears to mistake unproven or undemonstrable assumptions for facts.
Presentation:
- Paper has some serious formatting errors, or has not been adequately checked for errors. There are frequent typographical, grammatical, and/or spelling errors; standards of assigned style guide have been ignored more often than not.
- Quotations and references to the work of others are carelessly presented. Bibliography is mostly recoverable from documentation or works cited (Warning: Failure to check your work carefully or follow the assigned style guide carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).

F (Failing)

Originality:
- Paper is carelessly argued and pays no attention to approaches suggested in assigned question, textbook, or class discussion.
- Paper takes completely inappropriate approach or ignores standards and expectations of subject.
- Argument is non-existent or completely incoherent.
- Recklessly implements 'original' or 'non-standard' approach as means of hiding lack of evidence or poverty of underlying argument.
Mastery of the Subject Material:
- Paper shows basic lack of familiarity with one or more sources of evidence used in argument.
- Ignores (or plagiarises from) even the most basic primary or secondary sources (Warning: In serious cases, plagiarism can result in you being assigned a grade of F in the course; or even your suspension or expulsion from University).
- Evidence is non-existent, incoherently presented, completely inappropriate, or extremely poorly chosen.
- Other obvious evidence of extremely poor or non-existent research.
Quality of Writing:
- Far below University-level standards: constant errors in the basics of essay, paragraph, and sentence structure; completely inappropriate--too formal, too informal, or poorly chosen--diction.
- Documentation is missing or extremely incomplete (Warning: Failure to document correctly carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).
Accuracy:
- Paper has serious or frequent inaccuracies in fact or context.
- Paper fails to recognise and/or often skirts around obvious counter-arguments; assertion often mistaken for evidence.
Presentation:
- Paper is poorly formatted, and/or full of errors. Typographical, grammatical, and/or spelling errors are common; standards of assigned style guide have been ignored.
- Quotations and references to the work of others are non-existent or badly and inaccurately presented. Bibliography is mostly or completely missing (Warning: Failure to check your work carefully or follow the assigned style guide carries with it an additional penalty of at least 1/3 letter grade).

Due dates, extensions, and late penalties

Readings and homework

Readings and other homework assignments (translations, exercises, etc.) are to be finished by the day they are first mentioned in the syllabus. You will be doing yourself a favour if you try to finish them slightly earlier. Above all else be sure to allow yourself the time necessary to complete them.

If you fall behind in your daily work, please come and see me before you get too far behind. I may be able to give you advice on catching up.

Essays and other take-home work

Essays (and similar take-home assignments) are due at the beginning of class on the day specified on your syllabus. Work handed in any time after this—including during or right after class—is late. In most cases, I allow a five minute grace period after the scheduled beginning of class.

Unless otherwise indicated in the course syllabus, the late penalty for essays and similar take home work is one third of a letter grade per day or part thereof, including weekends. This means an 'A+' paper that is one day late, will be given a final grade of 'A', and an 'A' paper that is three days late will be given a 'B', etc. The penalty works out to between 2.5-3% per day. In some cases, essays my be subject to heavier or lesser penalties.

Papers should whenever possible be handed to me. If you shove a paper under my office door or put it in my mailbox, you run the risk of it being lost or overlooked. This is important because late penalties cover the entire period from the due date to the time I receive the paper in my hands or the date stamped on first page by the departmental administrator. If you push the paper under my door while I am in class on Friday afternoon and I don't find it until Monday morning, it is three days late.

Tests, exams, and quizzes

Test, quizzes, and exams must be written at the time scheduled: for paper tests and exams this means at the time and day specified in the syllabus or in the University's exam schedule; for tests and exams written on WebCT, this means within the specified exam window. I make exceptions only for emergencies and medical crises in your immediate circle of acquaintances (i.e. involving you, your immediate dependants or guardians, or other very close relatives or friends). In most cases, I am prepared to accept a signed letter explaining the circumstances for your absence. I reserve the right, however, to ask for more formal documentation such as a doctor's note or police report. You should be especially careful about final exams. I will not accept dentist appointments, doctor appointments, job interviews, or weddings as valid excuses for missing a final exam. You should make sure you are able to write the final exam at the time specified before you take the course.

Quizzes may or may not be announced. There are no make-up quizzes either way. If you miss a quiz, your grade for that quiz is 0%. In the event of a serious sickness or emergency, I will adjust your quiz grade to reflect your absence.

Extensions

Except under the most unusual of circumstances, extensions are granted only for medical, family, or personal emergencies. All requests must be documented in writing. In most cases, I will accept a signed letter explaining why the extension was necessary; I reserve the right to request more formal documentation, however. If it is possible, I prefer advance notice of requests for extension or alternate arrangements for tests and exams. Especially in the case of family medical emergencies, however, you should not worry about contacting me until after things are settled enough for you to do so.

Administrative policies