Grading Philosophy

Grading Philosophy

Grades should reflect the expert judgment of those professionals who are assigned to classroom instruction. Students should expect to earn their grades by virtue of specified measures of their performance on assignments and examinations. Qualitative as well as quantitative rigor should be expected.

No specified distribution of grades in a course must be met by faculty; nevertheless, it is expected that the distribution will reflect discrimination among those who put forth meaningful effort and perform well. It should be a rare case in which almost all of the students receive A's; neither should it be expected that a majority would receive unsatisfactory grades in a typical class.

Course requirements and the basis for determining grades should be clearly stated in the syllabus and at the beginning of a course. Students who meet the expectations and learning outcomes stated should receive grades that reflect their performance. The university does not determine criteria for successful completion of work and does not expect instructors to achieve a "normal distribution" in their grading. Faculty are encouraged to provide regular feedback on students’ progress in the course.