Grades and Performance Evaluations: A Faculty Handbook

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6.7.1

—A student may petition to obtain credit for a course by passing an appropriate examination or completing an appropriate body of work.

6.7.2

—Certain courses may not be taken by petition. These courses include, but are not limited to, courses involving independent and field studies 93, 99, 193, 198, 199; student-directed seminars; seminar presentations; group projects; and cancelled courses. Sponsoring agencies (departments, colleges, and divisions) may designate other courses which may not be taken by petition.

6.7.3

— The procedure for obtaining credit by petition is designed to meet the particular needs of individual students at the discretion of the instructor, and may not be used for groups or classes of students.

6.7.4

—A student, during any regular term in which he or she is enrolled, may petition by the Registrar’s deadline to obtain credit for a course which he or she would otherwise be eligible to take for credit on a regular basis. Effective for any student admitted fall 1984 and thereafter, no more than 15 credit hours of credit by petition may count toward the 180 credit hours required for graduation. A student’s provost or his/her designee may grant exceptions under unusual circumstances.

6.7.5

—Effective for any student admitted fall 1984 and thereafter, no more than 15 credit hours of credit by petition may count toward the 180 credit hours required for graduation. A student’s provost or his/her designee may grant exceptions under unusual circumstances.

6.7.6

—The petition must be signed by a regular instructor of the course, by the chair of the department, or provost of the college, or dean of the division which sponsors the course and the provost (or academic/senior preceptor) of the student’s college.

The instructor’s signature certifies that he or she is willing to administer the examination or review the student’s course work within the current term.

The signature of the chair, provost, or dean verifies that the faculty member signing as instructor is a regular instructor in the course and that the course is appropriate for the awarding of credit by the proposed examination or course work procedures.

The provost’s (preceptor’s) signature certifies that the extra work involved represents a reasonable program of study for the student considering his or her academic record.

6.7.7

—The instructor establishes the procedure or procedures which comprise the examination or body of course work required.

6.7.8

—If the student passes the examination or satisfactorily completes the course work by the last day of the current term, the grade of P is reported to the Registrar by the deadline for submitting course reports. A written evaluation must also be submitted by the filing deadline stated in Regulation 9.2.2. If the student fails, the notation of No Record is reported to the Registrar by the deadline for submitting course reports, and no entry is made on the transcript and no evaluation is submitted.

6.8.1

—A junior, senior, or a graduate student may be authorized by his or her college or by a department to give a lower division seminar as an apprentice teacher. Such a seminar shall carry the number 192 for the apprentice teacher and 42 for the students enrolled. Enrollment may be limited. A college-sponsored seminar may be restricted to students of the college.

6.8.2

—Courses 42/192 shall be supervised by an instructor qualified in terms of Academic Senate Regulation 750(A). Supervision shall involve the attendance of that instructor at meetings of the seminar. Grading and written evaluations for courses 42/192 shall be the responsibility of the supervising instructor.

6.8.3

—An upper division or graduate student who wishes to offer a 42 shall petition his or her college or department not later than the deadline set by the sponsoring agency in accordance with course approval deadlines announced by the Committee on Educational Policy and the Registrar. Such a petition must be accompanied by a full statement of the nature and content of the course and of the reading to be required of students enrolled. The petition must be supported by the supervising instructor of the proposed course and by the student’s adviser.

6.8.4

—The college Faculty or department, through a designated committee, shall decide to approve or disapprove the course prior to the established course approval deadline for the term in which the course is to be offered. The college or department must be satisfied that the apprentice teacher will profit from instruction under guidance; that he or she is in general terms a superior student; and that the course is so designed as to safeguard the proper interests of those who enroll in it.

6.8.5

—The apprentice teacher shall submit to the supervising instructor a report on his or her experience of teaching the seminar. Each student enrolled in the seminar shall make a report on the seminar to the supervising instructor. The sponsoring agency shall compile the following report materials and forward them to the Committee on Educational Policy no later than 30 days after the last day of the term in which the seminar was offered: (a) the apprentice teacher’s report to the supervising instructor; (b) the supervising instructor’s evaluation of the apprentice teacher (course 192 evaluation); (c) the student’s evaluations of the course; (d) the apprentice teacher-supervising instructor’s evaluation of the work done by each of the enrolled students (course 42 evaluations).

