Intended Audience and Contact Information
| Contact | Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO |
|---|---|
| Intended Audience | Internal UBC |
| UDM Domain | Academic |
| Applicability | Credit |
| Data Standard ID | DS0093 |
Change Log
| Standard Version Date | Change Log |
|---|---|
| 2024-07-09 |
1.0 New version supersedes former standard known as "Course Standing Data Standard". |
Definition
An Assessment Outcome is the outcome resulting from an individual or collection of evaluations and decisions. Examples of Assessment Outcomes include, but are not limited to: percentage grades for individual assessments or for courses, Course Standings.
A Student Grade is the Assessment Outcome corresponding to the final mark a student receives for a graded course, expressed as a percentage grade.
A Student Course Standing is the Assessment Outcome assigned to a student for a specific course section registration, expressed as a Course Standing.
A Grade Element is a grade value that can be used as a building block for a Grading Scheme.
A Grading Scale is a table used to transform one representation of a grade into another. At UBC this most commonly means the scale used to represent percentage grades as letter grades; however, point scales are also examples of grading scales.
Purpose
This standard aims to achieve consistency around the data collected for Assessment Outcomes, and the format in which it is collected and stored.
This standard is derived by UBC and applies to all applications collecting Assessment Outcomes. Exceptions are listed in the Dispensation section.
Standard
The following are the data elements associated with creating an Assessment Outcome:
| Data Element | Definition | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Grading Basis | The evaluation schemes available for an instance of a course. |
Reference List See Accepted Values for Grading Basis section for details. |
| Grading Scheme | The set of rules that determines how a student's assessment outcome will be assigned for a specific Course Section based on the available Grade Elements for the associated Grading Basis. Grading Scales are captured in Workday within Grading Schemes. Examples include, but are not limited to: 50% Pass, 60% Pass, 65% Pass |
Reference List See Accepted Values Grading Scheme section for details. |
| Student Letter Grade | The translated percentage grade the student receives for an individual assessment or course, expressed in alpha characters as per the Grading Scheme for the course. |
Text The combination of the Grading Basis and the Grading Scheme applied to the student and/or the course section they are registered in will dictate the possible Letter Grade Elements that can be assigned as the Student Letter Grade. See Accepted Values for Letter Grade Element section for a list of possible values. |
| Student Percentage Grade This is also referred to as Grade Points in Workday. |
The mark a student receives for an individual assessment or course, expressed in a numerical percentage. In Workday percentage grades are captured in the Grade Points field. All courses must have Grade Points assigned; for courses that do not use the “Graded” Grading Basis the Grade Point that will be assigned to the course upon completion will be 0. |
Numeric The combination of the Grading Basis and the Grading Scheme applied to the student and/or the course section they are registered in will dictate the possible Percentage Grade Elements that can be assigned as the Student Percentage Grade See Accepted Values for Percentage Grade Elements section for a list of possible values.
|
The following are the data elements associated with creating a Grading Scheme:
| Data Element | Definition | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Course Standing Element This is also referred to as Course Standing. |
A Grade Element corresponding to an academic decision and its effect on a student's progress in a course. |
Reference List See Accepted Values for Course Standing Element section for details. |
| Letter Grade Element | The Grade Element expressed in alpha characters that corresponds to an equivalent percentage grade based on the Grading Scheme for the course. |
Reference List See Accepted Values for Letter Grade Element section for details. |
| Percentage Grade Element | A Grade Element corresponding to an academic decision and its effect on a student's progress in a course. |
Reference List See Accepted Values for Percentage Grade Element section for details. |
The following are the accepted values for Grading Basis:
| Accepted Value | University Glossary Term | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Graded | Graded [Grading Basis] | The grading policy which specifies that a percentage grade and a letter grade or course standing will be assigned to the student for the course section. |
| Pass/Fail | Pass/Fail [Grading Basis] |
Granted where no grade is assigned and excluded from calculation in all averages. Pass (P) denotes satisfactory completion of the requirements of the subject; credit granted where applicable. Fail (F) denotes Fail standing. Honours (H) denotes honours standing. Honours (H) can only be used for courses that are labelled with the Course Tag “Honours/Pass/Fail”. The Pass/Fail Grading Basis is applied at the Course Section level. If a Course Section is configured with the Pass/Fail Grading Basis, all students registered in that Course Section will receive a Pass or Fail standing as their final assessment outcome for the Course Section. |
| Audit | Audit [Grading Basis] | Granted to students who have been officially approved as having audit status. These students are expected to complete all course requirements except the final exam, and may be given Fail (F) standing if their performance is not satisfactory. |
| Credit/D/Fail |
Credit/D/Fail [Grading Basis] This is also referred to as Credit/Non Credit [Grading Basis]. |
Grading policy available to students in direct-entry undergraduate programs of study that supports:
Courses taken for Cr/D/Fail will not be counted toward grade average calculations. The standings are awarded for the following percentage grades:
|
The following general rules are applied when creating a Grading Scheme:
- Grading Schemes are created using a combination of multiple grade elements.
