Grades
Southern Wesleyan University uses letter grades as an indicator of the level to which a student has mastered the objectives of a given course. While efforts are made to eliminate subjectivity and bias, grades should be looked on as approximations. They are not an end in themselves but merely provide some evidence of how well the institutionally set goals have been met by a given individual. Students are encouraged to set their own learning goals and to use grades as only one measurement among many.
Grades serve the school in many ways, including:
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Giving feedback to students
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Determining whether credit is given for a course
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Determining how well material has been mastered overall
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Helping to improve instruction
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Sharing with stakeholders such as advisors, parents, employers, funding agencies, accreditors and graduate schools
Primarily, grades are directly related to the achievement of specified learning outcomes stipulated in a course syllabus or other official course materials. In some cases, a portion of the grade may involve other learning related to the broader topic of the course or the overall Southern Wesleyan University learning outcomes. Grades may also indicate the level of student engagement with the learning experience measured through such things as class participation, attendance, timeliness, and optional activity or research.
The following meanings are represented by the letter grades:
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A
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Advanced:The student has gone beyond the simple mastery of the course objectives. He or she can integrate the concepts presented with previously learned material as appropriate to the course. In addition, key ideas can be applied in new and complex settings bringing fresh insights and creativity. Work is of consistently high quality.
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B
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Proficient:The student has gained competence with respect to the course objectives and is able to satisfactorily apply concepts most of the time. Work is of moderate to high quality.
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C
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Basic:The student performs adequately in relation to most of the course objectives. There may be some areas of weakness and he or she sometimes applies ideas incorrectly or incompletely. Work is of moderate quality with some inconsistency.
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D
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Below Basic:The student has minimal grasp of the course objectives. Many important concepts are only partially mastered and he or she struggles to make adequate application. The quality of work is inconsistent and/or marginal.
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F
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Failure:The student has not demonstrated mastery of many or most of the course objectives. The quality of work is not sufficient to warrant gaining credit for the course.
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Faculty members at Southern Wesleyan University are hired both to teach and to make expert judgments of how well students master course objectives. The judgments are arrived at in a wide variety of ways depending on the course content and the skill and preference of the instructor. Southern Wesleyan University does not endorse one particular grading methodology, but policy does require that faculty adhere to the above grade definitions. Faculty are also asked not to include items in the final grade that have no relation to the course outcomes, program outcomes or student engagement with the topic.
All grades are reported in a system of eleven letter grades designated as “A” thru “F” with appropriate plus and minus additions reflecting the following scheme:
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A
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4.0
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A-
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3.7
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B+
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3.4
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B
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3.0
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B-
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2.7
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C+
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2.4
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C
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2.0
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C-
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1.7
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D+
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1.4
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D
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1.0
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F
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0.0
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NC
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No Credit (does not affect GPA)
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P
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Pass
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S
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Satisfactory completion but no credit toward graduation
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I
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Incomplete
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W
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Withdrew
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