Faculty and Staff - Final Grade Information

Online Grading FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions – for Faculty

GENERAL

How do I prepare for online grading?
What training or informational materials are available?
What are the deadlines and dates for online grading?
I have questions about grades, grading options, etc.

ENTERING AND SUBMITTING GRADES

Whose responsibility is it to enter and submit grades?
How do I access my grade roster(s) to record grades?
Can I upload grades?
Do I have to enter all of my grades at once?
What if the grade field is not open to enter a grade?
What if I can’t enter or submit my grades due to a personal emergency?

CHANGING GRADES

Can I change a grade on the online grade roster?
Does online grading replace the Change of Grade form?

WHAT'S NEXT?

I've submitted my grades. What's next?
How soon will students be able to see their grades?
Can I go back and look at old grade rosters?
How do I print my grade rosters?

How do I prepare for online grading? (Back)

Q: How do I prepare for online grading?

A: If you have activated your NetID and have previously logged onto MySlice to view your class lists and/or schedule of classes, you're all set. Once grade rosters become available for grading, the rosters can be accessed via MySlice in your Faculty Services area.

If you have activated your NetID, but have not yet logged onto MySlice (https://myslice.syr.edu), we suggest that you do so to ensure that you can successfully log onto MySlice. Under Faculty Services, you can currently view your class lists (rosters) and your semester schedule of classes. Once grade rosters become available for grading, this is where you will gain access. Consult with your department's class scheduling administrator if you don't see the classes you expect.

If you have not activated your NetID or you can't remember your NetID or password, please visit the ITS NetID self-service website at http://its.syr.edu/netid/. If you need additional help, call the ITS Help Desk at (315) 443-2677, or send an e-mail to consult@syr.edu.

Q: What if I forget my password or get locked out?

A: Go to the ITS NetID self-service website at http://its.syr.edu/netid/. Click on "forgot your password" and follow the directions on the screen to reset your password. If you need additional help, call the ITS Help Desk at (315) 443-2677 or send an e-mail to consult@syr.edu.

What training or informational materials are available? (Back)

Q: What training or informational materials are available?

A: The online grading process is simple and self-explanatory, and formal training is not needed. Help functionality within the grading function provides additional information and guidance.

The "Online Grading Overview" on the Registrar's Office website (http://registrar.syr.edu/staff/finalgradeinfo/) provides a quick walk-through for entering and submitting grades. Also, learn how to create a list of students in your class from the grade roster, enter your grades to that list, and then upload the grades from that list to your grade roster.

The "Final Grades from Blackboard to Excel to Online Grade Input" link also on the Registrar's Office website (http://registrar.syr.edu/staff/finalgradeinfo/) provides instruction for exporting final grades from Blackboard and using MS Excel to convert them to the necessary format for uploading.

Q: Whom do I call for help?

A: For help with:

NetID and/or password: Call the ITS Call Center at (315) 443-2677 or send email to consult@syr.edu.

Questions about the online grading screens or process: Call the Registrar's Office help line, (315) 443-9497.

Questions about access to grade rosters or your classes: Contact the class scheduling administrator in your department or college.

What are the deadlines and dates for online grading? (Back)

Q: When will grade rosters be available for grading?

A: The date is posted at http://registrar.syr.edu/staff/finalgradeinfo/.

Q: When are final grades due?

A: The deadline is posted at http://registrar.syr.edu/staff/finalgradeinfo/.

Grade due dates are published each semester in the Schedule of Classes. The due date is set to allow sufficient time for grading after the last day of final examinations; to provide timely information to students, who are making plans for the upcoming semester or summer session; and to facilitate the administrative needs of the schools, colleges, and departments, e.g., for probation review and degree certification.

Q: Can I still submit grades after the due date?

A: After the due date, you must submit grades on Missing Grade forms, available from department offices. This manual paper process is onerous for both you and the Registrar's Office (one form per student, each form requiring three signatures.) Submitting grades online by the due date eliminates the manual process.

