Common Faculty Questions
How do I solve role discrepancies?
If a student is attending your class but is not listed on your class roster, this indicates that the student was not registered and did not pay for the course. Therefore, the student must be directed to the Admissions Office immediately and should not be allowed to return to your class without an approval form from the Admissions Office.
Can I email or call in grades?
No. Grades must be entered through the VCCS SIS8.9 Student Information System. You may access the online account from any computer with access to the World Wide Web at my.vccs.edu
When and how do I refer a student for counseling and tutoring?
You may call the Retention and Student Life Office at 857-7583.
What is VWCC's conduct policy?
Information about Virginia Western's conduct policy is located in the Student Handbook.
How do I handle students who don't attend?
Faculty are required to submit enrollment certifications (available to faculty at the end of the drop period for each term) to confirm student attendance and enrollment to the Admissions and Records Office. For students who never attend class (no-show students), the college must cancel student financial aid and enrollment. The reporting of no-show students is not optional. It is critical that faculty adhere to this policy and submit the no-show rosters by the established deadline.
Students who attend even one class are not considered no-show students.
The completed no-show roster must be forwarded to your division office by the established deadline.
Once a student has been dropped as a no-show student, the instructor should not allow the student to attend/participate in class or submit assignments. There will be no refund of tuition or reinstatement in the course.
How do I enter/change grades?
ENTERING GRADES: Detailed instructions for entering grades can be found in the brochure entitled "A Faculty Guide to My VWCC". Copies of the brochure can be obtained in the division offices or the Admissions Office. However, the basic instructions are as follows:
- Log on to My VWCC
- Click VCCS SIS8.9: Student Information System .
- Click Faculty Center.
- Select the Term. Click Change.
- Click the Grade Roster icon located in the My Teaching Schedule area of the screen. The Grade Roster page will apear.
- To enter grades, the Approval status must be set to Not Reviewed.
- Click in the Roster Grade field and enter or select the Grade.
- Press Tab. The grade will appear in the Official Grade Column.
- Continue entering grades directly into the Grade Input field or by selecting a grade from the grade lookup.
- When entering a grade of "F" or "U" in the Roster Grade field, the Last Date of Attendance field will appear. (Instructions for populating the Last Date of Attendance field can be found below).
- When all grades have been entered, click Save at the bottom of the page.
- Click the drop-down Approval Status field and select Approved.
- Click Save a final time. If you fail to populate the Last Date of Attendance field with the correct date for a grade of "F" or "U", you will be unable to save the roster in the Approved status.
- To send email notifications to selected stdents, select the Notify box next to each student's name and click Notify Selected Students. To send email notifications to all students in the class, click Notify All Students.
- To download a copy of the grade roster to Excel, click the Download icon located on the right side of the screen above the grade roster.
- To enter grades for another class, click Return.
- To exit, click Sign Out.
All grades must be entered by the pre-established due date for grades.
How Do I Complete the Last Date of Attendance Field?
- After entering a grade of "F" or "U" in the Roster Grade field, the Last Date of Attendance field will appear.
- Click in the Last Date of Attendance field and enter the correct placeholder date. Placeholder dates are as follows:
01/01/1900: The placeholder date of 01/01/1900 indicates that the student stopped attending/participating shortly prior to or on the 60% withdrawal date, to the best of the instructor's knowledge. For financial aid purposes, this is considered an unearned grade.
12/31/999: The placeholder date of 12/31/9999 indicates that the student stopped attending/participating after the 60% withdrawal date or remained in the class, to the best of the instructor's knowledge. For financial aid purposes, this is considered an earned grade.
How Do I change a Grade after it has been awarded?
Once a grade has been awarded, it is normally permanent. In situations where there are documented, mitigating circumstances or an uncontested error, grade changes must be requested within one year of the receipt of the grade in question
In order to request a grade change for mitigating circumstances or uncontested error, the student must contact the instructor to request the change. If the instructor agrees that a grade change is warranted, the change must be submitted to the Division Dean and the Registrar for approval.
How do I drop a student?
Faculty are required to submit attendance certifications to the Admissions and Records Office (available to faculty at the end of the withdrawal period for each term) to confirm that students are continuing to attend their classes. A student who stops attending class prior to the withdrawal deadline must have his/her financial aid prorated and must be withdrawn from class. Issuing failing grades to students who stop attending classes prior to the withdrawal deadline is not an option.
Per requirements from a recent audit by the Office of Public Accounts, faculty are required to include the student's last date of attendance when reporting students that must be withdrawn.
The completed withdrawal roster must be forwarded to your division office by the established deadline.
Once a student has been withdrawn from a class, the instructor should not allow the student to attend or participate in class or submit assignments. There will be no refund of tuition or reinstatement in the course. Students who stop participating after the withdrawal deadline for the course will receive a grade of F.
