Grading scheme
All courses in the College of Arts and Sciences use a common grading scheme to convert weighted percentages to their corresponding letter grades:
| Letter Grade | Weighted Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 93–100% |
| A- | 90–92.9% |
| B+ | 87–89.9% |
| B | 83–86.9% |
| B- | 80–82.9% |
| C+ | 77–79.9% |
| C | 73–76.9% |
| C- | 70–72.9% |
| D | 60–69.9% |
| F | Less than 60% |
Letter grades are converted to the corresponding GPA quality points per the 91AV Undergraduate Academic Catalog
| Letter Grade | GPA |
|---|---|
| A | 4 |
| A- | 3.75 |
| B+ | 3.5 |
| B | 3 |
| B- | 2.75 |
| C+ | 2.5 |
| C | 2 |
| C- | 1.75 |
| D | 1 |
| F | 0 |
Academic Integrity
Procedure for Reporting and Review of Alleged Academic Misconduct in the College of Arts and Sciences:
The 91AV College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) values academic integrity as a cornerstone of the educational experience. The following describes the procedure for reporting, reviewing, and resolving suspected cases of academic misconduct in CAS courses, in alignment with the Code of Conduct outlined in the 91AV Student Handbook (PDF).
A course instructor who believes a student has engaged in academic misconduct will:
- Notify (by email) and meet1 with the student to discuss the suspicion of academic misconduct as well as next steps.
- If, after this meeting, misconduct is no longer suspected, the Instructor will email this outcome to the student, with a copy to the CAS School Director (SD) and CAS Associate Dean (AD).2 No further action is taken.
- If, after this meeting, misconduct is still suspected, the Instructor will email the student’s name and a brief summary of the incident (including the course number, the nature of the infraction (aligned with the Student Handbook), the type and value of the assignment, and the student’s response) to their SD and the AD, with a copy to the student.
- If the student does not reply to the Instructor’s email and attend the meeting within 5 business days, then the Instructor will proceed without input from the student.
The AD will then:
- Determine if this is the student’s first or a subsequent infraction.
- Determine the appropriate pathway by reviewing the submitted information and consulting with the Instructor and SD as needed.3
- Reply to the Instructor, SD, and student with the identified pathway and to confirm next steps.
- The procedure will follow the Course-Level Pathway (A) outlined below if it is (i) the student’s first infraction; (ii) the value of the assignment is < 25% of the final grade; (iii) the sanction will be equal to or less severe than failure of the assignment, and; (iv) the student agrees with the allegation of misconduct.
- The procedure will follow the College-Level Pathway (B) outlined below if it is (ii) the student’s second or subsequent infraction; (ii) the value of the assignment is > 25% of the final grade, (iii) the recommended sanction is greater than failure of the assignment (up to a two-week suspension), or; (iv) the student asserts their integrity.
- If the number of infractions and/or alleged misconduct is sufficiently egregious to warrant a sanction greater than a two-week suspension, the procedure will be referred to the Office of Student Resolutions to be handled at the University Level per the 91AV Student Handbook.
(A) Course-Level Pathway
When a suspected case of academic misconduct is determined to be appropriate for the Course-Level Pathway, the Instructor will:
- Confer with the AD to finalize an appropriate outcome.4
- Communicate with the student in writing (email) regarding the outcome and next steps for the assignment/course.
- Forward all documentation and copies of communication to the AD. The AD will archive the case materials and forward a report to the Office of Student Resolutions.
(B) College-Level Pathway
When a suspected case of academic misconduct is determined to be appropriate for the College-Level Pathway, the Instructor will forward all documentation to the School Director (SD). The SD will:
- Review the summary of the incident (provided by the Instructor), including all relevant documentation.
- Request a meeting with the student to discuss the charge. If the student does not reply to the SD’s request and attend the meeting within 10 business days, then the SD will proceed without input from the student.
After reviewing the documentation and meeting with the student, the SD will send the following items to the CAS Associate Dean (AD) within five business days:
- All relevant documentation.