- Grade Elements are comprised of Percentage Grade Elements (e.g., 75%), Letter Grade Elements (e.g., B), and Course Standing Elements (e.g., Aegrotat (AEG)).
- In Workday the grade elements used in Grading Schemes are stored in the Grade Points and Internal Grade Value data fields.
The following are the accepted values for Grading Scheme:
60% Pass
| Accepted Value | University Glossary Term | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 50% Pass | 50% Pass [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates a student who earns a percentage grade of 49% or lower for the course will receive a Fail (F) grade. |
| 50% Pass (Passed not repeatable for higher standing) | 50% Pass (Passed not repeatable for higher standing) [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates a student who earns a percentage grade of 49% or lower for the course will receive a Fail (F) grade, and the student who has passed the course cannot repeat the course to achieve a higher standing. |
| 60% Pass [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates a student who earns a percentage grade of 59% or lower for the course will receive a Fail (F) grade. | |
| 65% Pass | 65% Pass [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates a student who earns a percentage grade of 64% or lower for the course will receive a Fail (F) grade. |
| 68% Pass | 68% Pass [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates a student who earns a percentage grade of 67% or lower for the course will receive a Fail (F) grade. |
| Admin - Adjudicated Pass (J) | Admin - Adjudicated Pass (J) [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates the use of Adjudicated Pass (J) in place of a letter grade. |
| Admin - Deferred Standing (SD) | Admin - Deferred Standing (SD) [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates the use of Deferred Standing (SD) in place of a letter grade. |
| Admin - Aegrotat (AEG) | Admin - Aegrotat (AEG) [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates the use of a combination of letter grade and Aegrotat (AEG) standing for a student who earns a percentage grade of 50% or higher. |
| Admin - Other Standings | Admin - Other Standings [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that allows the use of Transfer Credit (TR), Exempt (EX), and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Course Standing(s) in place of a letter grade. |
| Admin - Supplemental (S) | Admin - Supplemental (S) [Grading Scheme] |
The scheme that allows the Supplemental (S) standing to be added to the student's original grade for the course if they pass the Supplemental exam, which allows the student to earn credit for the course regardless of their original grade. The percentage grade for the supplemental examination is recorded as a grade note. |
| Admin - Challenge (CH) | Admin - Challenge (CH) [Grading Scheme] | The scheme that dictates the use of a combination of letter grade and Challenge (CH) standing. |
| Admin - Audit Withdraw W (AUD) | Admin - Audit Withdraw (AUD) [Grading Scheme] |
The scheme that dictates the use of a combination of Withdrawal (W) standing and Audit (AUD) standing as the grade to indicate the student has withdrawn from a course that they were auditing. This Grading Scheme is used to exclude courses with this standing from the calculation of the student's attempted credits. |
The following are the accepted values for Letter Grade Element:
| Accepted Value | University Glossary Term | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | A+ [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 90-100% for all Grading Schemes. |
| A | A [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 85-89% for all Grading Schemes. |
| A- | A- [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 80-84% for all Grading Schemes. |
| B+ | B+ [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 76-79% for all Grading Schemes. |
| B | B [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 72-75% for all Grading Schemes. |
| B- | B- [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 68-71% for all Grading Schemes. |
| C+ | C+ [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 64-67% for a 50% Pass Grading Scheme and 60% Pass Grading Scheme, and 65-67% for a 65% Pass Grading Scheme. |
| C | C [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 60-63% for a 50% Pass Grading Scheme and 60% Pass Grading Scheme. |
| C- | C- [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 55-59% for a 50% Pass Grading Scheme. |
| D | D [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 50-54% for a 50% Pass Grading Scheme. |
| F | F [Letter Grade Element] | The letter grade that is equivalent to 0-49% for a 50% Pass Grading Scheme, 0-59% for a 60% Pass Grading Scheme, 0-64% for a 65% Pass Grading Scheme, or 0-67% for a 68% Pass Grading Scheme. |
The accepted values for Percentage Grade Element are whole integers between 0 and 100.