8.1.1

—Each student, in order to graduate, must pass a comprehensive examination or senior thesis administered or approved by the agency supervising the student’s major program.

8.1.2

—Comprehensive examinations may be written, oral, or both, at the discretion of the agency administering the examination.

8.3.1

— Final examinations must be given in all undergraduate courses unless the department or college sponsoring the course has obtained permission (in accordance with Senate Regulation 772C from the Committee on Educational Policy) to omit them at the option of the instructor in the course.

A9.1.1

—The grade of P (pass) shall be awarded to an undergraduate in a course at UCSC if the student’s work is of a clear passing standard; (i.e., equivalent to C or better). The grade of I (incomplete) is awarded as specified in Regulation A9.1.6. Courses for which the grade of either P or I is inappropriate are removed from the student’s record, except when the letter grade option is exercised as specified in A9.1.3 below.

9.1.2

—All grades, except I and IP, are final when filed by an instructor in the end-of-term course report. However, the Registrar is authorized to change a final grade upon written request of an instructor, provided that a clerical or procedural error is the reason for the change. Grade changes (except for I and IP) must be submitted to the Registrar within one year from the close of the quarter for which the original grade was submitted. No change of grade may be made on the basis of reexamination, or with the exception of the I and IP grades, the completion of additional work.

A9.1.3

—Students may exercise the option of taking any undergraduate course on a letter grade basis, except for courses approved by the Committee on Educational Policy as “P/NP only” at the request of the courses-sponsoring agency, and except for courses 42 as described in Regulation 6.8, which must be graded “P/NP only.” If students select the letter-grade option, they will receive a grade of A, B, C, D, F, I, or W.

The letter grade option must be exercised no later than the last day to add a course and may not be subsequently changed. The grade of I is awarded as specified in A9.1.6. The grade of W denotes the formal withdrawal of the student from the course after the last day to drop a course and prior to the beginning of the last week of instruction. All grades received under this option are included in the student’s transcript, including D, F, I, and W.

A9.1.4

— The designation of courses as “P/NP only” is made by CEP during the spring term to have effect for all of the following academic year, beginning with the following fall term, and will remain in effect until changed by request of the course sponsoring agency with CEP approval. During the academic year, agencies may request the “P/NP only” designation for new courses to be offered for winter, spring, or summer terms.

A9.1.5

— Effective summer 1997, all Summer Session courses are graded as in Regulations A9.1.1, 9.1.2, A9.1.3, A9.1.4, and A9.1.6.

A9.1.6

— The grade of I may be assigned only when a student’s work is of passing quality but is incomplete. The student must make arrangements in advance with the instructor in charge of the courses in order to receive an I. In order to replace the I with a passing grade and to receive credit, a student must petition by the deadline imposed by the Registrar and complete the work of the course by the end of the finals week of the next term, unless the instructor specifies an earlier date. If the instructor fails to submit a passing grade for any reason by the deadline for submitting grades in the next succeeding term after the I was awarded, the student receives an NP or F depending on the grading option selected, and this grade is treated as specified in Regulations A9.1.1 and A9.1.3. The deadline imposed herein shall not be extended.

A9.1.7

— A grade in a single course extending over two or three terms of an academic year may be given at the end of the course. The grade will then be recorded as applying to each of the terms of the course. A student satisfactorily completing only one or two terms of a course extending over two or three terms of an academic year shall be given grades for those terms. The grading option selected for the first term of a multiple term course applies to each subsequent term.

A9.1.8

— Students who receive a grade of D or F may retake the course, subject to the following guidelines: Courses in which the student has received a letter grade may not be repeated on a P/NP basis. Credits will not be awarded more than once for the same course, but the grade assigned each time will be permanently recorded on the student’s transcript. Repetition of a course more than once requires approval of the student’s College. (For computation of GPAs involving repeated courses, see 9.4.1). Courses originally taken on a P/NP basis but not passed may be repeated either on the same basis or for a letter grade.

