Grading Policies

Assignment of Grades

It is the responsibility of faculty to evaluate the work presented by students. The method for assigning/determining the grades for a course will be determined by the course director and communicated in the syllabus. If a student disagrees with the grade assigned to a particular piece of work, the grade and the reasons for questioning the grade should be discussed with the course director.

Following basic mathematical principles, final grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number. For example, if the student receives an 89.50 final grade, the grade will be rounded up to a 90. If the student receives an 89.49 final grade, the grade will be rounded down to an 89.

Grades used to report quality of student’s work are:

** = Not considered a passing grade in clinical courses; student must re-take course and receive a B grade or better.

Additional grading criteria may apply to courses as delineated in the course syllabus.

Auditing a Course

With the permission of the Office of the Dean students wishing to attend a course without completing all the requirements for credit may register to audit the course. The college is under no obligation to allow a student to audit and will not allow taking of course examinations. Auditing students are prohibited from being in class when examinations are scheduled. An auditor may participate in class discussion only at the invitation of the course director. Auditing of clinical courses is prohibited. If space in a class is limited, continuing and new students have priority.

Please view the University policy on auditing a course for the complete policy description.

Pass/No Pass Option

All required courses must be taken for a letter grade except clinical practica courses which are graded pass/no pass. Electives may be taken on a pass/no pass basis with the permission of the instructor.

To read a complete description of the policy go to the University policy on the pass/no pass option.

Student Academic Appeal Process

The purpose of the student academic appeal process is to provide a system for reviewing a final course grade or evaluation that a student believes was the result of a mistake, illegal discrimination, or differential treatment. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate the appeal process. All steps must be followed sequentially unless resolution is met at an earlier step in the process.

An academic appeal not filed in accordance with the following steps shall be considered withdrawn. At any point, the student may withdraw the appeal by written notification to the course director with a copy directed to the Dean of the College of Nursing at Rush University. In the event that dismissal has resulted from a final course grade, the student may continue to take nonclinical coursework as an unclassified student during the appeal process.

Documentation

All documentation related to the appeal should be considered confidential and its distribution limited to individuals on a need-to-know basis. The decision of the Advisory Panel shall be in writing, shall contain a summary of the evidence and testimony upon which the decision is based, and shall be delivered to the Dean. Notification of the Dean’s decision will be sent to the student (by certified mail), the Progression Committee and to the Advisory Panel. The Dean will place a copy of the final decision in the appropriate file(s).

Appeal Process

Step I. The student will contact the faculty person who gave the grade or evaluation by the end of week one (Friday) of the following term and arrange a meeting to discuss any possible actions that could result in resolution of the grade issued.

Step II. If no satisfactory resolution is achieved, the student initiates the appeal process by notifying the advisor, Course Coordinator, and the appropriate Assistant Dean in writing of his/her desire to pursue the formal academic appeal process. This notification is done within five (5) working days of the meeting in Step I. After notifying the above persons, the student has five (5) days to arrange a meeting with the Course Coordinator and the appropriate Assistant Dean. The faculty person who gave the grade and the student’s advisor may be included as appropriate. The Assistant Dean will review relevant data from the student, faculty member, and course coordinator and issue a decision to the student.

(For PhD students only: If a PhD student wishes to appeal the decision provided in Step II of the above policy beyond the Division of Nursing, do not proceed with Step III below but instead refer to Step 1 of the Graduate College academic appeal policy detailed in the Rush University Catalog.)

Step III. If no satisfactory resolution is achieved, the student shall submit a written statement to the Dean of the College of Nursing (CON) requesting consideration of her/his case by a Faculty Advisory Panel. The request to the Dean must be submitted within five (5) working days of receiving the Assistant Dean’s decision. The student must provide:

1. Course number and grade or evaluation being appealed;
2. Action requested;
3. Justification for request;
4. Outline of effort and actions already taken to obtain consideration of the request.

Copies of this communication must be sent by the student to the Course Coordinator, faculty member (if different from the course coordinator), advisor, and the Rush University Vice Provost, Student Affairs.

Step IV. Within ten (10) working days after notification, the CON Advisory Panel shall meet and submit a written recommendation to the Dean. The Advisory Panel will consist of the College of Nursing Faculty Senate and the Rush University Vice Provost, Student Affairs (or designee). Faculty Senate should ensure that at least one Advisory Panel member is actively involved in teaching at the level of the student involved in the appeal. The Dean or designee may be an observer during the hearing.

Formal rules of evidence shall not be applicable. Evidence presented should be reasonably related to the issues before the Advisory Panel and shall not be unduly repetitious. All evidence shall be admissible unless clearly redundant. Both the student and the Advisory Panel may be accompanied by legal counsel or other person at the Advisory Panel session. However, the accompanying legal counsel or other person may not participate in the actual session proceedings.

Step V. Within five (5) working days or as soon thereafter as possible following receipt of the Advisory Panel recommendation, and upon discussion with the student and others as appropriate, the Dean shall reach a final decision and notify each party of the decision. The decision reached by the Dean is final.

Rules for the Conduct of the Advisory Panel

The Presiding Officer of the Faculty Senate:

1. Shall preside over the Advisory Panel;
2. Rule upon the relevance of the evidence and dispose of procedural requests;
3. Interpret these rules, the Rules of Governance of Rush University, and the Policies and Procedures of Rush College of Nursing;
4. Take any action authorized by these rules, the Rules of Governance of Rush University, or the Policies and Procedures of Rush College of Nursing.

The Advisory Panel shall:

1. Consider evidence in the form of documentary evidence, written statements, or oral testimony from the student and/or such other relevant witnesses as may be called by the Advisory Panel or the student.
2. Reach a decision on the appeal by simple majority vote by a quorum (i.e., a simple majority of voting members), that the preponderance of the evidence establishes that there was or was not adequate cause to support the student’s appeal. Advisory Panel members who are not present at the hearing cannot be part of the deliberations nor can they vote on the outcome of the hearing.
3. Hear the student’s presentation of evidence first. During the Conduct of the Advisory Panel for the Student Academic Appeal Procedure, the student with his or her advisor and involved faculty members may appear before the Advisory Panel individually, with additional time granted as deemed appropriate by the Advisory Panel. The student shall present before other evidence is heard by the Advisory Panel.
4. Document their decision in writing, including a summary of the evidence and testimony upon which the decision is based.
5. Deliver their decision to the Dean.

The Dean:

1. Considers the matter and renders a final decision with respect to the appeal.
2. Notifies the student of the decision by certified mail and the Advisory Panel by email.
3. Places a copy of the final decision in the student’s file.