The standard grade if a student fails to complete the work for a class is a "WU". This is the equivalent of an "F", but the grade may be changed if you re-take the course; consult the University Catalogue for details and restrictions. This grade is also assigned to students who have not attended after the first few classes of the semester but have not officially "withdrawn" from the course. Such a situation should not arise if a student is sufficiently careful about their class registration status. SOLAR should be checked several times, especially in the first four weeks of the term. The grade (any grade) for a course is assigned after the Final Examination, within five working days. This is a University requirement. It is inappropriate to delay the submission of a course's grades to suit the convenience of any single student.
The professor may assign a grade of "Incomplete" ("I") if and only if you meet all of the following conditions:
It is not the professor's obligation to file an "Incomplete" for a student. It is the student's responsibility to file an application and provide appropriate documentation as to their inability to complete the course work in a normal manner.
The filing of an "Incomplete" must be done in a timely fashion. You should notify the Professor if you are unable to complete the course, especially if you are unable to appear at the Final Examination. You or your representative must do this IMMEDIATELY. Grades are submitted within five working days of the Final Examination for the course, and this deadline cannot be deferred. It is acceptable to do this by e-mail; the professor's email address appears on every page on his web site.
You should also notify the Departmental Office ([818] 677-3467). You or your representative must do this IMMEDIATELY. You must then complete the FORM for an "Incomplete" as soon as possible and have it signed by the Professor. If you do NOT file for an "Incomplete" within this time period (five days from the final examination), a grade of "WU" will be assigned.
It is not the professor's obligation to file an "Incomplete" for a student. It is the student's responsibility to file an application and provide appropriate documentation as to their inability to complete the course work in a normal manner.
Once you are assigned an "Incomplete", you have one year from the date recorded on the form to complete the requirements of the course and have your grade changed; therefore, you should submit work early enough to allow the professor to grade your work and fill out the necessary forms to assign you a new grade.
Keep in mind that, after you are assigned an "Incomplete", any grading of your work becomes an added burden on the professor's busy timetable during the following year. Therefore you should not expect the normal amount of commentary on your work or any extra teaching beyond normal office hours.
John Paul Adams, CSUN
john.p.adams@csun.edu