- A description of their decision on the veracity of the charge.
- The recommended outcome, including a sanction, as appropriate.5
After receiving the material from the SD, the AD will:
- Review the documentation, the SD’s conclusion, and the recommended outcome.
- Communicate with the SD to determine an appropriate course of action if there is disagreement between the SD and AD regarding the conclusion and/or recommended outcome.
- Make the final determination on the charge and the outcome.
If the multi-level review yields a conclusion of no violation of the academic integrity policy, the AD will:
- Communicate with the course Instructor to determine an appropriate course of action as needed.
- Inform the student, Instructor, and the SD of their decision in writing (by email) no more than five business days after receiving the material from the SD.
- Archive the case materials in the CAS Dean’s Office but not forward a report to the Office of Student Resolutions.
If the conclusion after the multi-level review is that the student has violated the academic integrity policy, the AD will:
- Communicate with the course Instructor to determine an appropriate course of action as needed.
- Notify (by email) the Student, Instructor, AD, and Director of the Office of Student Resolutions of the final decision and the sanction, if appropriate, no more than five business days after receiving the material from the SD.
- Archive the case materials in the CAS Dean’s Office and forward a report to the Office of Student Resolutions.
Charges of academic misconduct that may result in a minimum of a failing grade on the assignment and a maximum of a two-week suspension are reviewed and sanctioned by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or their designee (CAS Associate Dean noted above). Charges of academic misconduct that may result in greater sanctions are reviewed by the AD and then referred to the Director of the Office of Student Resolutions for evaluation via the Student Resolutions Review Process as outlined in the 91AV Student Handbook. Students may appeal the outcome within seven days of receiving notification, following the criteria and Academic Progression Appeals process outlined in the 91AV Student Handbook.
1 Meetings should be held in person whenever possible; however, under necessary circumstances, a videoconference, phone call, or email can serve as a substitute.
2 If the course instructor is also the School Director, the Associate Dean will designate an alternate to serve in this role. If the AD is the course instructor, another Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences will review the case at that level.
3 In cases where the matter cannot be resolved prior to the deadline for final grade entry, an “Incomplete (I)” will be assigned and grade updated after the case is closed.
4 Outcomes on the Course-Level Pathway may range from a re-do of the work (with or without a penalty applied) up to and including a grade of zero on the assignment. The exact outcome will depend on the nature of the infraction and other details relevant to the case. An educational requirement or referral may also be assigned by the Instructor as an outcome. If misconduct is suspected on any “re-dos” for the same work, it is treated as a subsequent case and handled via the College-Level Pathway.
5 Outcomes on the College-Level Pathway may range from a re-do of the work (with or without penalty applied) up to and including failure of the course and/or a two-week suspension. The exact outcome will depend on the nature of the infraction, any prior infractions, and other details relevant to the case. An educational requirement may also be included in the outcome. If misconduct is suspected on any “re-dos” for the same work, it is treated as a subsequent case and handled accordingly.
Procedure for grade appeals in the College of Arts and Sciences
Consistent with university policy, students1 wishing to initiate a grade appeal must contact their course instructor with questions or concerns about their final grade. Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the course syllabus prior to initiating an appeal.
If the matter is not resolved with the course instructor, the student should then contact the Academic Director of the school from which the course is offered.2 The Academic Director (or designate) will consult with the course instructor and apply any specific course/program-level policies as necessary to render a decision on the grade appeal.
If the matter is not resolved at the school level, the student may bring their concern to the CAS Dean’s Office (casdean@une.edu). The CAS associate dean for Student Academic Affairs will consult with the course instructor, academic director, dean, and other campus units as needed, and render a decision based on the information available and in line with published university academic policies.
Footnotes
1 Grade appeals must be initiated by the student within two semesters of when the grade was awarded per university policy.
2 When the course instructor is the Academic Director of the school in which the course is housed, students may direct their concern to the CAS Dean’s Office if the matter is not resolved with the course instructor.