Information for Faculty and Staff

information about Graduation

Information about graduation and future commencement ceremonies can be found online at graduation.wcu.edu. Faculty and staff are encouraged to incorporate the webpage-redirect graduation.wcu.edu into their communication with students regarding graduation and commencement.  A WCU web search for keywords "Graduation" or "Commencement" also direct students to the Registrar's Graduation and Commencement webpage.

The application for graduation is available to students in their myWCU.  Faculty can help students find the online application by instructing them to do a myWCU menu search for keyword "Graduation"

Faculty Marshals

Faculty Marshals are senior members of the faculty who are nominated by the academic deans based on their outstanding service to the institution, excellence in teaching, and the respect of their faculty colleagues.  They serve the institution as official ambassadors at university events including commencement and convocation.

Additional Information about the duties of the Faculty Marshals, Chief Faculty Marshal, and Assistant Chief Faculty Marshal..

Faculty Participation in Commencement

Faculty participation at commencement is covered in section 5.19.2 of the faculty handbook.  All faculty members are required to attend one commencement ceremony each academic year.

Below are helpful instructions on how to report attendance, academic progress, and final grades.

Attendance reporting

During the first and second weeks of class (prior to reporting our census and prior to financial aid disbursement) instructors need to report which students are attending and which students are not attending. Reporting is done through the fifth-week grade sheet in myWCU.

Expectation:  Reporting attendance is an expectation of all instructors regardless of student or class level.  Instructors are expected to report first-week attendance as soon after the first class meeting as possible.

Deadlines:  The deadline for reporting first-week attendance is 5:00 pm on Friday of the first week of class.  Did not meet is a reporting option.  Instructors are expected to report second-week attendance by 5:00 pm on Friday of the second week.

Intermittent Attendance:  Within the week, please do not switch students from "attended" to "did not attend" except to correct a reporting error.  Students only need to attend one class meeting during the week to be reported as attending.

Online Classes:  The standard for reporting attendance in an online class is one of engagement.  A student needs to do more than login for a minute or two to be reported as attending an online class.

Instructions for reporting attendance are sent as an email attachment to all instructors at the beginning of each semester. 

Quick Start

Login to myWCU

Menu Search (search word "attendance")

Detailed Instructions

Once you select "Reporting Attendance..." from the myWCU menu, use the pull downs to select the correct term and course.  The screenshots below illustrate how to report attendance 1) student-by-student from the main grid or 2) in-mass using the mass update form.

Reporting by Student from the Main Grid

Mass Updating Form

When using the mass update form to report attendance, make sure the names and not just the numbers match.

Misreporting a student as "attended" can cause serious financial implications for the student and the University.

Academic Progress Reporting

Important notes about 5th Week Progress Grading

• Progress grades are required for 100-200 level courses.
• Progress grades are required for student-athletes and other at-risk students enrolled in 300-400 level courses and encouraged for other students
• Grades of “S” - Satisfactory and “U” - Unsatisfactory should be used for 100-200 level courses.
• Current Plus/Minus grading system should be used for 300-400 level courses.
• For 100-200 level courses a grade of “U” – Unsatisfactory is operationally defined as performance lower that a “C” or 2.0 in the course at the time of calculation.
• Instructors of LC 101 courses DO NOT need to post Fifth-Week Grades.
• If a student has “withdrawn” from a specific course or the university, a progress grade cannot be entered for that course(s).

Important notes about 8th and 11th Week Progress Grading

• Progress grades are only required for selected students, primarily student-athletes and other specific populations of at-risk students.
• Progress grades at the 8th and 11th weeks are required for all courses, at all levels.
• Students for whom progress must be reported are identified on the Progress Reporting Grade Sheet. The Office of the Registrar also sends a reminder to instructors that identifies which classes have enrollment for which progress must be reported.

To Enter Progress Grades

• myWCU > Personal Services (tab) > Instructor (tab) > Academic Progress Reporting
• Select term and course
• The Academic Progress Reporting tools will indicate which students need progress grades reported for the period. The red will clear as progress is submitted.