The following are the accepted values for Course Standing Element:
| Accepted Value |
University Glossary Term |
Code |
Proposed Definition (under review and not final) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Adjudicated Pass |
Adjudicated Pass [Course Standing Element] |
J |
Granted where credit is granted and the course need not be repeated, although it may not normally qualify as a prerequisite for further work. The grade assigned by the instructor is used in the calculation of averages. |
|
Aegrotat |
Aegrotat [Course Standing Element] |
AEG |
Allows a student credit for a course even though the course requirements have not been completed due to medical, emotional, or other difficulties. This standing is awarded only if the course instructor and the dean agree that the student has demonstrated the capacity to deal with the course material satisfactorily. When AEG standing is awarded, a letter grade is assigned. This will be converted to the minimum percentage for that category for the calculation of averages. |
|
Audit |
Audit [Course Standing Element] |
AUD |
A standing granted to a student who has been officially approved as having audit status. The student is expected to complete all course requirements except the final exam, and may be given Fail (F AUD) standing if their performance is not satisfactory. |
|
Challenge |
Challenge [Course Standing Element] |
CH |
Please contact the Enterprise Data Governance team for more information. |
|
Credit (Credit/D/Fail) |
Credit (Credit/D/Fail) [Course Standing Element] |
Cr |
Granted where a grade is assigned by an instructor but not included on the student's Official transcript of the Academic Record or made available by the University, instead, that grade is converted to a Cr standing in the course. Excluded from calculation in all averages. Credit (Cr) denotes satisfactory completion of the requirements of the subject. |
|
D (Credit/D/Fail) |
D (Credit/D/Fail) [Course Standing Element] |
D |
Granted where a grade is assigned by an instructor but not included on the student's Official transcript of the Academic Record or made available by the University, instead, that grade is converted to a D standing in the course. Excluded from calculation in all averages. D denotes a marginal pass (50% to 54%), and is not available for those programs or courses that define a passing grade as being a percentage higher than 50%. |
|
Deferred Standing |
Deferred Standing [Course Standing Element] |
SD |
May be granted by the Dean of the Faculty in which the student is enrolled when a student has a valid reason for not completing course requirements as scheduled and does not qualify for Aegrotat standing (see Academic Concession in the Okanagan Academic Calendar and the Vancouver Academic Calendar). See Standings - Okanagan and Standings - Vancouver for the full Academic Calendar policies for Deferred Standing. |
|
Exempt |
Exempt [Course Standing Element] |
EX |
Granted to students who have registered for a required course from which they are exempt. |
|
Externally Graded |
Externally Graded [Course Standing Element] |
EXG |
A nominal standing that is used administratively to maintain registration in a UBC Program of Study while the student is taking and receiving a grade for a course at another institution. |
|
Fail (Audit) |
Fail (Audit) [Course Standing Element] |
F (AUD) |
Denotes fail standing in a course that was being audited. |
|
Fail |
Fail [Course Standing Element] |
F |
Granted to a student where no grade is assigned. Fail (F) denotes fail standing. Note: When used in association with the Grading Basis of Credit/D/Fail, it is Granted where a percentage grade is assigned by an instructor but not included on the student's Official transcript of the Academic Record or made available by the University, instead, that grade is converted to a F standing in the course and this course standing is displayed on the Official transcript. When used in association with the Grading Basis of Pass/Fail, it is granted to a student where no percentage grade is assigned, excluded from calculation in all averages. |
|
Failed Supplemental |
Failed Supplemental [Course Standing Element] |
F (S) |
Denotes a continued failure in a course despite a supplemental examination being completed. Please see Supplemental Examination Policy in the Okanagan Academic Calendar and the Vancouver Academic Calendar for more details. |
|
Grade Not Submitted |
Grade Not Submitted [Course Standing Element] |
GNS |
Denotes a course for which the deadline for grade submission has passed and a grade was not submitted by the instructor. |
|
Honours |
Honours [Course Standing Element] |
H |
Granted where work exceeds course requirements, credit granted where applicable. |
|
No Grade Required |
No Grade Required [Course Standing Element] |
NGR |
