McMaster University registrar outlines causes for delayed grade postings amid student concerns
Darran Fernandez, McMaster University registrar, has addressed student concerns regarding the delays in posting final grades for the Fall 2024 term to Mosaic. Speaking in response to frustrations shared by students on social media, Fernandez outlined the university's grading process and provided context on current delays.
According to Fernandez, McMaster typically requires final grades to be submitted and posted within seven days of the end of the exam period. This process is supported by a structured plan communicated to faculty each term. However, exam schedules that align closely with holidays or breaks can sometimes impact the timeline.
"On the administrative end, we have a date that we convey to faculties and departments. A date that we expect for all grades to be in and for students to be fully graded [and] we follow up with [them] should there be any missing grades," Fernandez explained in an interview with The Silhouette.
On the administrative end, we have a date that we convey to faculties and departments. A date that we expect for all grades to be in and for students to be fully graded [and] we follow up with [them] should there be any missing grades.
Darran Fernandez, University Registrar
McMaster University
Fernandez emphasized that McMaster's grade submission policy aligns with national standards. "On average, it's a five to seven day window provided to instructors," said Fernandez. As chair of the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada, Fernandez highlighted that McMaster is well-informed of general practices and normally adheres to them.
Acknowledging the challenges delayed grades pose for students, Fernandez outlined the university's efforts to minimize disruptions. For students requiring Fall term grades as prerequisites for Winter 2025 courses, McMaster ensures that students are not immediately removed from their courses due to pending grades.
Fernandez also noted that some Canadian graduate programs accept applications during the first weeks of January and that many institutions are understanding of minor delays in transcript submissions. "We do advise that [students] check their grade record to see that the grade is there before they make [a transcript] request," said Fernandez.
He encouraged students encountering issues to contact their faculty offices for support, describing these offices as the primary resource for resolving grade-related concerns.
Looking ahead, Fernandez expressed confidence in McMaster's ability to maintain its usual consistency in grade processing.
"By way of our practices, I get the impression that people are very diligent in submitting according to the deadline . . . but that still doesn't make these outlier situations go away. There's obviously every intent on our end to make sure that a student can progress seamlessly between courses, in particular when prerequisites are involved."
There's obviously every intent on our end to make sure that a student can progress seamlessly between courses, in particular when prerequisites are involved.
Darran Fernandez, University Registrar
McMaster University
While he described the typical grade submission process and steps to mitigate the impact of delays, Fernandez indicated that he was not fully aware of the specific outliers or why they have taken so long to be resolved.
Fernandez expressed empathy for the stress students may experience due to delayed grades, acknowledging that additional stress on top of challenging courses is unwelcome and expressed confidence that the issues will be rectified.
Students are encouraged to monitor their grades on Mosaic, consult faculty advisors for support and report any concerns to their respective faculty offices.
Grace periods can bridge the gap between deadlines and accessibility, streamlining and fostering equity and accessibility in education for all
When finals season is upon us, as dread and deadlines fill every crack and corner of the libraries, an extension is nothing short of a miracle. Grace periods, reformulating extensions into universal systems of accommodations built into assignment deadlines, can be a game-changer in creating flexible and accessible learning environments.
Grace periods refer to a window beyond the original deadline, during which students can submit assignments without incurring penalties.
Such in-built buffer periods streamline the daunting process of asking for extensions as students or having to coordinate back and forth as educators. Grace periods give students an equitable opportunity to display academic competency in a more forgiving manner. They allow students to maintain academic performance and flexibility, without added administrative duties like MSAFs.
Traditional deadline and assignment structures are often based on the assumption that students have equal opportunities, roles and responsibilities with equal barriers. In contrast, grace periods are a more realistic and streamlined way to alleviate the impact of unequal barriers while maintaining the integrity of assessments.
Grace periods are a more realistic and streamlined way to alleviate the impact of unequal barriers while maintaining the integrity of assessments.
Additionally, grace periods help reduce the pressure of hard deadlines which can significantly lower anxiety for students facing challenging circumstances. This flexibility fosters an environment where students can focus on producing quality work rather than rushing to meet deadlines.
While some might argue that grace periods are glorified or free-handed extensions, adhering to hard deadlines has never directly correlated to the specific learning goals of a course. This is especially true in a university setting, where a lot of learning is self-regulated.
Instead, hard deadlines primarily facilitate standardization for evaluation. This can still be fulfilled through grace periods while also accounting for students' diverse needs and circumstances.
Hard deadlines primarily facilitate standardization for evaluation. This can still be fulfilled through grace periods while also accounting for students' diverse needs and circumstances.
The flexibility that grace-periods offer also more accurately reflects how deadlines work in many professional settings. In many such cases, projects are aimed to be finished by certain set time periods, but when difficulties are encountered, a whole project is not shut down. Instead, work plans are adapted with the goal of still in the end producing a good product.