FINAL GRADE Reporting

• Final grades must be submitted through myWCU / Banner before the deadline published by the Registrar; typically, 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after exam week.  For summer courses and courses that do not give an exam during the FINAL exam week, the deadline is 48 hours after the course end-date.
• Grades do not roll from Canvas.  They must be entered into myWCU / Banner on the Final Grades sheet.

FINAL GRADE Reporting via Excel spreadsheet

Includes grade submission via Excel spreadsheet

This is new Banner 9 Web functionality implemented at WCU in the Fall of 2021. Reporting Honors College Contract Completions has been decoupled from Final Grade Submission. Contract completion has transitioned to a process owned by the Honors College. New with this upgrade, instructors may export an Excel spread sheet from the Banner grade submission page, or map data from their own spreadsheet to columns that are required as part of the upload/import process. Regardless of the source of the spreadsheet, all required columns & data fields must be present else the import will fail.

Steps

1. myWCU menu search for key word ‘grade’. Select ‘Submit Final Grades’.

2. Next click on Final Grade Entry and Select the course you wish to grade.

· If you wish you may enter Final Grades and Last Attended Dates here or proceed to step three to submit grades via spreadsheet. (Last Date of Attendance is only required for grades of I, F or U.)

3. To grade via spreadsheet, click on the ‘cog’ icon in the upper right corner and select Export Template. Your browser will determine how you retrieve the grading template you create. The spreadsheet will look similar to the one shown below. Be sure you save this file in a FERPA-safe location.

Important: If you rename columns in the spreadsheet you will be required to remap them on import.

4. Populate the required fields in then save and close the spreadsheet.

5. To upload the spreadsheet, return to the Banner Final Grade screen (see Step 2 above); click on the ‘cog’ in the upper right corner. Select import and follow the prompts to upload your graded spreadsheet to submit your grades. Scroll down to hit the continue button.

Note: If you adjusted any column headings or are using a spreadsheet that you created from a source other than step 3 above, you will be required to map the columns on upload. The screenshot below serves as a guide to orient you to the upload process and where column mapping occurs.

6. Pay special attention to the warning and error messages you receive in the validation step. If your spreadsheet contains 920#s of non-enrolled individuals, they will error out. Again, Last Attended Date must fall within the date range of the course and is required only for grades of I, F or U. Scroll down to hit the continue button. Once you have validated the date press Finish and follow the prompts

Instructors with suggestions for improving these instructions, should not hesitate to share. It takes a village.

Last Date of Attendance

The Last Attend Date must be entered when assigning a grade of F, U, I or IP for a student.  Federal regulations for Financial Aid require that this information be reported to determine the amount of funding that the student might have to repay.  The Last Attend Date should be the last date on record that the student attended your class.  It must be recorded whether the student earned a non-passing grade due to poor performance or due to non-attendance.  This is a required value and grades cannot be successfully submitted without providing this information.  If a student never attended the class, enter the first day of class as the last date of attendance.

1. If the student has stopped attending class, please enter the student’s last date of attendance, using the format MM/DD/YYYY, in the Last Attend Date field.

Hints on how to Determine Last Date Attended

The date must fall within the term,
Last date an assignment was turned in,
Last test student participated in,
If you take attendance, last roster with student on it, or
Last communication you had with the student

a. Email
b. Phone

2. If the student never attended class, please enter the first day of the semester, using the format MM/DD/YYYY, as the student’s last date of attendance in the Last Attend Date field.

• GRADING FAQ's

Grades do NOT roll from Canvas.  They must be entered into myWCU / Banner on the Final Grades sheet.

Final grades must be submitted through myWCU / Banner before the deadline published by the Registrar.

Deadlines are typically set at 10:00 am on the Monday after exam week.  For summer courses and courses that do not give an exam during the FINAL Exam Week, the deadline is 48 hours after the course end-date (includes holidays and weekends).

Instructors must report a grade for every student listed on the grade sheet.

Availability of Grading:  When courses can be graded is determined by the part-of-term in which the course was built.  In the fall and spring terms, grading for courses in the full part-of-term generally becomes available midway through the last week of classes to give instructors time to enter grades for courses that do not have a final (i.e. labs and independent study courses).

