ul grading procedure...module grade entry version 9.5 page 1 of 27 last updated: 13 april 2018...

Module Grade Entry

Version 9.5 of 27 Last updated: 13 April 2018

University of Limerick’s Grading Procedure Welcome to the University of Limerick’s Grading Procedure. There are many processes, which contribute to the grading procedure in its entirety such as Module Grade Entry (MGE) & Progression Decision Entry (PDE). As always, by working collaboratively stakeholders play a vital part in ensuring this procedure is completed in the timeline outlined in The Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures. The workflow for the University of Limerick’s Grading Procedure is as follows for Spring 17/18:

A. MGE opens (Day 1) B. Grades are input by Module leaders through MGE (Days 1-17) C. MGE closes (Grades not entered at this point will default to NG & can only be amended through the

Grade Alteration process) (Day 17) D. SAA prepare all relevant records for PDE (Day 17-20) E. PDE opens (Day 20) F. Progression Decisions are input by Course Leaders (Overview by Head of Department) (Day 20-23) G. PDE closes (Day 23 - am) H. Academic Council Grading Committee meet to ratify grades (Day 23 - pm) I. SAA prepare all relevant records for release of results (Day 23-34) J. Release of results (Day 35)

In order ensure the smooth transition from Day 1 (Opening of MGE) to Day 35 (Release of Results) we ask that you review the Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures to ensure you comply with all grading related regulations along with programme specific regulations, where applicable. As always, we thank you for your co-operation and look forward to working with you all during the upcoming grading cycle. Student Academic Administration

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

UL Grading ProcedureA

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

http://www2.ul.ie/pdf/388196739.pdf

Module Grade Entry


Module Grade Entry (MGE): The Module Grade Entry process is the University grade submission process. This system allows the module leader to submit grades directly to the Student Records System using an on-line application. An instruction manual has been created on how to login to the system and input grades via MGE: http://ulsites.ul.ie/saa/sites/default/files/saa_moduel_grade_entry_instruction_manual_0.doc Please ensure all grades are submitted by the grading deadline. It is important that the grading deadline is adhered to as we have a significant amount of calculations and adjustments to do prior to being able to facilitate the various faculty exam boards with performance reports. This short window also includes the preparation for opening the PDE system, which forms the critical part of the progression process in advance of Academic Council Grading Committee meetings where all grades and decisions are ratified prior to being issued to the students. If grades are not submitted by the grading deadline the following applies:

- NG grades will be inputted for all modules once the grading deadline has passed - All these students will appear on the PDE system requesting a progression decision by the course

leader. - In exceptional cases Grade Alteration Forms will have to be submitted to SAA for each student for

each module to change the NG grade. Note: these Grade Alterations cannot be processed until they are signed by the module leader and the Head of Department.

Progression Decision Entry (PDE): The objective of the Progression Decision Entry system is to gather the progression decisions for students. This system allows course leaders to submit academic regulations approved progression decisions directly to the Student Records System using an on-line application. Each faculty shall convene meetings of its Faculty Examination Board to review the student performance prior to the Academic Council Grading Committee meeting. Once decisions are reached on the progress of the students, those decisions must be entered by the Course Director to the Student Records System. An instruction manual has been created on how to login to the system and input the progression decisions – http://ulsites.ul.ie/saa/sites/default/files/saa_moduel_grade_entry_instruction_manual_0.doc If decisions are not submitted by the PDE deadline the following applies:

- A student may erroneously be allowed or prevented from progressing to the next semester. - The changing of an incorrect Progression Decision requires approval from the VPA&R

Please ensure all progression decisions are submitted online by the deadline.

Please ensure you review the Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures to ensure you comply with all grading related regulations along with programme specific regulations, where applicable.

http://ulsites.ul.ie/saa/sites/default/files/saa_moduel_grade_entry_instruction_manual_0.doc

http://ulsites.ul.ie/saa/sites/default/files/saa_moduel_grade_entry_instruction_manual_0.doc


Module Grade Entry


MODULE GRADE ENTRY

ON-LINE GRADING SUBMISSION SYSTEM

Module Grade Entry


TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE PAGE

1. INTRODUCTION

5

2.

HOW TO ACCESS THE STUDENT RECORDS PORTAL TO SUBMIT GRADES

6

3. ENTER GRADES – HOW TO GRADE YOUR MODULE ON THE WEB

9

4.