9.2.1

— At the end of the term, each instructor teaching a credit-granting course shall prepare a written evaluation for each student who receives a grade of P, A, B, C, or D in his or her class. The narrative evaluation must evaluate the quality and characteristics of the student’s performance in the class.

9.2.2

— Evaluations are to be filed with the Registrar and the student’s college at the time of filing the end-of-term course reports or no later than 15 working days after the close of the term. The college makes available one of its copies to the student and one to the student’s adviser.

A9.3.1

—All comprehensive examinations and senior theses shall be graded honors (H), pass (P), or fail (F). Papers of students receiving H or F must be read by at least two readers.

9.4.1

—Transcripts and other records will be issued by the Registrar only as requested by the student concerned. The documents to be sent out automatically on such a request shall include items ‘A’ through ‘E’ unless the student specifically requests that ‘B, C, D’ not be sent out.

B. In chronological order, all course evaluations, excepting only evaluations judged by the designated Senate member in each college in consultation with the instructor or, in the absence of the instructor, with the provost of the instructor’s college, to be irresponsible or to be observations unrelated to course performance, such judgment to be communicated to the Registrar.

C. An overall assessment of the student’s academic career at Santa Cruz, prepared by the student’s college; at the discretion of the college this assessment may be waived.

D. An evaluation of the student’s comprehensive examination and/or senior thesis, written by the department or committee sponsoring the student’s major program.

E. For undergraduates entering UCSC Fall 1997 or later who have received a letter grade for 2/3 or more of the credits attempted at UCSC prior to the issue date of the transcript, a Grade Point Average, computed only from the courses taken for a letter grade. Grade points per credit are assigned according to the scale A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. The grades W and I are disregarded in the GPA computation—credits are not counted and grade points are not assigned. If a student has taken courses more than once due to receipt of a D or F, for the first 15 credits of repeated work, only the last grade recorded shall be computed in the student’s GPA. If the 15 credit limit is exceeded, the GPA will be based on all additional letter grades assigned and credits attempted.

10.1.2

— A grade point average of 2.0 or greater in all classes attempted for a letter grade, excluding those for which the student is assigned the grade W. If a student has taken courses more than once due to receipt of a D or F, for the first 15 credits of repeated work, only the last grade recorded shall be computed in the student’s GPA. If the 15 credit limit is exceeded, the GPA will be based on all additional letter grades assigned and credits attempted.

10.1.4

— Exceptions may be made to the above residence requirement, as stated in 10.1.2, in the case of two-campus dual degree programs approved by the two institutions involved.

10.2.2.1

— Students who enter the University of California, Santa Cruz, as candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Science either: (1) in fall quarter 1986 or thereafter, or (2) between fall quarter 1984 and spring quarter 1986 with fewer than 45 quarter units of transfer credit, are required to fulfill the following campus general education requirements. The courses used to satisfy these requirements must be chosen from the lists of approved courses (10.2.2.6). Only course work awarded the grade of P, A, B, or C may be used to satisfy these requirements.

10.2.2.6

— When colleges, departments, and other agencies propose a course, they designate which of the general education requirements (10.2.2.1), if any, the course is presumed to meet. The Committee on Educational Policy, consulting when appropriate with the dean of the relevant academic division, approves or disapproves the designation.

10.4.7

— Passing Work in Major. Students must complete all requirements for the major with grade P, A, B, or C.

A16.1.1

— Graduate students in graduate or undergraduate courses shall be graded S, U, or I. The quality of work awarded a grade of S shall clearly merit certification of satisfactory progress towards the Master’s or Ph.D. degrees.

A16.1.3

— Graduate students have the option of receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F instead of S or U in any graduate course or any undergraduate courses for which undergraduate students have the letter grade option. The grades A or B shall be awarded for satisfactory work. A graduate student receiving a grade of C or D will not be able to use the credit for that courses to satisfy any course requirement for a graduate degree in the Santa Cruz Division.