Grades of "I":  A grade of incomplete may be awarded only when there is a reasonable prospect that the student can pass the course by making up the work missed.  The instructor is required to list the conditions to remove the grade of incomplete and forward it to the department head.  An Explanation of an Incomplete Grade form is available from the Office of the Registrar's form page.  If a grade of "I" is submitted, a final grade must be submitted through the myWCU "Submit a Grade Change Request" process by the last day of classes of the next regular semester (excluding summer) or the grade will convert to an "F".

Grades of "I" vs. "IP:  Thesis and research courses that by their nature are likely to span across multiple terms, may have "IP In-Progress" as a grading option.  I and IP have very different meanings and should not be confused.  Regardless of choice, I and IP grades disappear completely from the transcript when a final evaluative grade is submitted.

Audit Grade:  A student's registration cannot be changed at grade reporting time.  Audit grades (AU) are recorded on the class lists for students who are officially auditing a course.

Early Release of Grades:  In the fall and spring terms, grades are held on the myWCU / Banner grade sheets where they are not visible to students.  During Exam Week, grades are released from the grade sheet via email to students who complete the CoursEval.  Students who do not complete the CoursEval receive their grade on the Monday following Exam Week (when the grade is rolled to academic history).

Final Grade Changes:  Instructors can change final grades on the grade sheet until they are rolled to academic history.  Grades roll to history at the grading deadline; typically 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after exam week.  After grades roll to history, the instructor uses the "Submit a Grade Change Request" process in myWCU.  Grade changes that go through the "Submit a Grade Change Request" process require a Department Head and Dean approval before any adjustment is made to the academic record.  Students are allowed 35 days after the end of final exams in which to report an error in grades as released by the Registrar.

Census Date

The official census date for the university is the 10th class day of the term. We will not receive credit from General Administration or funding from the State of NC for any student not properly registered by census day.

Alt-PINs

All degree-seeking undergraduates and teacher certification students are required to have an Alt-PIN in order to register for class. Alt-PINs control registration times and are distributed through the student’s advisor. They are set approximately four weeks prior to registration and are set based on student-earned hours. The higher the earned hours, the higher the range in which the Alt-PIN is set, and the earlier the registration time. Only the last four digits of the Alt-PIN are randomly generated.

Students with a priority registration option such as Brinson Honors College students, students with disabilities, and student-athletes are assigned Alt-PINs in the 980000 to 999999 range regardless of their earned hours.

Graduate students, exchange students, DLP students, and part-time non-degree-seeking students do not need an Alt-Pin in order to register.

No student, regardless of their Alt-PIN, may register before her/his designated registration time.

Students are required to enter their Alt-PIN once per term. Students do not need to remember their Alt-PIN as Alt-PINs are only required for the initial web registration. Students are assigned the same Alt-PIN for summer and fall. They must enter the Alt-PIN once for summer and again for fall.

Where Faculty & Advisers can find Alt-PINs

myWCU > Personal Services tab > Faculty & Services > Advisor menu > Select the Correct Registration Term > Advisee Listing

Learn how to troubleshoot registration messages from myWCU/Banner

Granting Instructor Permission via myWCU

Instructors teaching courses whose only prerequisite is “permission of the instructor” must give permission according to the instructions below. Once permission is obtained, the student must still register for the course. Permission of the instructor will not over-ride prerequisites or other registration restrictions. Students who do not meet prerequisites should be referred to the department head of the department that owns the course.

Where to go to grant instructor permission

Log in to myWCU > Personal Services > Faculty & Advisor > Registration Overrides > Select Term > Query for Student > (page below will display)

Instructor Initiated Drop for Non-Attendance

The instructor initiated drop for non-attendance is part of a broad effort to:

• Encourage attendance
• Identify students who are not attending and remove them from class rosters
• Recover seats and make them available before the end of drop/add
• Clean up enrollment files prior to reporting our census for funding
• This policy is not intended to be punitive even though some students may be adversely impacted

The instructor initiated drop for non-attendance is a part of the University’s Class Attendance Policy. The policy does not differentiate by level, campus, or instructional method and is intended to apply uniformly to all students.

How to Initiate a Drop for Non-Attendance

• During the first week of class, instructors may initiate a process that will drop a student from the class roster by selecting Drop on the Academic Progress Reporting sheet in myWCU.
• The actual drop has to be executed manually by the Office of the Registrar.
• Good practice is to wait until the student misses a second class before initiating a drop. Professional judgment is necessary with regard to those classes that only meet once per week.