REVIEW MODULE GRADES – HOW TO REVIEW AND SUBMIT GRADES ENTERED

18

5. POTENTIAL ERRORS ENCOUNTERED WHEN ENTERING GRADES

23

6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

24

APPENDIX A: MODULE GRADE ENTRY ADDITIONAL STUDENTS FORM

25

APPENDIX B: PC SETUP AND DISPLAY

26

Module Grade Entry


1. Introduction The Module Grade Entry process is the grade submission process for the University of Limerick. The objective is to allow the module leader to submit grades directly to the Student Records System using an on-line application. The Head of Department will be notified by email that you have submitted the final grades for the module(s) and will receive a distribution of the grades submitted for each module. Along with this instruction manual, SAA continue to host workshops to provide training in advance of each grading cycle to assist all users. Any queries can be directed to a dedicated email account [email protected] The software being used is part of Tribal Technologies who developed the Student Records System that UL operates. The Module Grade Entry facility is widely used by their UK customers and therefore the display is not custom built for UL. We have incorporated some development work based on feedback from the Pilot and from subsequent grading periods since the roll out in Autumn 2010/1 but recognise that there will be further development work required in the future. SAA would be happy to gather any feedback academics would like to give following the process. Please email your feedback to [email protected] We appreciate your participation in advance and hope that you find the process to be beneficial and easy to use. Yours sincerely,

_______________ Nuala Cullimore Student Administration Officer

mailto:[email protected]


Module Grade Entry


How to Access the Student Records Portal to Submit Grades

a. Open your web browser and access the following web address: http://www.si.ul.ie/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn

b. You will then be presented with the logon to the Student records portal

c. Enter your ID/Username e.g. BLOJOE1 and pin/password. The username

structure is normally the first three letters of your surname followed by the first three letters of your first forename followed by the number 1.

i. Please note: This is not your UL network id and password for this version of Module Grade Entry.

ii. Please note: If you wish your pin/password to be reset or changed please email [email protected] to request this. Password must be 8 characters long (combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, a number and a special character).

d. Click on the Log In button. A general note when using the Student Records portal page is not to use the browser back button when navigating through screens as you may lose your work. Use the navigation buttons in the application.

Enter Your Username (e.g. BLOJOE1) and password/pin here, click on the login button

If you forget your username or password, please email [email protected] with your details.

NB: NEVER use the browser back button to view previous screens. You may lose your work.

http://www.si.ul.ie/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn



Module Grade Entry


f. Click on “Student Records” on the top of the screen

g. Scroll to the section called “Academic Staff Actions”. h. Click on “Enter grades for your modules”. A list of the modules that are assigned to you

for grading will appear. Only academics who are assigned as module leaders to modules on SI for the relevant year and semester will have modules listed.

Click ‘Student Records’ Scroll to

“Academic Staff Actions”

Click “Enter grades for your modules”

Module Grade Entry


Saved grades count is the number of grades that have been saved for the module. Submitted grades count is the number of grades that have been submitted to the Student records system.

The list of modules assigned to you is here.

Submitted grades count – This is the number of submitted grades for this module.

Saved grades count – This is the number of saved grades for this module.

Module Grade Entry


3. ENTER GRADES – HOW TO GRADE YOUR MODULE ON THE WEB NOTE: Prior to commencing grading you are asked to familiarise yourself with the Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures both for grading related regulations and programme specific regulations to ensure you comply with these at all times when entering grades. It is very important you do not enter a grade that is against regulations as the MGE system may not be able to identify this to prevent it, (e.g. As per regulations a Masters Degree Dissertation should not be graded with a D1 or D2 but because D1 and D2 are valid grades in general the system is unable to prevent you from entering these grades)

a. Click button under column labelled ‘Select’ to the right of the screen to select the module which you are going to grade.

Click select on the module for which you wish to enter grades.



Module Grade Entry


b. The following page will appear:

Under “Select Options” section, the ‘Sort records by’ option is pre-set to ‘Student Name’ but the sort option can be changed to sort by ’Student ID’. The Student Name sort option is sorted using Surname and initials of forenames. Due to the introduction of Blind Marking it is recommended that you change to sort by ‘Student ID’. The “Display” option is pre-set to “Unmarked Students”- which means only students without a grade will be displayed in the next screen (this is a useful facility should you decide to grade some students and come back at a later stage and enter the remaining students’ grades). The Display can be changed to view ‘All students’ whether they have been graded previously or not.

c. Click on “Step 1: Enter Grades” button. d. The following page will be displayed. The screen is pre-set to display 20 records per

page (you can adjust the number of records to display by scrolling to the bottom of the screen and clicking on the drop down list of “Number of Students per Page” and then click on “Set”).