Printed class lists with grade notations, including printouts of online grade rosters, will not be accepted by the Registrar's Office.

I have questions about grades, grading options, etc. (Back)

Q: How do I know what grades are valid for a particular class or student?

A: On the grade roster, click the drop down arrow in the Roster Grade column to view and/or select from the list of valid grades.

Q: How will I know if I enter an invalid grade?

A: If you attempt to enter an invalid grade, you will receive an error message and will be prompted to enter a valid grade.

Q: Can I enter Incompletes (I) online?

A: No. The Request for Incomplete Grade form, signed by both the student and the instructor, must be submitted to the Registrar's Office. Forms are available in department offices.

Leave the grade blank on the grade roster for students who are requesting an Incomplete. When the Request form has been processed by the Registrar's Office, "I" will appear as the Official Grade.

Q: My course is graded Pass/Fail. Can I enter a Pass, or do I have to enter a letter-grade that will be converted to a Pass?

A: Pass will be an available selection for Pass/Fail-graded courses only.

Some students in Pass/Fail-graded courses elect a letter-grade option. If a Pass is entered for such a student, you will receive an error message and will be prompted to enter a valid letter-grade.

Q: What grade should I assign to a student who never attended but who did not drop the class?

A: The grade of NA (Did not attend and did not withdraw) should be assigned.

For students who attended the class long enough to establish a basis for evaluation, a course grade should be determined on the basis of work completed, counting unsubmitted work as zero. [See Academic Rules and Regulations, item 6.3.2, for additional information, http://coursecatalog.syr.edu/rules.aspx]

Q: What do I do about a student whose name does not appear on my class roster?

A: Advise the student to contact his/her school or college, or the Registrar's Office. If the student is subsequently registered, the grade will then need to be reported to the Registrar's Office on a Missing Grade form.

Q: What do I do if a student appears on my class roster but not on my grade roster?

A: Wait one week. If the student is adding the class late, his/her name will appear on the grade roster after the grade roster is refreshed weekly.

Q: What do I do about a student who withdrew after I received my grade roster?

A: Assign the grade earned by the student for work performed. If the withdrawal petition was submitted to the Registrar's Office by the deadline, the Official Grade will be replaced by the withdrawal (WD).

Whose responsibility is it to enter and submit grades? (Back)

Q: Whose responsibility is it to enter and submit grades? How will grading be handled in classes with both faculty and teaching assistants involved in the instruction?

A: Grading is the responsibility of instructors. The person(s) designated as a primary instructor for a class may submit grades. Teaching assistants may also submit grades, designated as a TA. Each department makes its own determination of who may submit grades for each class. Grading access is then given to the instructor and/or the TA by the class scheduling administrator in the department.

Q: I co-teach a class with another faculty member. Will each of us have access to the grade roster and be able to enter grades?

A: If you both are set up on the class on system as an instructor with access to enter grades, you will both have access to the grade roster to enter grades. Instructors of courses with more than one designated grader will need to coordinate the submission of grades.

Consult with your department's class scheduling administrator if you do not have the access you expect.

Q: Can my Teaching Assistant enter final grades?

A: This is subject to departmental policy. If your department allows teaching assistants to assign grades, the department's class scheduling administrator will need to assign grading access to the TAs.

How do I access my grade roster(s) to record grades? (Back)

Q: How do I access my grade roster(s)?

A: FACULTY: Grade rosters are accessed via MySlice in your Faculty Services area. Log on to Myslice at https://myslice.syr.edu by entering your NetID and password. (See "How do I prepare for online grading?") Click on Faculty Center; your teaching schedule will display. Click on the Grade Roster icon to the left of your class listing.

ADMINISTRATIVE GRADER: Grade rosters are accessed via MySlice in the Administrative Applications area. Log on to Myslice at https://myslice.syr.edu by entering your NetID and password. Click HRSA Applications in the Administrative Applications area. Follow this path: Curriculum Management > Grading > Grade Roster AG.

