Resources for Sustaining Instructional Continuity

It is permissible to make adjustments to how assignments are structured and how those assignments are graded, but the final grade breakdown on your syllabus should stay the same (e.g. if the final is 35% of the grade it should stay that way, but the instructor might choose to change an analytical paper to an annotated outline or reflection paper, or change a more complex final exam to all multiple choice).  Any changes you make should be consistent (e.g. dropping the lowest quiz scores of the quarter) and communicated clearly.

Answer: Yes, for this quarter. Grade roster “final grade” submission works the same in Gradebook for Fall 2022 as it does in any other term. Generally, instructors cannot submit some grades while leaving others blank. This is why the “NR” grade option has been made available on a temporary basis for Fall 2022; instructors can input a “NR” grade for any student(s) that have not been evaluated.

Instructors may grant incompletes if: The student’s work is of passing quality, and The coursework will be incomplete for good cause, and The instructor is amenable to granting the incomplete.

Please note that Incompletes should not be granted in order to give instructors additional time to submit grades.  Since incompletes indicate that the student was not able to complete the work during the quarter, this would be an inaccurate and unfair grade if given due to other circumstances.

On or Before Jan 2: For the initial grade roster, instructors cannot submit some grades while leaving others blank. Gradebook requires all students to have a final grade. Instructors would either have to submit a valid grade (which a NR grade is an assignable grade on a temporary basis for Fall 2022) or not be able to submit grades for the class. Once the initial grade roster is submitted, instructors can use the Late Final Grades Gradebook feature on a student-by-student basis.  Alternatively, a temporary excel option will be available on the Late Final Grades Gradebook page to support instructors with large class rosters.

After Jan 2: Through the Late Final Grades Gradebook feature on a student-by-student basis.  Alternatively, a temporary excel option will be available on the Late Final Grades Gradebook to support instructors with large class rosters.

Yes. Instructors cannot submit some grades while leaving others blank. If the instructor does not enter a valid grade for all students, then Gradebook will not let them submit. For Fall 2022 ‘NR’ is temporarily a valid grade.

All students would be negatively impacted if grades are not submitted, or a NR grade remains assigned. Each student’s situation may be different and departments supporting these students are evaluating approaches on a case-by-case basis. However, here are some student populations that may be particularly impacted by a delay in receiving their final grade:

• students on financial aid,
• students intending to graduate in fall 2022,
• veterans,
• international students on visas,
• athletes,
• students intending to declare a major,
• students in danger of dismissal,
• visiting students who need final grades to return to their home institutions and progress with their degree plan
• students needing to proceed with sequential or prerequisite courses in winter; need to know if they are clear to proceed with winter enrollment or must repeat a fall class

• Granting an incomplete is entirely at the discretion of the instructor.  Instructors should ensure that their policies on whether or when to grant incompletes are consistent.
• Students should request an incomplete; if a student has missed a final exam but has not contacted the instructor, s/he should receive the grade earned otherwise, rather than an Incomplete. Students who do not qualify (i.e., are not currently passing the course and there is not a good reason) should not be given an incomplete, particularly if the instructor has not heard from the student to arrange this.
• Instructors should simply note a grade of “I” when submitting grades; no other form is required to grant an incomplete. It would be helpful if instructors note exactly what is missing (e.g., “missing final exam” or “needs midterm” or “final project required”) when submitting a grade of Incomplete.
• Students have until the end of their next regular enrolled term (Fall, Winter, or Spring) to remove the incomplete, or the grade will automatically lapse into an F or NP. Instructors should remove the Incomplete via Gradebook if the work was completed before the deadline.

MAKING UP WORK: Students who do not enroll in the following quarter may make up the work when they next return. Since this can sometimes be several quarters or years or decades later, instructors may want to arrange an agreement with the student with a fixed deadline by which the incomplete must be removed to avoid being responsible for coursework after some time has lapsed, unless they are willing to work with the student whenever they return.

ENROLLMENT: Students should simply make up the work that was missed, and should not re-enroll in the class.

EXTENSIONS: Students who cannot remove the incomplete by the end of the next regular enrolled quarter (Fall/Winter/Spring) may petition to extend the incomplete, but approval is not guaranteed and will depend on the policies of the student’s School/College.

• Note: For students in the College, long exceptions (more than 1 quarter) are rarely granted and require a letter of support from the instructor.

FINAL EXAMS: If the student needs to take a final exam the next time the course is being taught because no make-up exam is available, an incomplete should only be offered if the course is being taught the following quarter. Otherwise the incomplete will lapse into an F or NP.

• Note: For students in the College, extensions are not approved if the reason is because an exam is not offered in the next quarter.

GRADING: The grade of “Incomplete” remains on the transcript in the original term, and the final grade appears in the term in which the work was completed.

GRADUATION: Please note that students who are graduating may choose to receive their degrees without removing the incomplete if all other degree requirements have been met. In this case, they may not subsequently remove the incomplete. Instructors should be sure to submit removals of Incompletes on a timely basis, because after the degree is posted, the academic record is closed to further revision.

REMOVAL OF INCOMPLETE: Instructors may change the grade electronically via Gradebook on MyUCLA.  Please be sure to note the date the work was completed (submitted to the instructor), rather than the date the work was graded.

• If the removal is submitted after the incomplete has lapsed, the correct grade will replace the lapsed grade provided that the student completed the work before the deadline.
• If the work was completed after the deadline, students must petition for an extension (approval not guaranteed – see above), and if approved, the removal of incomplete should be submitted via the Academic Revision Form.

CORRECTION OF INCOMPLETE GRADE: if an Incomplete grade was assigned in error, and the student should not have received an Incomplete grade, instructors should correct this using the Academic Revision Form, as this cannot be corrected via MyUCLA.