The display option is preset to “Unmarked Students” – which will only display students without a grade. you must select “All Students” if you wish to view all students

Click on the option Step 1: Enter Grades to commence

The sort option is preset to “Student Name” – it is possible to change the sort of the student list to ‘Student ID’

Module Grade Entry


Registration types & associated Grades The column next to the grading box is the registration type (RTS) associated with the module, types of RTS codes are:

RTS Code (Registration type) Definition N Normal grading S Capped grading (i.e. at annual repeats)

S2 Uncapped link-in repeat I Certified Illness (uncapped) Q Capped voluntary repeat at annual repeats P Pass-fail module G Audit grade module (verifies attendance only)

Valid grades for each RTS type are:

RTS Code (Registration type) Valid Grades for this registration type N, S, S2, I, Q A1, A2,B1,B2,B3,C1,C2,C3,D1,D2,F,NG, M

P P = pass, N = fail G G = attendance,

Note: Module with multiple registration types: A small number of students could be taking your module on a pass/fail (P) or audit basis (G) while the majority of students are taking it on a (N) normal basis. Module Grade Entry is driven by the Marking scheme of the overall module and not the registration type of the module for each student. Please insert the following: Students with P or G Registration Type on a module which is set up to be graded on a Normal basis, if they are passing the module, please enter C3 as the passing grade or enter F as the failing grade. SAA will convert these grades to the proper P and N

Click here to enter the grade for a student. For a list of valid grades see banner

This column refers to the registration type of the module, see below

Module Grade Entry


and G grades at the end of the process and before QCA’s are calculated for students. This work around will continue for the moment as the numbers are quite small. Please email [email protected] if you are experiencing any problems. NOTE1: If you enter C3 to A1 grades here SAA will still convert these to P and so if you wish the student to fail the module you must enter an F. Note: Please ensure you review the Handbook of Academic Regulations and Procedures to ensure you comply with all grading related regulations along with programme specific regulations, where applicable. Note: I-grades are not entered by academic as they are recommended by the I-grade Committee. Please enter the actual grade for the student and SAA will process all I-grade recommendations at the end of the grading cycle. Note: Exemption grades (EX) are not entered by academic as these are processed by Student Status Committee in advance of any grading cycle. Note: For all modules with a S type registration, the actual grade must be entered (A1-C2) and the system will cap this grade if passing at a C3. e. Enter the Grade for the student in the Column called “Grade” a list of the valid grades is

above. If a student did not complete assessments, please enter NG grade, do not leave the grade blank.

f. If you have a grade for a student who is not listed for the module, you should complete

a Module Grade Entry Additional Students form see page 21. This student is not registered for the module and SAA need to amend the student’s record to register for the module. Email the completed form to [email protected] immediately.




Module Grade Entry


Please note: To enter the next grade use the “Tab” button:- do not use the “Enter”/“Return” button as this will bring you to the next stage without saving/storing. h. Click on ‘Store Page’ to save the grades entered and/or ‘Store and Next Page’ to save

the grades and continue grading any remaining students on the Grading list.

i. Should you enter the grades in lower case format, when you click the ‘Store Page’ button, it will reformat the grades to upper case.

To enter the next grade, use the TAB button, not the ENTER / RETURN button.

Click on ‘Store Page’ to save the grades entered and/or Click on ‘Store and Next Page’ to continue grading any remaining students on the list.

Module Grade Entry


A message will appear at the top of each page saying “Store Successful” j. Continue entering grades until you have completed all pages of the grading sheet that is

displayed on screen.

The “store successful” message will appear at the top of the page when you store successfully.

This indicates the current page (e.g. page 1 of 8), the number of pages and the number of records per page.

Module Grade Entry


k. In the event that you get the above error message, you are required to rectify the grade

and enter a valid grade. Once you have amended the grade, click “Store and Next Page” or “Store Page”. Once you have completed grading and stored the results successfully, click ‘Home’ to return to the options menu.

l. Students with P or G Registration Type on a module which is set up to be graded on a Normal basis, if they are passing the module, please enter C3 as the passing grade or enter F as the failing grade. SAA will convert these grades to the proper P and N and G grades at the end of the process and before QCA’s are calculated for students. This working around will continue for the moment as the numbers are quite small. Please email [email protected] if you are experiencing any problems. NOTE2: If you enter C3 to A1 grades here SAA will still convert these to P and so if you wish the student to fail the module you must enter an F.