Q: I don't see grade rosters for all of my classes - what do I do?

A: Check with your department's class scheduling administrator. You may not be listed as a primary instructor, or grading access may not have been assigned. [Note: If you teach LAW or ESF classes, they will appear on your class listing, but will not have a grade roster available. Grades may not be entered online for these classes.]

Q: Do I have to be on campus to enter final grades?

A: No, you may submit your grades from anywhere that you have web access.

Q: I don't have access to a computer. Where can I go to enter final grades?

A: You can go to any public computer lab on campus.

Q: What hours will the system be available for me to enter grades?

A: Generally, you will have access to online grade rosters via MySlice 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ITS has regularly scheduled maintenance, typically on Sunday mornings, when the system will be unavailable. Any planned downtimes are announced on MySlice prior to the date.

Can I upload grades? (Back)

Q: I maintain my grades in an Excel spreadsheet. How will I submit my final grades?

A: The online grade roster provides you with the ability to upload your grades from a spreadsheet which has been saved in CSV format (comma separated variable). Mac users need to use "CSV (Windows)" format. The spreadsheet has to contain the student's 9-digit SUID and the letter grade, separated by a comma. A help link with detailed instructions will be available on the Grade Roster. Additional information can be found at the end of the "Online Grading Overview", on the Registrar's Office website (http://registrar.syr.edu/), under "Faculty and Staff".

If you are not currently keeping grades in an electronic form, this is a good time to consider doing so. The ease of uploading grades is a big advantage of online grading.

Q: How do I export a spreadsheet using Blackboard or iSchool LMS?

A: A file can be exported from Blackboard and reformatted so it contains only the SUID and grade separated by a comma. Then it can be uploaded into MySlice using the Upload Grades button on the Grade Roster page. See instructions on the Registrar's Office website (http://registrar.syr.edu/staff/finalgradeinfo/).

The iSchool Learning Management System (LMS) currently doesn’t contain the student’s SUID number which is needed for grading. If using the iSchool LMS, you will need to create a file with correct information in csv format.

Do I have to enter all of my grades at once? (Back)

Q: I have a large class. Do I have to enter all of my grades at once, or can I submit a partially-completed grade roster?

A: You can begin your grade entry, save your work (click "Save without Submitting"), and resume grade entry at another time. To resume, click the Edit Roster button at the bottom of the page to re-open your roster for entering grades. When entering grades for large classes, we recommend that you save your work frequently. (See "Will the system time out?", below).

You may also submit (click "Submit to Registrar") partial grade rosters and enter the remaining grades at a later time. To enter remaining grades, click the Edit Roster button at the bottom of the page to re-open your roster for entering grades. Keep in mind that once submitted grades have been posted by the Registrar's Office, they will be available for viewing by students. The partial posting of grades for a class may result in increased student inquiries from students whose grades have not been posted.

[Note: The system provides a warning message when rosters are submitted with blank grades. The message is "for your information" only and will not prevent the grades you have submitted from being posted.]

Q: Will the system time out? What happens to the grades I entered?

A: The system will time out after 60 minutes of inactivity and any unsaved grades will be lost. Typing in grades is not recognized by the system as "activity". You must Save the grades you entered at least once every 59 minutes.

What if the grade field is not open to enter a grade? (Back)

Q: I can see my grade roster, but the fields in the Roster Grade column will not allow me to enter a grade. What do I do?: A: Scroll down to bottom of page and click Edit Roster button to enable the Roster Grade field. In the Official Grade column, you'll see a grade(s). The grade was either previously submitted by you, or processed by Registrar's Office, i.e., a grade of AU.

What if I can’t enter or submit my grades due to a personal emergency? (Back)

Q: What if I can’t enter or submit my grades due to a personal emergency?

A: If you are unable to enter or submit your grades due to a personal emergency, contact the class scheduling administrator in your department or college for assistance with submitting grades. If this is not possible, contact the person listed below for your school or college as soon as possible to make arrangements for an extension.