16.1.4

— The grade of I may be assigned when a student’s work is of passing quality but is incomplete. A student may not repeat a course in which a grade of I has been received, except after approval of a petition by the Graduate Council. The student is entitled to replace this I grade by a passing grade and to receive credit provided he or she completes the work of the courses by the end of the third quarter following that in which the grade I was received unless the instructor or department specifies an earlier date. Under extenuating circumstances, a petition for extension of this time may be granted by the chair of the department concerned upon recommendation of the instructor.

A16.1.5

— A grade in a single course extending over two or three terms of an academic year may be given at the end of the course. This grade will then be recorded as applying to each of the terms of the course. A student satisfactorily completing only one or two terms of a course extending over two or three terms of an academic year for reasons of illness or transfer, shall be given grades for those terms. In this context, SCR A9.1.7 shall apply to graduate courses.

16.2.1

— Each instructor in a graduate course shall prepare a written evaluation at the end of the term for each graduate student in his or her class, who takes the courses for credit. A written evaluation is also required for all TA performance courses such as the 301, 311 courses. A written evaluation of a preliminary, qualifying, or comprehensive examination may be provided by the relevant department. Non-credit seminar courses do not require written evaluations.

16.3.1

— An appeal may be filed if the student is persuaded that the instructor has given a grade notation or narrative evaluation based on:

16.3.2

— An appeal may be initiated within one year from the date the evaluation becomes part of the student’s academic record in the Office of the Registrar. The student has four levels of appeal in the following sequence:

Appendix B—Applicable Regulations of the Academic Senate, University of California

634

—Minimum Standards for Graduation. Except as provided in SR 782 for the grade of Passed/Not Passed, to receive a Bachelor’s degree a student must obtain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 for all courses attempted in the University.

770

—No student shall be excused from assigned final examinations, except as provided in SR 772(D).

772

A. Final examinations are required in all undergraduate courses, except as provided elsewhere in this Regulation. Whenever practicable each such examination shall be written and must be completed by all participants within a previously announced time limit. Examinations in non-laboratory courses may not exceed three hours’ duration.

B. Examinations are normally not required in laboratory courses or their equivalent, as individually determined by the appropriate Committee on Courses. At its option, the department concerned may require a final examination in any laboratory course, subject to prior announcement in the schedule of classes for the term in question.

C. With the approval of the appropriate Committee on Courses and upon recommendation of the department concerned, the final examination may be omitted in any undergraduate course or sets of courses either once or for a longer period.

D. At the end of the term in which a student is expected to be graduated, his major department may examine him in the field of the major, may excuse him from final examinations in courses offered by the department during that term, and, with the approval of the appropriate Committee on Courses, assign a credit value to such general examination.

778

A. Under the conditions stated below, each Senate Division may determine the categories of grades used in reporting student work undertaken for credit under the jurisdiction of the Division.

B. The grading system to be used by a Division and modifications thereof must be reviewed by the University Committee on Educational Policy and be certified for consonance with the Code of the Academic Senate by the University Committee on Rules and Jurisdiction. These Committees report their findings to the Senate Assembly for information. Thereafter the proposed grading system becomes effective as provided by Divisional action unless the Assembly determines otherwise.

C. Modifications of a Divisional grading system that are authorized by subsections (1) through (2) below shall be submitted to the University Committee on Rules and Jurisdiction for certification of consonance with the Code of the Academic Senate. If certification is received, the proposed modifications become effective as provided by Divisional action.

1. For Passed/Not Passed grading, determination of whether the minimum standard of performance for a grade of P shall be the grade of C or C- shall be made by the Division.

2. For Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading, determination of whether the minimum standard of performance for a grade of S shall be the grade of B or B- shall be made by the Division.

D. Each Divisional grading system shall be formulated in legislation for inclusion in an appendix to the Senate Manual, and shall define all symbols employed, state their grade-point value or credit value, and shall specify those grades which shall count toward the completion of degree requirements.

E. Pending review of a proposed Divisional grading system as provided in (B) above, grades in that Division shall be assigned in accordance with SR’s 780-784, subject to such variances from these regulations as have been approved by the Senate Assembly.

F. Subject to variances authorized by the Assembly, any provision of SR 780-784 not explicitly provided for in an approved Divisional grading system remains in effect in that Division, e.g. conditions for incompletes.

