Faculty Grading Information

Fall Semester 2024

Date	Information
December 9 - December 16 (Monday - Monday)	Final Grading
December 16 at 10:00 a.m. (Monday)	Final Grade Deadline
December 17 at Noon	Final Grades Posted in PAWS for Student Viewing

For detailed grading instructions please see the information below.

Midterm grades are required for all Part of Term 1 (Full-Term) courses. 

Federal regulations mandate that institutions have  procedures for identifying financial aid recipients who never attended/participated in classes and for verifying that a financial aid recipient who began attending/participating during a term completed the term.  Our policy for compliance with this federal regulation is to use the following grade rules:

Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

Enter the appropriate midterm grade.  All grades of U or F will require the instructor to select one of three grade reasons:  Never Attended (U-NA/F-NA), Stopped Attending (U-SA/F-SA), or Earned (U-CA/F-CA). If the grade reason is Stopped Attending, a last date of attendance/participation must be entered.

Certain Graduate courses previously identified as having no substantial graded feedback at midterm may enter a grade of MS (Midterm Satisfactory). 

For undergraduate courses having no substantial graded feedback, please send an email notification to records@southalabama.edu.  Include the course prefix, course number, and CRN.

Attendance/Participation

Attendance refers to participation in academically-related activities. 

Academically-related activities include:

• Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
• Submitting an academic assignment;
• Taking an assessment or an exam;
• Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
• Participating in a school assigned study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
• Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.

Academically-related activities do NOT include activities where a student may be present but not academically engaged, such as:

• Living in school housing;
• Participating in the school's meal plan;
• Logging into an online course or tutorial without any further active participation;
• Participating in academic counseling or advisement.

Grade Reasons

Never Attended (F-NA, U-NA): Use this grade option when there has been no attendance/participation in academically-related activities in the course.

Stopped Attending (F-SA, U-SA):  Use this grade option when the student has ceased attendance/participation in academically-related activities in the course. Enter the student’s last date of academic attendance/participation for which you have supporting documentation. The last date of attendance is critical in determining the appropriate amount of federal aid that the University must return.  If you have records supporting that the student began attendance/participation in the course, but do not have documentation of when the student ceased attendance/participation, you may enter the mid-point of the term as the last date of attendance. 

Earned, Attending but Failing (F-CA, U-CA): Use this grade option for students who are attending/participating in the course, but are not currently meeting the stated objective.  A last date of attendance/participation will not be required.

Financial Aid Implications

Students reported as Never Attended (F-NA, U-NA) or Stopped Attending (F-SA, U-SA) in ALL enrolled classes will receive final semester grades of F* at midterm which will be reflected on the student’s official academic transcript. Students who fail to meet certain attendance criteria may be responsible for repayment of Federal aid which may also result in a student account balance and/or hold on the student’s record.

To enter Midterm Grades:

1. Select "Midterm Grades" from the Faculty Services menu.
2. Select the appropriate term.
3. Select the CRN and click the "Submit" button.
4. Scroll down the screen to display the students registered in your course.
5. Enter the grade from the drop-down box.  (Leave the hours attended column blank)
6. Click the "Submit" button before leaving the page.

Missing Grades

Instructors will be notified of any missing midterm grades by the Office of the Registrar. If you receive a notification, please enter the missing grades as soon as possible. If there are any questions regarding entering grades, please call Jeremy Hatcher (6-6965) or Ashley Suggs (6-1743).

Viewing Midterm Grades

Faculty and advisors will be able to view midterm grades in Navigate South beginning Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Noon.

Web Grading
Web grading for Fall Semester 2024 classes will become available Monday,  December 9, at 9:00 a.m. and will end on Monday, December 16, at 10:00 a.m.

Missing Grades
Starting Monday, December 16, at 10:15 a.m., students without a grade entered by the instructor will be assigned an ‘N’ symbol. The Dean's signature is required on the "Change of Grade/Symbol Form" to remove an ‘N’ symbol.

PAWS Reminders
A grade can still be changed on PAWS for the current term as long as:

1. Drop down box is activated and "Grade" column displays a list of grades
   available to enter. Note:  "WD" grade can never be changed on PAWS.
2. "Rolled" column displays an "N" and not "Y" indicator

To enter final grades:

1. Select "Final Grades" from the Faculty Services menu.
2. Select the appropriate term.
3. Select the CRN and click the "Submit" button.
4. Scroll down the screen to display the students registered in your course.
5. Enter the grade from the drop-down box.
6. Click the "Submit" button before leaving the page.

Attendance/Participation
All grades of U and F will require the instructor to select one of three grade reasons:  Never Attended, Stopped Attending, or Earned. If the grade reason is Stopped Attending, a last date of attendance/participation must be entered.

For students who Stopped Attending:   Enter the student’s last date of attendance or academic participation for which you have supporting documentation.  If you have records supporting that the student began attendance or participation in the class, but do not have documentation of when the student ceased participating, you may enter the mid-point of the term (2024) as the last date of attendance. 

For students who are attending classes, but are not currently meeting the stated objective:  Please enter a grade of U or F and the grade reason, Earned.  Do not enter a last date of attendance.

Attendance refers to academic attendance or participation in an academically-related activity. 

Academically-related activities include:

• Attending a synchronous class, lecture, recitation, or field or laboratory activity, physically or online, where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
• Submitting an academic assignment;
• Taking an assessment or an exam;
• Participating in an interactive tutorial, webinar, or other interactive computer-assisted instruction;
• Participating in a school assigned study group, group project, or an online discussion that is assigned by the institution; or
• Interacting with an instructor about academic matters.

Academically-related activities do NOT include activities where a student may be present but not academically engaged, such as:

• Living in school housing;
• Participating in the school's meal plan;
• Logging into an online course or tutorial without any further active participation;
• Participating in academic counseling or advisement. 

Incomplete Symbols

Incomplete symbols are not to be used as place holders for courses still in progress. Please notify the Registrar’s Office if a course has not ended. The symbol “P” (In Progress) is assigned only in a limited number of approved courses which require more than one term for completion. Unless the “P” is removed by the end of the second succeeding term, a grade of “F” will be recorded.

Upon the request of a student and approval of the instructor, the symbol “I” (Incomplete) may be assigned when, for reasons beyond the student’s control, the student is unable to fulfill all the normal course requirements. The situation warranting an “I” must be a medical condition, an equipment problem, or other mitigating circumstance that is patently demonstrable to be beyond the student’s control. This symbol is not used to provide time for completion of extra work beyond the normal course requirements for improving the student’s grade, nor is it assigned to permit the student to avoid probation, suspension, or dismissal. All records of the symbol “I” must be cleared by the specified deadline of the next term; if they are not, grades of “F” will be recorded by the Registrar.

Incomplete grades will require the instructor to enter a last date of attendance in PAWS. When an instructor submits an "I" symbol, student information will appear on a screen at the top of the page.  The purpose of this screen is to alert the faculty that the incomplete symbol will become an F or U if a ‘Change of Grade’ form or "Request for Extension of Time for Incomplete Symbol" form does not reach the Registrar's Office by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.

Contact Jeremy Hatcher (6-6965) or Ashley Suggs (6-1743) if you have any questions.