2 Enhancement following Spring 2010/1 Grading Cycle Feedback: Clarification on what will happen if a different grade is entered

This error message indicates you have entered an invalid grade.

In this example, Z is not a valid grade. Correct the entry and click on ‘Store Page’ and/ or ‘Store and Next Page’ to continue grading.


Module Grade Entry


m. If you have entered and stored some grades but are not completed, you may use the ‘Home’ button to exit the system. When you resume grading, please note that you will only see the ‘Unmarked’ students (i.e. students not yet graded). Should you wish to see all students for the module, change the Display type from ‘Unmarked students’ to ‘All students’.

l. If you have stored grades on Module Grade Entry but not submitted the grades to the student records system yet, a report is available called ‘View your Stored Grades’ which displays the grades entered for each student on the module as well as the Average QPV and grade distribution of the module. This report can be accessed by doing the following:

i. Click on “Student Records” on the left hand side of the screen ii. Scroll to the section called “ Academic Staff Actions” iii. Click on “View your Stored Grades”. iv. Enter the year, semester and module you wish to view, click on the ‘Run

Report’ button:

Enter the module code, semester and year you wish to view the stored grades for. Click on ‘Run Report’ to view the resulting report.

Type the Module Code in the box or Click on “List” and select from the list of

Module Grade Entry


The following report is displayed

Module Grade Entry


4. .. REVIEW MODULE GRADES – HOW TO REVIEW AND SUBMIT GRADES ENTERED

Select the module you wish to review the grades as described previously in Enter Grades section.

a. Click on “Step 2: Review Grades”.

b. Review all the grades entered on screen. Ensure that there are no Grades listed in the

Final Column called “Grade” marked with a “?”. This means that you have not completed grading for this module. You are advised to complete the grading for each student on the module before submitting the module’s grades.

Click on “Step 2: Review Grades”

Module Grade Entry


c. If any are incorrect grades or missing grades then click on the “Edit Grades” button at the end of the screen to complete grading.

This will bring you back to the enter grades section. Please note: if you have graded all students, then the Enter grades screen will not display any students as the Display options has been pre-set to display ‘Unmarked Students’. You need to click on ‘Home’ on this screen to change the display to ‘All students’.

d. Once grading has been completed and you are satisfied the grades are correct, click on

‘Step 2: Review Grades’ button again. You will be presented with each of the students’ record with the grade column complete. The ‘Submitted Grade’ and ‘Result’ columns will be displayed as ‘?’ as they have not yet been submitted. If you are satisfied with the grades you have entered, click on the ‘Submit Final Grades’ button to begin the process of submitting the grades to the SI records system.

The next screen displayed shows the module to be submitted. If this is correct, click on ‘Submit Final Grades’ button. Please note: that you will also get the same screen if you click on ‘Step 3: Submit Final Grades’ on the Select options page.

NB: ensure there are no grades listed in the “Grade” Column marked with “?” – This means that you have not completed grading. If there are any incorrect or missing grades, click on the “Edit Grades” button to return to the grade input screen.

Module Grade Entry


The following screen will appear which displays the following information to you with regards to the module you have just submitted the final grades for. You should scroll to the end of the running calculate results box to confirm that there are no errors

Click “Submit Final Grades” to submit your grades to the system.

Module Grade Entry


e. If you receive any error messages that you do not understand, please forward to [email protected] to ensure the process worked and the grades were submitted correctly.

f. Please note that, once you “Submit Final Grades”, the option to ‘Enter Grades’ is no

longer available to you as the grades are fully submitted to the system. Please complete a Grade Alteration Form to rectify any incorrect grades. (Available from your Department Coordinator).

g. Click on the “Home” button and this will bring you back to the main screen for the

module. h. To keep a copy of the module grades that you have submitted to the system, click on

“Step 2: Review Grades”. This screen displays the grade distribution of the module as well as the actual grades submitted to the Student records system. Select the menu option ‘File’ and select “Print” (alternatively you may wish to keep an electronic copy, in this case select “Save As….”)

i. After the grades for a modules have been submitted, an email confirmation will be sent to the Module leader, the Head of the Department and the Department Co-ordinator detailing the grade distribution and average QPV for the module:


Module Grade Entry


j. To go to the next module click on the “Home” button which will return you to the main

screen for the module you have just worked on, click on the “Go Back to Module Selection” button that appears on this screen.

k. This will bring you back to the main screen which lists all the modules to which you have been assigned for grading and you can proceed to the next module (where applicable) for grading.

