Grades & Transcripts

Grades and Transcripts

You are responsible for determining the grade of each student in the course. The standards for evaluating student performance are based on the course objectives and course requirements outlined in the syllabus. Tests, essay questions, written projects, group projects, and class presentations are all acceptable forms of evaluation.

You are encouraged to use a minimum of two forms of quantifiable methods of evaluation that are equally weighted. The final course grade is based upon your evaluation of a student’s demonstrated achievement in the course. Grading does involve some level of objective comparison to your own standards of excellence, to a set of identified standards and to other students in the class. Grades cannot be entered before the last day of the course. Final grades do need to be submitted within 12 days of the course end date. Please keep all records associated with how a grade has been determined for each student for a period of two years.

Grades

  • A – Excellent
  • B – Good
  • C – Fair
  • D – Not passed
  • F – Failure
  • P – Pass (Equal to letter grade of C or better.)
  • NP – Not Pass (less than C)
  • I – Incomplete
  • NR – Student’s name is on the roster but failed to appear in class or complete any assignments
  • Plus (+) and Minus (-) – Use plus and minus distinctions where applicable.

All grades except “I” are final when reported to the Records Office and can be changed only to correct a clerical or procedural error. Submit these changes to the Records Office in writing.

The grading scale is fixed. DCE courses are not graded on any type of “curve” so the course letter grade you assign must be determined by using one of the tables below. It is important to use numerical scales for evaluating all gradable assignments and learning activities, and to assign a final letter grade only at the end of a course.

There are two options for assigning letter grades: “letter-only (without plusses/minuses)” and “letter with plusses/minuses.” The scales are shown below:

Letter-only With Plusses/Minuses
A  90-100
B  80-89
C  70-79
D  60-69
F   0-59		 A    93-100
A-   90-92
B+  87-89
B    83-86
B-   80-82
C+  77-79
C    73-76
C-   70-72
D+  67-69
D    63-66
D-   60-62
F     0-59

Please note that you must choose one scale, show the appropriate table in your course syllabus, and then assign letter grades at the end of the course according to the scale you chose. If you tell students that you will not be assigning plusses and minuses, then you must not do so when submitting final grades.

For example, if you choose the scale Without Plusses/Minuses and a student earns a total score of 91.3 percent, she earns an “A.” On the other hand, if you initially specified that you will be adding plusses and minuses, then that same student would receive an A-.

Also please note that an “A+” does not confer more grade points than an “A” for the purpose of calculating a student’s grade point average.

An “Incomplete”

  • Use “I” for students whose work is of passing quality, but have been prevented by unavoidable circumstances from completing an assignment(s) or examination(s). Arrangements should not require the student to sit in any class meetings the next time class is offered. If a student needs to attend class meetings, the student should be referred to the Student Services Office to register for the class again.
  • Arrange with the student to complete the requirements. All coursework that is to be finished must be completed within the three months following the current quarter. Submit a signed Incomplete Grade Assignment Form to the planning unit.
  • If the student has not completed the coursework in accordance with the terms on this form within three months following the current quarter, the student’s grade will automatically convert to an “F”. If the student does not want to risk an “I” automatically converting to an “F”, the student may drop the class prior to the last class meeting.
  • Report the final grade though the grade roster on your UCI DCE online account within three months following the current quarter. Final grades can be edited online, up to 12 months from the start of the course. If you need to submit a final grade after 12 months, please submit the Grade Change Request Form by fax or mail to the Records Office. Please do not email grades since it is not secure. If you need to electronically submit the grade, please contact the Records Office to make the arrangements.
  • Please do not allow these situations to delay submitting grades for the rest of your class!

Should you have any questions regarding grading, please consult your program representative.

800 Series Courses – Continuing Education Units

  • Programs with 800 series numbers followed by CEU offer Continuing Education Units.
  • The CEU measures and records non-credit, post-secondary-level study where employers, re-licenser agencies and other authorities require a specified number of hours of instruction for career advancement and where noncredit study is acceptable.
  • One CEU is awarded for ten contact hours of participation.
  • Less than ten hours are shown as a fractional CEU.
  • Approve on the roster the awarding of CEU credit if the student has been present for the entire length of the program and successfully completed the program requirements.
  • Letter grades and pass/no-pass are not valid grades for CEU classes. Valid grades are “CE” for students who attended the entire length of the program, “I” for those who attended part of the program, or “NR” for those that did not attend.
  • Submit the grade roster no later than two weeks following the last class meeting. Entering grades late may affect your compensation. Refer to your contract for additional information.

Grading Guidelines

  • Grades should be based solely on the student’s achievement of course goals as outlined in the course materials.
  • Communicate your grading plan to the class at the beginning of the quarter. Your grading plan also needs to be given out in written form.
  • Do not change your grading plan without thought, consideration and a complete explanation to your students.
  • Evaluate credit students based on their completion of course requirements by the stated deadline.
  • Use of grading curves is strictly prohibited by UCI Division of Continuing Education.
  • Students may be awarded points for participation, however participation cannot account for more than 15% of the final grade for on campus courses, or more than 30% of the final grade for online courses.
  • Participation in an online course means posting substantial responses to discussion forum questions and substantial comments on other students’ posts.
  • Instructors should explain in their syllabus how they evaluate and grade participation.
  • UCI Division of Continuing Education policy requires instructors to communicate grades to students only through the learning management system (Canvas) and DCE Online Account.  Grades are confidential and since email transmission is not secure, you are not permitted to email any grade information to students. This prohibition on emailing grades includes grades on individual assignments. You may only give students grades on individual assignments in person or through Canvas, and you must post final course grades online by logging into your DCE Instructor Account.

Course Credit, Grades and Grade Rosters

Course credits and grades are the gauge by which students are measured. As grades are often necessary for tuition assistance, educational reimbursement, job promotions, salary increases, and admission to other universities, it is essential that you treat grade reporting with the utmost urgency. Rosters are available online. Simply login to “My Account.”

Purpose of Grade Rosters

1: Official Attendance Roster
Listed are the students who have paid their fees at the time the list was produced. Ask students not on the list to provide a confirmation form as evidence of enrollment. Add their names and grades to the roster. Please refer students to the Student Services Office to enroll or resolve enrollment problems.

2: Credit Status and Grading Option
Allows students to indicate whether they want to receive academic credit and whether they prefer a grade or the pass/no pass option, or the not-for-credit option. Discuss these options early in the course. Indicate the selections: a) grade – G, b) pass/no pass c) not-for-credit – N Grade option is not applicable to 800 level course. Note: Certificate candidates should complete their courses with letter grades. Some courses are only offered on a  Pass/No Pass basis and will not have a letter grade option

3: Record of Final Grades
Report each student’s final grades.

Delivery of Grade Rosters

  • Rosters will be available on the first day of class, but submission of grades cannot be completed until one day after the course ends.
  • Detailed instructions accompany the roster. If you have questions, please contact the Records Office at dce-records@uci.edu.
  • You will receive your paycheck for teaching the course only after you have successfully submitted your graded class roster.

Transcripts/Confirmation of Enrollment

Students may obtain a copy of their transcript or confirmation of current enrollment by completing a Transcript Request Form and return it along with the fee.