School of Architecture:
Jonathan Massey, Undergrad Chair, 3-1855, jmassey@syr.edu
College of Arts and Sciences:
Kandice Salomone, Associate Dean, 3-9396, salomone@syr.edu
School of Education:
Amie Redmond, Assistant Dean, 3-2506, amredmon@syr.edu
College of Human Services and Health Professions:
Eileen Lantier, Associate Dean, 3-9824, elantier@syr.edu
School of Information Studies:
Elaine Morgan, Director Academic Advising and Counseling, 3-1830, emorgan@syr.edu
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs:
Graduate courses: Department chairs.
Dept. chairs must notify Kathy Ciciarelli, Senior Administrator, 3-3461, kaciciar@syr.edu of approved requests.
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications:
Rosanna Grassi, Associate Dean, 3-1908, rmgrassi@syr.edu
L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science:
Maria Marceau, Manager of Student Records, 3-4773, mcmarce@syr.edu
Martin J. Whitman School of Management:
Undergraduate courses: Dawn Kline, Dir. Undergraduate Advising and Counseling, 3-2361, dkline@syr.edu ;
Graduate courses: Rick DiRubbo, Director of Student Services and Financial Aid, 3-3727, pwdirubb@syr.edu
College of Visual and Performing Arts:
Martha Sutter, Assistant Dean, 3-2517, mlsutter@syr.edu
University College:
Gerry de Berly, Associate Dean, 3-5753, gdeberly@syr.edu

Can I change a grade on the online grade roster, and up to what point? (Back)

Q: Can I change a grade on the online grade roster, and up to what point?

A: Grade rosters that have been Saved, but not Submitted, may be changed at any time up until the grade due date. Select the Edit button at the bottom of the roster page. After making the edits to your grades, you must Submit to Registrar.

Grade rosters that have been Submitted, but not yet posted, may also be changed. Keep in mind that once submitted, grades are posted by the Registrar’s Office 4x daily, so there may not be much time available for you to change a grade online if the grades have already been Submitted. If the Roster Status column says ‘Pending’, you can select the Edit button to reopen the roster, edit the grades, and then Submit to Registrar.

Once grades have been posted, the Roster Status will change to Posted. A Change of Grade form must then be used to make a grade change. Change of Grade forms are obtained from your department, school or college.

Q: Does online grading replace the Change of Grade form?

A: No, online grade collection of final grades is for the reporting of original grades. Grade changes still must be submitted on Change of Grade forms, available in department or college offices.

I've submitted my grades. What's next? (Back)

Q: I've submitted my grades. What should I do now?: A: Once you've submitted your grade roster, by clicking the Submit to Registrar button, exit the page without clicking the Save button. Clicking the Save button after clicking the Submit to Registrar button will prevent the grades on your roster from posting. You will need to submit the roster again. To exit the page, click Home on your browser menu, or click Change Class to go to another roster.
Q: My grades are submitted. Do I need to do anything else?: A: Yes, verify that the grades you entered are correct after posting. Once grades are submitted for posting, you will receive an email notification with a reminder to verify within 48 hours that the grades you entered are posted correctly. This is done by returning to the grade roster and checking the Official Grade and the Grade Roster Status column.

How soon will students be able to see their final grades? (Back)

Q: When will students' final grades be posted? How often will grades be posted? How soon will students be able to see their final grades?

A: Grade rosters submitted via online grading to the Registrar's Office will normally be posted four times per day (7:30am, 11:30am, 4:30pm, and 11:30pm), beginning the day after the rosters become available.

Once grades are posted, students will be able to view them immediately, via MySlice.

Can I go back and look at old grade rosters? (Back)

Q: Can I go back and look at old grade rosters?: A: Yes, beginning with Spring 2007 grade rosters will be available for viewing. Grade rosters for terms prior to Spring 2007 are not available online because they were posted via the opscan process.

How do I print my grade rosters (Back)

Q: How do I print my grade rosters?: A: To print your grade roster, use your browser's print feature (e.g. File >Print).