Grading System and Evaluation
Evaluation of achievement in a given subject is the official responsibility of the assigned instructor. Grading of achievement is based upon predetermined criteria that are announced to the students at the beginning of each course. For details regarding academic policies, please refer to the Academic Standards Handbook.
Academic Grading System
The grading standard for all College courses will be a numerical system ranging from 0 to 100 percent, with 70 percent as the lowest passing grade except for courses designated as pass/fail. Guidelines describing the method and factors involved in determining numerical grades will be presented in the course syllabus for each course.
| Meaning of Grades | Grade Points |
|---|---|
| A — Excellent (numerical range 90-100 percent) | 4 |
| B — Good (numerical range 80-89 percent) | 3 |
| C — Satisfactory (numerical range 70-79 percent) | 2 |
| D — Marginal (numerical range 65-69 percent) | 1 |
| F - Fail (numerical range below 65 percent) | 0 |
| S - Satisfactory | 0 |
| N - Needs Improvement | |
| P - Clerkship Pass | |
| F - Clerkship Fail | |
| H - Clerkship Honors Grade | |
| I — Incomplete | 0 |
| AU — Audit | 0 |
| W — Withdrawal | 0 |
| WP — Withdrawal in good academic standing | 0 |
| WU — Withdrawal not in good academic standing | 0 |
Grades will be awarded based on students':
- Class preparations
- Class attendance and participation
- Examination scores
- Personal and professional conduct
A cumulative grade point average will be maintained for each student to be calculated as follows:
- The total number of credit hours attempted for which a permanent grade has been assigned (A, B, C, D or U) will be divided into the total grade points earned.
Course Evaluation and Grade Posting
Each student has a professional responsibility to provide constructive feedback to faculty, therefore, students are required to submit an online course evaluation for each course. Faculty and Course evaluations will be made available in various electronic formats and at various times throughout the semester. The evaluations will be sent to students’ OSU e-mail address. Students who do not complete the required course evaluations will be reported to Academic Affairs. All course evaluation submissions are confidential. If a student needs the evaluation re-sent or encounters any issues, he/she should contact David Juergens, OED Instructional Design Specialist (david.juergens@okstate.edu).
For third and fourth year, the site evaluation form is considered a requirement for each clinical rotation. The site evaluation form is due within seven days of completing each clinical rotation. Failure to comply with the site evaluation deadline can result in being dropped a letter grade for the rotation, having to repeat the rotation or receiving an “N” non-cognitive grade.
If a student is required to repeat an entire course and does so successfully, the original grade remains unchanged on the transcript and a second entry of that course number will show the new grade.
Class Ranking
While the grade point average (GPA) is calculated as above, class ranking and academic awards are based on numeric grades. The rank is calculated based on the numeric grade earned multiplied by the credit hours in each course.
Non-Cognitive Academic Evaluation
Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the standards of the osteopathic medical profession. This expectation is embodied in the Requirements for Graduation “that the student exhibits the ethical, professional, behavioral and personal characteristics necessary for the practice of osteopathic medicine.” A non-cognitive academic evaluation of S (satisfactory) or N (needs improvement) is assigned in every course and rotation. Refer to the academic standards handbook for details.
Course Credit by Examination
Qualified students may be able to satisfy requirements of certain courses by demonstrating competence in the course subject areas by successfully completing a comprehensive examination. Students who are repeating an academic year under probationary status are not permitted to obtain course credit by examination.
Faculty members and the course coordinator responsible for the course determine a student’s eligibility to obtain course credit by examination with approval from the Dean.
Certain clinical education courses are excluded from credit by examination. Refer to the Student Handbook or the Academic Standards Handbook for this information.