SIS grade entry: what you need to know
Faculty are heading into their seventh cycle of entering grades using the new Student Information System (SIS) and it’s now very familiar territory for most people. There are still some strides to be made, though, says Catherine Bolton, Concordia’s vice-provost of Teaching and Learning.
“I’m pleased with how smoothly grade entry is going now — and I know faculty have worked diligently to learn the system — but students tell us they’re still waiting too long to get their grades in some cases,” says Bolton. “We’ve been working on making it even easier, so professors can share grades as quickly as possible with their students."
For undergraduate students continuing in their program, all final grades for all courses in the winter and summer terms must be submitted no later than seven calendar days after the university’s last scheduled final examination for the term. Final grades for all fall courses must be submitted within three days of the beginning of winter term.
For graduate courses, the same timelines apply: grades must be submitted within seven calendar days of the university’s last scheduled exam. Just a reminder, though, that all grades need to be approved before they are accessible for student viewing.
New upload option forthcoming
“We know that faculty have been asking for a less time-intensive way to enter grades — and the SIS team is responding,” says Bolton.
A conclusive pilot project centred on permitting faculty to mass upload grades has just wrapped up. “We’re now working on rolling out the option of uploading grades via an Excel spreadsheet across the university,” says Jean-François Bourgault, manager of the SIS Planning and Support office. His team is preparing for the wider release of this new feature in time for spring grading.
Enhanced functionality already in place
Last-minute adds and drops are now accounted for correctly, says Bourgault, one of several small corrections his team has implemented to make grade entry a bit easier.
Bourgault’s top tip for departments in mitigating the risk of delays in students receiving their grades: Review the grade approvers and ensure the approving rules are set up correctly.
If you could benefit from refreshing your SIS grade-entry knowledge, a good resource remains the videos and PDFs available in Moodle. Or, consider dropping by an IT Services training session, running throughout the month of January.
Boost your SIS knowledge by registering for a drop-in session.
To learn specifics about the SIS support structure and more, consult the SIS Project Renewal Hub.
