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Grading Information
Final grades are recorded in CAESAR. Two weeks before grades are due, grade rosters are generated based on the enrollment in the course, and from then until the deadline, instructors can save grades in CAESAR or using a tool in Canvas called GradeSync.
Deadlines (Quarter Courses)
Academic year 2023-24
| Quarter | Online grading starts | Grades due |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Quarter (Sept 19, 2023 – Dec 9, 2023) | November 27, 2023 | December 11, 2023 at 3:00PM CST |
| Winter Quarter (Jan 3, 2024 – Mar 16, 2024) | March 4, 2024 | March 18, 2024 at 3:00PM CDT |
| Spring Quarter (Mar 26, 2024 – June 8, 2024) | May 28, 2024 | June 11, 2024 at 3:00PM CDT |
Summer Session 2024
| Session | Description | Session Begin Date | Session End Date | Online Grading Opens | Grades Due at 3pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2W1 | Two Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 6/30/2024 | 7/10/2024 | 7/16/2024 |
| 2W2 | Two Week - Second | 7/1/2024 | 7/14/2024 | 7/10/2024 | 7/16/2024 |
| 3W1 | Three Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 7/7/2024 | 7/10/2024 | 7/16/2024 |
| 4W1 | Four Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 7/14/2024 | 7/10/2024 | 7/16/2024 |
| 2W3 | Two Week - Third | 7/15/2024 | 7/28/2024 | 7/24/2024 | 7/30/2024 |
| 3W2 | Three Week - Second | 7/8/2024 | 7/28/2024 | 7/24/2024 | 7/30/2024 |
| 5W1 | Five Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 7/21/2024 | 7/24/2024 | 7/30/2024 |
| 6W1 | Six Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 7/28/2024 | 7/24/2024 | 7/30/2024 |
| 4W2 | Four Week - Second | 7/15/2024 | 8/11/2024 | 8/7/2024 | 8/13/2024 |
| 8W1 | Eight Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 8/11/2024 | 8/7/2024 | 8/13/2024 |
| 1 | Regular Academic Session | 6/17/2024 | 8/25/2024 | 8/21/2024 | 8/27/2024 |
| 3W3 | Three Week - Third | 7/29/2024 | 8/18/2024 | 8/21/2024 | 8/27/2024 |
| 5W2 | Five Week - Second | 7/22/2024 | 8/25/2024 | 8/21/2024 | 8/27/2024 |
| 9W1 | Nine Week - First | 6/17/2024 | 8/18/2024 | 8/21/2024 | 8/27/2024 |
| Kellogg | Kellogg Regular Academic Session | 6/17/2024 | 9/1/2024 | 8/21/2024 | 9/3/2024 |
Grading Options
Grading policies vary by student population and by curricular approval. Undergraduate students are allowed different grading options that most graduate populations; additionally, departments may approve different grading bases for courses depending on the role the course or class plays in the overall curriculum. As a result, instructors may see different grading options for different classes or even with a single class. Contact nu-grades@northwestern.edu with any questions.
Incomplete grades policies vary by school, but generally students should only be assigned an incomplete grade of X (absent from the final exam) or Y (coursework remains to be completed) if they have requested it, and the instructor agrees it is realistic the student can complete the missing work in a reasonable time frame defined by the instructor. If the student does not complete the course and does not request an incomplete, the instructor should assign the final grade the student has earned based on the work they completed.
See here for the undergraduate incomplete lapse policy and school websites for the graduate incomplete policies.
Grading Procedures
The Office of the Registrar contacts instructors according to their class assignments in CAESAR to alert them when grade rosters have been opened for grading, typically two weeks before the deadline during the academic year. Instructors who haven’t yet been officially associated/assigned to classes in CAESAR will be unable to access rosters and submit grades and must contact the Office of the Registrar at nu-grades@northwestern.edu.
- Submitting grades: Instructors can log in to CAESAR to review the grade roster, save grades or assign a proxy grader. Instructors can also use a tool in Canvas called GradeSync to review and modify grades before sending them to CAESAR. The same grading deadlines apply to either method. For more information about GradeSync, visit the Canvas Resource Hub or contact your local Canvas expert.
- MFA: Multi-factor Authentication is active on CAESAR and requires that instructors have a phone to verify their identity when they log in.
- Roster discrepancies: Upon reviewing the grade roster in either CAESAR or Canvas, if instructors notice a discrepancy on the roster (students attending the class who are not enrolled, or students on the roster who are no longer attending), contact nu-grades@northwestern.edu immediately with student ID numbers and details.
- No grade reported: If no grade is reported by the deadline, an administrative notation of NR (Not Reported) will be added to the student record until it is changed to a final grade.
- Grade changes: if an instructor needs to change a grade after the online grading period has ended and within a year after the course ended, log in to CAESAR and use the online change of grade feature to submit the new grade and reason for the change for review of the dean’s office of the school offering the course.
- Grade change requests later than a year after the course ended must be submitted via paper Change of Grade forms, available at the Office of the Registrar or most school dean’s offices; they can only be picked up by faculty or administrators and only with photo ID.
- Grade changes are not allowed for students who have graduated; degree conferral closes the record and no further changes are allowed. Therefore, incompletes and grade appeals must be resolved before degree conferral.