Note: A divisional grading system, when approved in accordance with SR 778, supersedes SRs 780, 782 and 784 and renders them inoperative within that Division on all topics covered in the divisional legislation.

A. Except as provided in SRs 778, 782, and 784, the work of all students in the University shall be reported in terms of six grades:

782

Under such regulations as each Division may determine, a student in good standing is authorized to undertake up to an average of one course per term on a Passed or Not Passed basis. A grade of Passed shall be awarded only for work which would otherwise receive a grade of C or better. Units thus earned shall be counted in satisfaction of degree requirements, but such courses shall be disregarded in determining a student’s grade-point average. Divisions wishing to undertake more extensive grading experiments shall submit individual proposals for consideration by the Assembly.

784

With the approval of the Graduate Council concerned, certain work of graduate students as hereinafter specified may be reported in terms of the grades Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. No credit will be allowed for work graded Unsatisfactory.

B. With the consent of the departments involved, individual study and research, or other individual graduate work undertaken by a graduate student may be evaluated by means of the grades Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.

C. Each Senate Division is authorized to regulate the award of credit for the work described in (B), and in (A) when all terms are not completed.

Appendix C—Undergraduate Student Grievance Procedure

I. A grievance may be filed if the student is persuaded that the instructor has given a grade notation or narrative evaluation based on:

II. A grievance procedure must be initiated within one year from the date the evaluation becomes part of the student’s academic record in the Registrar’s Office.

III. Procedure for resolving a grievance should follow these steps:

Appendix D—Guidelines for Final Examinations

Time and Room: Final examinations are to be administered during examination week at the time announced in the Schedule of Classes. Examinations will be held in the SAME ROOM used for class meetings during the quarter. Additional room(s) may be requested from the Registrar by the instructor and these rooms announced by the instructor to the class prior to the examination time.

Closed Week: No final examinations, tests, or significant quizzes, other than laboratory examinations or make-up exams may be given during the last week of instruction.

No Early Examinations: Faculty members are not required to grant special examination privileges in order to allow students to leave before the close of the quarter, but may do so in extraordinary circumstances.

Special Periods For Final Examinations: During examination week, time will be allowed to large courses or groups of courses for special examinations of the entire group. The privilege of giving such special examinations is necessarily limited in terms of periods available for such tests. The courses having the greatest number of students will be given first opportunity to utilize the special examination periods available (for example, see Spring 1992 - all Spanish courses).

Standard Examination Substitutes

Take-Home Exams: If a take-home examination is not assigned until the week designated for final examinations, it should require no more than three hours to complete.

Variations From Final Examination Schedule: Variations from the final examination schedule published in the Schedule of Classes must be explicitly approved in advance by the Committee on Educational Policy (CEP). To request a change, the instructor submits a written request approved by the appropriate unit head and divisional dean, to the Registrar. The Registrar’s Scheduling Office will make classroom arrangements and forward the request to CEP for action. If the new exam time is approved, any student who does not consent to the new time must be permitted to take the examination at the originally scheduled time.

Alternate Examinations

For Religious Reasons: In compliance with the State Education Code, the University must accommodate requests for alternate examination dates at a time when the activity would not violate a student’s religious creed. Accommodation for alternate examination dates will be worked out directly and on an individual basis between the student and the faculty member involved.

2. Students unable to reach a satisfactory arrangement with their instructor should contact the board chair or similar administrative official responsible for the offering of the course.

For Reasons of Disability: Students with verifiable disabilities that require examination modifications will be accommodated in compliance with state and federal laws. This includes students with mobility, hearing, and vision impairments, as well as those with learning disabilities, psychological disorders, and other functional impairments. If requested by a student with a disability, Disabled Student Services personnel will determine whether modifications are necessary, and in consultation with the instructor, arrange for the needed modifications. Students may choose to make such arrangements directly with the instructor.

Examination Retention

An instructor may release to individual students their original final examinations (or copies thereof) at any time. Otherwise, the instructor shall retain final examination materials, or copies thereof, until the end of the next regular term, during which period students shall have access to their examinations.

Approved by the Committee on Educational Policy, June 8, 1992

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