AA/04/AS/19/UEPC - Incomplete Grade Reporting

Effective April 23, 2019

Rationale: Executive Order 1037 - Grading Symbols, Minimum Standards Governing the Assignment of Grades, Policies on the Repetition of Courses, Policies on Academic Renewal, and Grade Appeals (2009) provides guidance on the temporary assignment of a grade of Incomplete (see below for the full text). A core component of this policy is the requirement for faculty to place in writing the “conditions for removal of the Incomplete,” and place this on file with an “appropriate campus officer unit the Incomplete is removed or the time limit for removal has passed.”

Further, the Executive Order allows for an alternative grade to be indicated by the instructor in the event that the Incomplete is not made up within the assigned time-frame. Currently we have no systematic means for ensuring that written documentation exists on incompletes assigned, nor a standardized means for assigning alternative grades should a faculty member not remember to submit a grade change card even if a student has not completed additional coursework. If a grade change card is not submitted, the current default is an IC, which counts as an F in GPA calculations, even though many students who are assigned Incomplete grades have earned grades higher than an F at the time the Incomplete was assigned.

The new policy provides clarity regarding where and how documentation of an Incomplete grade must occur, and affords an opportunity to assign an accurate final grade should the student complete no additional coursework by the established deadline. By submitting the information via PeopleSoft, the instructor and student maintain online access to the conditions of the Incomplete, while the system also serves as campus repository of such documents. Should the faculty member not be available for grading when the student completes the coursework, the Department Chair can obtain access to the Incomplete Agreement via a request to Enrollment Services, and the assignment and rubric information on file can assist a faculty colleague in evaluating the student work and assigning a final grade.

This new policy should provide stronger compliance with the Executive Order, greater clarity of expectations for the removal of an Incomplete, and more accurate assignment of student grades.

Policy

An incomplete (I) signifies that a portion of required course work has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified, reasons beyond the student’s control and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. It is the responsibility of the student to bring pertinent information to the attention of the instructor and to determine from the instructor the remaining course requirements which must be satisfied to remove the incomplete. The conditions for removal of the incomplete shall be put in writing by the instructor and given to the student with a copy placed on file with the Department Chair. A final grade will be assigned when the agreed upon work has been completed and evaluated.

An incomplete must be made up within the time limit set by the instructor and, in any case, no more than one calendar year following the end of the term in which the incomplete was assigned. An incomplete should never be used to:

1. Give a failing student an opportunity to redo unsatisfactory work or complete additional work; or
2. Give a student more time to complete his/her work when the reasons for the delay have been within his/her control.

For more information, consult the University Catalog.

As indicated in Executive Order 1037, “the symbol ‘I’ (Incomplete Authorized) indicates that a portion of required course work has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified, reasons and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. It is the responsibility of the student to bring pertinent information to the attention of the instructor and to determine from the instructor the remaining course requirements which must be satisfied to remove the Incomplete. A final grade is assigned when the work agreed upon has been completed and evaluated.”

The EO further indicates “The conditions for removal of the Incomplete shall be reduced to writing by the instructor and given to the student with a copy placed on file with the appropriate campus officer until the Incomplete is removed or the time limit for removal has passed.”

In support of this requirement for documentation, when submitting a grade of “I” within the PeopleSoft system, faculty must document the conditions for removal of the “Incomplete” on the online Incomplete Agreement form. Although some variation of content may be necessary to appropriately reflect the nature of the course taught, typically the agreement should include information regarding the following:

1. A summary of all work completed in the course, the grades assigned for that work, and the percentages of the final course grade accounted for by each item;
2. The work not completed and the percentage that each uncompleted assignment will count toward the final course grade; and
3. The final course grade the instructor will assign if the course requirements are not completed within one calendar year, or a shorter period as specified on the form, immediately following the term in which the “I” was assigned, without respect to continuous enrollment of the student during this period.

If clear percentages for assignments cannot be delineated, instructors shall explain any special conditions for determining final course grades for work wholly or partially made up.

Students are responsible for informing the instructor when work is available to be graded. When all submitted student work has been evaluated, the instructor will promptly submit a change of grade form and the academic grade will be recorded.

Should the instructor no longer be employed by the university, or is otherwise unavailable to grade student work when grading needs to occur (i.e. medical leave or sabbatical), the Department Chair will consult with department faculty to identify an appropriate faculty member to evaluate the student work and assign a grade based on the information provided in the Incomplete Agreement. If not already included in the syllabus on file in the department, faculty of record who will not be available to grade student work should submit to their department chair copies of the assignments and grading rubrics for all assignments that have not yet been completed.

If the student does not submit any new work within the allowed time limit, the grade will be recorded as an “IC” (Incomplete Charged) if an alternative grade was not included in the Incomplete Agreement.

This policy goes into effect in the first grading period in which the online Incomplete Agreement becomes available within PeopleSoft. Until the PeopleSoft system is available, faculty must continue to provide a copy of the Incomplete Agreement to the student (in print or email via the student’s Stanmail account), and a print copy of the Agreement and appropriate supplemental materials must be submitted to the Department Chair or designee.

Enrollment Services will work with the UEPC, the Faculty Director for Advising and Learning Cohorts, and the Director of the Faculty Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to ensure faculty have access to training and information related to the assignment of an Incomplete and submission of the Incomplete Agreement.

Related Policies and Procedures: Supports AA/4/GF/73 - Grade of “I” (Incomplete) , EO 1037

Review History: Approved by the Academic Senate on March 12, 2019. Approved by President Ellen Junn on April 23, 2019.

Academic Affairs Division has the primary responsibility for this policy.

Attachment(s): AA/04/AS/19/UEPC – Incomplete Grade Reporting Policy , AA/04/AS/19/UEPC – Incomplete Grade Reporting Policy Resolution   

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