GRADES AND EXAMS
How do I turn in my grades?
Grades are submitted via Cal Central. Detailed information on submitting final grades is available on the Registrar's Office site. Log into Cal Central and click on your My Academics tab, where you will see a list of your classes. To the right of each course listing you will find an Enter Grades link that will take you to your grade roster page, where you can submit midterm and final grades. The Registrar's Office has produced several simple and clear Quick Guides, Walk-Through Vidoes, and FAQs to help you. If you encounter any technical problems, please write to egrades@berkeley.edu and the Registrar will help you.
The deadline for submitting final grades to the Office of the Registrar is usually five days following the end of the term. They update the dates in the above website each semester.
The instructor assigned to the class listed in the Class Schedule and the instructor's approved proxy may submit grades, but only the instructor may approve grades. If a student's name does not appear on your course roster, it means that student is not officially enrolled in the course. Please contact the student and refer him or her to the Dean's Office of his or her college.
Do I have to give a letter grade to any undergraduate students who are taking the course P/NP?
For students who selected the P/NP grade option, you should assign these students a P, NP or Incomplete as appropriate. However, the Econ Dept strongly encourages faculty members to record the letter grade the student would have earned by noting it using the Comments link in your roster. It is very helpful to record the letter grades in case the student or Econ staff need to refer to this information in the future.
What are the procedures for correcting an erroneous grade?
For changing grades assigned in Summer 2016 and prior: An email may be used to petition the Registrar for a grade change by writing to egrades@berkeley.edu. Please note the grade change must come from the instructor of record, and the request should include an explanation for the change (e.g. clerical or procedural error, correction of a miscalculated grade, etc.).
For changing grades assigned in Fall 2016 and after: Please follow the procedures for Changing Grades via Cal Central.
What are the procedures regarding Incomplete (I) grades?
According to Academic Senate guidelines, a grade of Incomplete (noted "I" on the transcript) may be assigned when a student’s work in a course has been of passing quality but is incomplete due to circumstances beyond the student’s control. Examples of circumstances beyond the student’s control include, but are not limited to, extenuating circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic, death of a close relative, major illness, and/or mental health issues. If you do not know why a student has not handed in a paper, taken an exam, or is not passing your course, i.e., you do not know whether the reasons are within or out of their control, you should give the student a failing grade (F, NP, or U), not an Incomplete. Incomplete grades are contingent upon instructor approval, and instructors are under no obligation to grant them.
In cases where an instructor agrees to assign an I grade, it is important to arrive at an agreement with the student about exactly what is required in order to finish the course and what percentage of the grade will be based on the remaining work. Responsibility for requesting and finishing an Incomplete rests squarely on the student. The Incomplete will convert automatically to a grade of F or NP if the replacement grade is not submitted by the faculty member by the deadline noted below. The student deadline for completion of the coursework is 30 days earlier, or sooner if you choose an earlier student deadline.
| I Grade Received | Course Work Completion Deadline | Deadline for Replacement of I Grade by Instructor (Lapse Date) |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | 30 days prior to the first day of instruction of the following fall semester or the instructor-provided deadline, whichever is earlier. | First day of instruction of the following fall semester. |
| Spring Semester & Summer Sessions | 30 days prior to the first day of instruction of the following spring semester or the instructor-provided deadline, whichever is earlier. | First day of instruction of the following spring semester. |
Instructors awarding an I grade must specify in a written statement to the undergraduate advising office the reason for awarding the I grade, the nature of the work to be completed, the percentage of the grade to be based thereon, and the grade earned up to that point. To do this, download and complete the Instructor/Student Contract for Incomplete Coursework form. This form should be signed by the instructor and the student. You can also forward the contract to the Economics Undergraduate Advising Office at ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu.
Note: If you are assigning an Incomplete, do not instruct the student to re-enroll in the course, even if you have arranged for the student to take a final exam in a future semester. This will cause the student's Incomplete grade to convert to a grade of F and it will be reflected in their academic history.
How do I submit a grade when a student has finished an Incomplete?
Review the Office of the Registrar's procedures for Incomplete grades.
You will submit the grade that is to replace the Incomplete via Cal Central as though it were a grade change. Follow the instructions for changing grades and choose Resolve Incomplete Grade under Change Reason. You can email egrades@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.
What are midterm status reports?
Even though you are not required to submit mid-term status reports, it is important that you do submit such reports whenever you can since they provide useful information for students, particularly those on academic probation. They also enable the student services team to identify and help students who encounter academic difficulty during the term. If you do not have any way of determining a student's academic status in your class when mid-term status reports are due, it's not necessary to submit a report.
Do I have to give a final exam?
Probably. Unless the undergraduate course you are teaching has been approved by COCI for an "alternative form of final assessment" such as a paper or a project, a final examination is required. You can find out if your course requires a final exam by going to http://guide.berkeley.edu/courses/econ/. Search for your course, click "Read More" and then look at the field "Grading/Final exam status." Final exams shall be completed by all students within an announced time limit (no longer than three hours), and be given at the time listed in the Online Schedule of Classes. Final examinations are optional in graduate courses and are given at the instructor's discretion, and when given are usually administered in department space. Exam locations are published in the schedule of final examinations toward the end of the semester.
What are my responsibilities, as an instructor, during exams?
As stated in the COCI (Committee on Courses of Instruction) Handbook, it is the responsibility of the instructor to arrange for and monitor the conduct of the final examination, or its equivalent, in a manner that detects and discourages academic dishonesty.
In the Economics Department, instructors are responsible for making sure their finals are proctored and instructors are normally present during the final exam. In those unusual cases where the instructor is not present, they will need to ensure that their GSIs and/or readers are able to proctor the exam effectively, or they will need to find a *qualified* proctor(s) themselves (e.g. another faculty member). Departmental funds are not available to pay for proctoring services, except in the rarest of circumstances and per approval from the Vice-Chair.
Students are responsible for making sure that their schedules do not contain any conflicts of lectures, discussion sections, and final exams. If you are asked by a student to make an accommodation for them because your final exam conflicts with that of another course they are enrolled in, you are under no obligation to make such accommodations.
Are instructors required to keep final exams and grading records?
For exams administered in hard copy, instructors may opt to either return final exams (or copies of them), or retain them in the Econ main office (530 Evans Hall) where students may view them. Final exams administered electronically (gradescope, bCourses, etc.) do not need to be turned in to the office. Final exams are retained by the staff in the main office (530 Evans Hall) for thirteen months after the date of the final exam. Final exams are kept for the thirteen-month period by the Department for reference in case a student wants to challenge the final grade that he/she received. The grading records also play an important role in a dispute or challenge should one arise.
What do I do about plagiarism and cheating?
The Berkeley Center for Teaching and Learning provides many suggested strategies for instructors to help them minimize the occurrence of academic dishonesty. However if you or one of your GSIs suspect that a student has committed plagiarism or cheating, the Graduate Student Instructor Teaching and Resource Center provides an excellent description of procedures for both instructors and GSIs to follow for resolving or reporting the incident.