A nominal standing applied to courses only used for administrative purposes such as managing registration or assessing fees. Courses with this standing will not be displayed on the transcript. The standing will be automatically applied at the end of each academic period. |
|
Pass (Pass/Fail) |
Pass (Pass/Fail) [Course Standing Element] |
P |
Granted to a student where no grade is assigned, excluded from calculation in all averages. Pass (P) denotes satisfactory completion of the requirements of the subject; credit granted where applicable. |
|
Prior Learning Assessment |
Prior Learning Assessment [Course Standing Element] |
PLA |
Assigned based on prior learning in a subject area. |
|
Supplemental |
Supplemental [Course Standing Element] |
S |
Please contact the Enterprise Data Governance team for more information. |
|
Thesis |
Thesis [Course Standing Element] This is also referred to as Thesis in Progress [Couse Standing Element]. |
T |
Denotes graduating essay not submitted; course continuing. If a student in a bachelor's program who receives a "T" standing in a graduating essay or other course approved by the faculty completes the course within 12 months of the end of the term in which the student first registered for the course, the "T" standing will be replaced by the grade assigned. If the course is not completed within 12 months, the "T" standing will be replaced by a grade of zero (or "F" standing in a Pass/Fail course). |
|
Transfer Credit |
Transfer Credit [Course Standing Element] |
TR |
A standing granted to a student that denotes credit received from a course completed and transferred from another institution. |
|
Withdrawal |
Withdraw [Course Standing Element] |
W |
Denotes official withdrawal. See Change of Registration for the Okanagan Academic Calendar withdrawal policy, and Withdrawal for the Vancouver Academic Calendar withdrawal policy. |
|
Withdrawal (Audit) |
Withdrawal (Audit) [Course Standing Element] |
W (AUD) |
Denotes official withdrawal from a course that was being audited. Please see Withdrawal for more details. |
| Grade Not Submitted (Standing Deferred) | Grade Not Submitted (Standing Deferred) [Course Standing Element] | GNS (SD) | Indicates that a student registration assigned Deferred Standing (DS) in the previous Student Information System (SIS) did not have a final grade submitted. This value was only used for the conversion of data from the SIS to Workday Student, and will no longer be used moving forward. |
Compliance
The above standard must be complied at every stage of the data lifecycle with the exception of any dispensations (see Dispensation section).
- All applications must collect data as recommended in this standard.
- Enterprise Data Integration must adopt this standard.
Reference Data Compliance for Data Integration
The use of accepted reference data values in this standard for data integration among applications must comply with the enterprise integration pattern of leveraging the reference data common service API (Application Programming Interface) published in UBC MuleSoft Exchange.
Any application that intends to access real-time, case-level reference data should have the application owner or manager complete and submit a Request API Access form.
MAPPING OF INVALID VALUES FROM SYSTEM(S) OF RECORD (SOR) TO COMMON SERVICES
A common service can only accommodate standard reference data enumerations that are available in the SoR as approved by the Data Governance Steering Committee or Data Trustee.
A reference data value that does not match any of the standard reference data value enumerations is considered 'invalid'. Any records from a SoR containing an invalid reference data value for a given data element or attribute must be mapped as an 'empty' value in common service(s). Where a reference data value may potentially have the same meaning as a standard enumeration but named differently in the system of record can be corrected to match the appropriate standard enumeration. Please consult with the EDG team in such cases.
Additional Reference Data values in a SoR that are not part of the standard reference data enumerations are to be omitted in the common service.
Dispensation
Legacy systems are exempt from this data standard. As systems are replaced, adoption of this standard is required. Examples of legacy systems are:
- Student Information System (SIS)
For any compliance questions or requests for a temporary dispensation, please contact the Enterprise Data Governance Team.
Related Documents
- Grading Practices - Okanagan Academic Calendar
- Grading Practices - Vancouver Academic Calendar
- Academic Standing - Okanagan Academic Calendar
- Academic Standing - Vancouver Academic Calendar
- Standings - Okanagan Academic Calendar
- Standings - Vancouver Academic Calendar
- Academic Concession - Okanagan Academic Calendar
- Academic Concession - Vancouver Academic Calendar