Module Grade Entry


5. POTENTIAL ERRORS ENCOUNTERED WHEN ENTERING GRADES

a. Error Action required Wrong grade entered (e.g. You enter, “AA” or “A” instead of A1). The error message below will appear

Please put in a valid grade – see above for instructions on how to enter grades.

Wrong grade entered (e.g. You enter A1 or A2, which is a valid grade; however the student is registered on Pass/Fail or Audit. The error message below will appear

Please refer to the grading sheet which identifies the registration type for the student. (See section above for types of registrations and valid grades).

b. Error Action required You have forgotten/entered an incorrect username and/or password on the login screen. The error message below will appear.

Please follow the instructions below, and contact SAA at [email protected] and provide your username, surname and date of birth.


Module Grade Entry


6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: What happens if students are not listed and I get an “error - no assessment records found”? A: Please email [email protected]. Q: What if I don’t have a script/grade for a student listed on the screen? A: Enter an “NG” grade. Do not leave a blank. Q: What if I have a grade for a student not listed on screen? A: This student may not be registered or may owe fees. You should complete a Module Grade Entry Additional Students form and submit to SAA by emailing the completed form to [email protected] immediately so that it can be investigated. Q: Is it possible to change a grade online after I have already submitted grades? A: No. Any changes to grades must be done via the grade alteration process paper form signed by Head of Department usually located at departmental office for auditing purposes. Q: How can I get a report of the grades that I have entered? A: To keep a copy of the module grades that you have submitted to the system, click on “Step 2: Review Grades”. This screen displays the grade distribution of the module as well as the actual grades submitted to the Student records system. Select the menu option ‘File’ and select “Print” (you may wish to keep an electronic copy, in this case select “Save As….”). Alternatively, you can run the “View your Stored Grades” report and print/save as needed. The “View your Stored Grades” report is in the “Student Records” section under the heading “Academic Staff Actions”. Also, the grade reports will be issued by SAA in the normal way following the grading deadline, as part of the progression reports. Q: Can I log in to the website remotely – e.g. from home or via the University Wireless network? A: Yes – access http://www.si.ul.ie/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn through your Internet browser. Q: The website is hanging / sticking. What should I do? A: Please email [email protected] who will report the problem to ITD –or– log your call with the ITD RMS system by going to the ITD website http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Information_Technology_Division/ Q: I have one student taking my module on a pass/fail basis and all other students are registered for the module on a normal basis? A: You should grade all other students as normal and the student who is taking the module on a pass/fail basis you should input a C3 if the student ts passing or an NG if the student is deficient



http://www.si.ul.ie/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_lgn


http://www2.ul.ie/web/WWW/Services/Information_Technology_Division/

Module Grade Entry


Appendix A: Module Grade Entry Additional Students Form This form is to be used to submit grades for students not registered on Module Grade Entry System – please email completed form to [email protected]

Module Grade Entry Additional Students Complete for students not on Module Grade Entry System only: Students may not be on the Module Grade Entry System for the following reasons: have exited since start of term, did not confirm his/her registration (fine applies), has fees outstanding and is prevented from registering as per Academic Regulations. SAA will assess these students and if they are entitled to the grade their records will be amended and graded. Module Code: ______________ Module Title: __________________________________________________ Date: ________________ Semester: ____________________ Year: __________________

No Student ID Surname Forename Grade 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Department:_____________ Module Leader Name_____________________ Please email using your own email account this form to [email protected] immediately Version 2 – Feb 2011



Module Grade Entry


Appendix B: PC Setup and Display a. Your screen resolution should not be lower than 1024 by 768 pixels (it can be a higher

resolution than this but not lower). This will ensure all sections of the screen are visible as you proceed through the website. If you need to reset and/or check your screen setting, click on “Control Panel” on your PC desktop:

..

b. Click on “Display” and the screen below will appear.

C. Click on Change display settings

Module Grade Entry


D. Amend the Resolution

ul grading procedure...module grade entry version 9.5 page 1 of 27 last updated: 13 april 2018...

Documents