Grade Change Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked Grade Change questions have been grouped below by topic. If you have additional questions not addressed here, refer to the Web Grades website or e-mail the Grade Change project team: mais.ro.webgrades.team@umich.edu.

Sections:

GRADE CHANGE PROCESS
WHO CAN CHANGE A GRADE
GRADE CHANGE EXCEPTIONS
WHO CAN APPROVE A GRADE CHANGE
TRAINING

GRADE CHANGE PROCESS

How does the process to change a grade work?

There are four basic steps:

Step 1: After grade roster has been posted, request made to change a grade from the Teaching Support Grade Roster page.
Step 2: Enter new grade, reason code, work completed date, and comments.
Step 3: Submit grade change.
Step 4: If grade change approval is required, grade change notification is sent to the Grade Change Approver from a student’s school/college for review and approval.
Step 5: Grades posted to student’s enrollment record.

Note: The grade change requestor (instructor with “Approve” – grade roster access/proxy with “Change Grade” access) School/College grade change e-mail group will receive an e-mail confirmation. The individual steps are discussed in more detail below, in the job aids, and online help.

How do students know that their grade has been changed?

Students can view their grades at any time via Wolverine Access Student Business. Approved grade changes are posted immediately. Students will not receive an e-mail to notify them of the grade change.

How do I find where to change a grade in Teaching Support?

Type https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu in your web browser.
Click University Business.
Click Teaching Support.
Log in using your uniqname and UMICH (Kerberos) password (enter your Tokencode if you have an MToken).
Click Record Grades.
The Request Grade Change link will be available after the Grade Roster has been posted and if you have access to change grades.

Will departmental staff have access to change grades via M-Pathways?

No, they cannot initiate a grade change grades directly. M-Pathways users with SR GRADE CHANGE APPROVER role can review and approve grade changes submitted by faculty/instructors. They can make changes to invalid grade change requests, but cannot initiate a grade change.

M-Pathways users with SR GRADE CHANGE VIEWER role view grade changes submitted by faculty/instructors.

WHO CAN CHANGE GRADES

Who has access to change grades?

Grades can be changed by the person in M-Pathways with “Approve” – grade roster access or a person assigned a “Change Grades” proxy (see the proxies section below for more information).

If an instructor has “Grade” – grade roster access he/she cannot change grades.

Anyone given access to the grade roster as a proxy (either “Enter Grades” or “Approve Grade Roster”) does not have access to change grades. He/she must be added as “Grade Change” proxy if needed.

PROXIES

What is a Proxy?

It is expected that most instructors will change their own grades. Instructors will have the option to assign a “Change Grades” proxy for a class section via Teaching Support. Assigning a “Change Grades” proxy for a class section allows someone who is not assigned to teach a class to change grades for the class.

A “Change Grades” proxy and can be assigned by instructors via Teaching Support after the grade roster has been posted. Proxies have to be an employee of The University of Michigan. A proxy can be an instructor or a staff member. See the Grade Change Process Overview presentation on the Web Grades site for more information.

Can a class have multiple proxies?

Yes, a class can have multiple proxies. Instructors have the option to assign instructors or staff members as proxies for a class section via Teaching Support. A class can have different proxies to enter, approve/submit, or change grades.

GRADE CHANGE EXCEPTIONS

What do I do if the instructor has left the U of M and a student needs a grade changed?

The student should contact the department that offered the class. The department should contact the Office of the Registrar to request to have a proxy set up for this class. Requests should be faxed (734-936-3148) or e-mailed (ro.records.staff@umich.edu). The subject should be “Grade Proxy Request” and the e-mail should include class (subject/catalog/section), term, campus ID of the proxy, and the type of access to be granted (GRADE, APPROVE, GRADE CHANGE).

Contact the Office of the Registrar to have a Proxy set up for this class.

What should I do if a student doesn’t appear on the Grade Roster (e.g., added the class after the drop/add deadline)?

Although the student does not appear on the Grade Roster, if they were officially enrolled in the class, he/she should appear on the Grade Change Request page

What should I do if a student doesn’t appear on the Grade Change page?

If the student does not appear, contact the department to submit a paper Grade Change Request form.

How do I get a student’s grading basis changed?

Contact the department to submit a paper Grade Change Request form.

How do I change a grade for a class that was graded before Web Grades?

Contact the department to submit a paper Grade Change Request form.

How do I change the approval requirement for a specific grade change?

Work with the Grade Change Approver for your School/College. The Grade Change Approver will contact the Office of the Registrar to have the grade approval rules for your School/College updated.

Why can’t I change a VI grade in Teaching Support?

The pre-assigned VI grade is considered to be an Administrative Grade. These can only be changed by contacting the department to submit a paper Grade Change Request form.

WHO CAN APPROVE GRADE CHANGES

Who reviews and approves grade changes?

Each School/College has different grade change rules set up based on their Academic Structure and grading rules. The Schools/Colleges have worked with the RO to have the proper rules encoded.

Certain grades need to be reviewed and approved based on these rules. The Grade Change Approver from the student’s School/College will then review and approve the grades in M-Pathways based on the Student’s Career and grading basis. Your School/College’s Grade Change Approver can help you with questions.

Individuals with the SR GRADE CHANGE APPROVER role in M-Pathways have a self-study training guide available in MAIS LINC that provides them more information about the approval process. This document includes tips for grade change approvers (e.g., set-up e-mail filters, etc.)

TRAINING

What training is available?

Directions on how to change grades and assign a grade change proxy are available on the Web Grades web site or text-only directions are available in online help (click on ?Help from the page in Teaching Support).