Students that are dropped for non-attendance may re-enroll on a “seats available” basis through the end of drop/add. Students who attempt to re-enroll after the drop/add deadline are required to complete a late registration form and turn it in to the Office of the Registrar. Under no circumstance will students be allowed to register after the tenth day census.

how to Initiate a drop for failure to meet course prerequisites

• Instructors may initiate a process that will drop a student from the class roster for failure to meet a course prerequisite
• Instructors are encouraged to communicate directly with students who fail to successfully complete prerequisites for their courses. If the student refuses/ignores the instructor’s request to adjust their schedule, then the instructor may initiate a communication with the student and cc the Registrar's Office asking for the student to be force-dropped from their roster. Sample text for both emails are provided below.  Be mindful that there might be others in your department (Department Head, Advisor, etc.) who would want to be copied on this email as well.
• There is also a report  in the Banner Report Portal that identifies students enrolled in a class that do not meet the prerequisites for the class. Search for keyword - prerequisite. The report not only lists students who failed the prerequisite but also students who were permitted into the course without having met the prerequisite.

HOW DO STUDENTS GET ON MY ADVISEE LIST?

Department heads are responsible for assigning advisees to their faculty. Changes are made by departments sending lists to the Office of the Registrar (when faculty members retire or leave the university) or by advisors sending an email to changeofmajor@wcu.edu

HOW DO STUDENTS GET OFF MY ADVISEE LIST?

Names are removed from Advisee Lists when the department sends an email to changeofmajor@wcu.edu or when the student's record becomes inactive. Student records become inactive when they apply for graduation or are not enrolled for three consecutive terms.

WHAT IF THE STUDENT HAS TWO ACADEMIC PROGRAMS?

If the student declares a second program they will remain your advisee. The department owning the second program will need to assign an advisor for their program. Even though the system permits multiple advisors to be assigned to a student, the system only allows one advisor to be designated as primary. Primary advisors are indicated by an asterisk (*) in the Advisor Type column.

CAN I HAVE A STUDENT'S NAME REMOVED From MY ADVISEE LIST?

Departments may request that the Office of the Registrar remove or switch students when their programs change or when a faculty member retires or leaves the university. If you find errors in lists, your department should notify the Office of the Registrar to have the changes made.

HOW DO I INTERPRET THE NEW ENROLLMENT INDICATOR?

The enrollment indicator gives a quick visual indicator of whether or not a student has registered. The indicator evaluates five terms -- the term of interest, two previous terms, and two future terms. The x's represent enrollment and the tilde's (~) represent non-enrollment. The term of interest (usually the current term) is in the center and contains a capital X if there is enrollment in that term.

THE ENROLLMENT INDICATOR FOR SOME OF MY ADVISEES SHOW FIVE TERMS OF NON-ENROLLMENT. WHY ARE THEY ON MY LIST?

These students are most likely newly-admitted students or readmits who have not yet registered. Readmits may need to get their Alt-Pins from you if they are in a population that requires an Alt-Pin in order to register. New freshman and new transfer students will be advised and receive their Alt-Pins through the orientation process. (Effective Fall 2010, orientation became required for all new students and transfer students.)

WHY DO I NOT SEE ANY ALT-PINS ON MY ADVISEE LIST?

Verify that you are looking at the right term. We remove Alt-Pins from old terms to prevent them from being given out accidentally.

HOW DO I INTERPRET THE GRADUATION INDICATOR?

If the student has applied to graduate in the term selected or in a future term the graduation indicator will be populated. Term and status are displays. The "good" statuses are: AP - applied to graduate, C1 - cleared first check, C2 - cleared second check, AW - awarded. The system clears students automatically based on their degree audit. Second check does not occur until after the registration for the term ends. Other statuses indicate problems that require advisor interaction to fix.

WHAT DOES THE S/P COLUMN INDICATE?

Suspension and Probation.

MY [EMAIL ADVISEES] BUTTON DOES NOT WORK. IT GENERATES AN ERROR. WHOM SHOULD I TELL?

A malformed mail address will cause the button to fail. Call or email the IT Client Services Help Desk.