Evaluation and Grading Policies
Student Learning Evaluations
Faculty written evaluation of student work is at the core of Antioch University's historic educational philosophy and is a foundation of its pedagogy. All AULA undergraduate and graduate courses and other learning activities that take place outside of the classroom, such as clinical training, field-based work, and prior learning, are evaluated in the Student Learning Evaluation (SLE) written by instructors and submitted electronically at the end of the academic term. The SLE summarizes the student’s achievement of the learning objectives of the course and the degree program as they are listed on the SLE form. The instructor will indicate Credit Awarded, No Credit, or Incomplete for the learning activity on the SLE.
The AULA system of evaluating student performance is non-graded. A graduate-level SLE with Credit Awarded checked indicates that the student would have earned a minimum of a “B”, if grades were given. An undergraduate SLE with Credit Awarded checked indicates that the student would have earned a minimum of a “C”, if grades were given.
SLEs are part of a student’s official academic record maintained by the Office of the Registrar. A student may specify that the Registrar attach a copy of these evaluations to the student’s official transcript when the student requests a transcript be sent to parties outside of the University.
Letter Grade Equivalents
Students may request grade equivalents for courses and learning activities. AULA instructors and evaluators are required by the University to provide grade equivalents for students who request them, except for the exempted learning activities as described below. Students interested in applying to particular graduate programs are advised to inquire whether that institution requires grade equivalents. Similarly, students should determine whether employers or financial institutions require grade equivalent information.
Students on quarter system must approach each instructor individually to request a grade equivalent. The request must be made no later than the final course meeting. A student who does not request a grade equivalent before the deadline will not have a grade equivalent submitted for that learning activity. MFA in Creative Writing students who wish to request a grade equivalent must approach their faculty mentor during the time when the Project Period Contract is being prepared. Students in the USMA program who wish to request a grade equivalent for core or elective coursework must approach the course instructor during the first residency of the semester. Grade equivalents for the capstone project must be requested as part of the capstone proposal to the faculty mentor.
When an instructor provides a grade equivalent, she or he adds it to the Student Learning Evaluation. Once a grade equivalent has been submitted for a credit-earning activity, it is included in the student's permanent file and is available for the Registrar to use in the calculation of a GPA (Grade Point average) equivalent. Instructors cannot add a grade equivalent to a Student Learning Evaluation form retroactively after the instructor has submitted the form and the student has earned credit for the learning activity. University-wide policy currently prohibits grade or grade equivalents from appearing on the student's transcript.