Grace periods overall maintain a level of objectivity and standardization for students to be evaluated according to while also recognizing the diverse circumstances of individuals. Considering this and how they streamline administrative duties for both students and faculty, the university is moving in the right direction by including these in more and more courses.
Students waiting for updates from the university as some final grades for the Fall 2024 semester remain unreleased
As of January 10, 2025, some McMaster University students are expressing frustration as some final grades for the Fall 2024 term have yet to be uploaded to Mosaic, the university's student information system.
The delay, which has extended weeks past the end of the exam period, has created challenges for students relying on these grades for academic planning. Namely, students taking prerequisite courses.
Unresolved grades would affect the ability to enroll in required courses for the Winter 2025 term, such as CHEMENG 2F04, COMPSCI 2AC3 and CHEM 2OB3 which rely on prerequisites like CHEMENG 2D04, COMPSCI 2C03 and CHEM 2OA3, respectively. The course enrolment and changes deadline is January 14, 2025, leaving students limited time to address any issues.
Students applying to graduate programs may also face difficulties, as many programs require official transcripts early in the Winter 2025 term. Some programs, such as McMaster's MA in health and aging, MA in Indigenous studies, and MSc in neuroscience, have fast-approaching transcript submission deadlines that may be affected by these delays.
Alexander Wu, a second-year computer science student, expressed concerns about the delay in grades for COMPSCI 2C03 (Data Structures and Algorithms), a key prerequisite for subsequent courses in his program.
"I knew what I got already because my exam and assignment grades are on Avenue 2 Learn . . . But some people might be close to failing and there's a rumour about a curved grade. Those students don't know if they need to apply for a prerequisite waiver, which adds to their stress" said Wu.
. . . some people might be close to failing and there's a rumor about a curved grade. Those students don't know if they need to apply for a prerequisite waiver, which adds to their stress.
Alexander Wu, Second-Year Computer Science Student
McMaster University
On the main Reddit page for McMaster, one student commented, "I finished one of my courses four weeks ago and still haven't gotten my final grade yet." Another remarked, "Still haven't received grades for 2 of my classes."
According to the webpage for the Office of the Register, McMaster typically makes final grades available to students approximately a week after the exam period ends.
While the university administration has not yet provided a formal explanation for the delays, students are looking for clarity and resolution as key academic deadlines approach.
Although we all strive to do well on our midterms this should not occur at the expense of our physical and mental well-being
With exam season fast approaching, many students are slowly starting to forget about their own well-being. All-nighters, avoiding breaks and skipping meals will be the daily norm as libraries are filled to the brim with students focused on achieving one goal - getting a good grade.
Under the pressure of succeeding in rigorous university classes, students are forced to prioritize their GPAs above everything – but at what cost?
Under no circumstances is it okay to place your academics above your mental well-being, especially during high-stress periods like exam season. In fact, during times like these, it’s important to prioritize yourself to avoid psychological distress.
Under no circumstances is it okay to place your academics above your mental well-being, especially during high-stress periods like exam season. In fact, during times like these, it’s important to prioritize yourself to avoid psychological distress.
You should not be pushing through deteriorating mental health for the sake of an exam. By doing so, students are making themselves susceptible to psychological distress, academic burnout, and isolation from the damaged relationships. Indulging in these typical exam activities infrequently may be okay for the time being. However, when consistently making these activities common practice many long-term adverse health implications accompany that.
For example, you may have skipped lunch today because you have an exam at 4 p.m. You may think that using this extra time to study might help you do better on your exam than if you were to grab lunch.
In the short term, you are now starving during your exam which may distract you and make it difficult to concentrate on the exam. However, if you continue to skip meals you are putting yourself at risk for health issues such as mood swings and brain fog. Over time, more concerning consequences can arise too, like fainting and muscle loss, contributing to more illnesses that can cause you a trip to the emergency room.
Experiencing these extreme health implications will only worsen over time if students continue to study all night and isolate themselves from friends and family.
Even though exam season is riddled with anxiety and stress, it is important to understand that the habits we develop during these academically critical periods will have long-term negative impacts on our health. When our health is impacted, our performance on exams is also negatively impacted.
So, what really are the benefits of neglecting our wellbeing?
Although skipping study breaks may help you perform well on your first exam, it’s very likely that continuing these habits will prevent you from performing well on future exams. Additionally, you may begin to experience insomnia, psychological distress, and increased stress levels. Overall, these short-term practices not only have negative health implications in the long term, but they also impact your performance on exams as December progresses.
As hard as it may be, students should not sacrifice their well-being temporarily for exams as the consequences follow us well after. We must recognize that regardless of the intentions for indulging in these practices, there are very minimal benefits to experience during exam season.
We must recognize that regardless of the intentions for indulging in these practices, there are very minimal benefits to experience during exam season.
In fact, prioritizing our well-being can demonstrate academic benefits that will allow us to excel during exams. For example, eating nourishing meals throughout this stressful period can increase mental alertness and stabilize your energy levels allowing you to perform better on exams.
With exams quickly approaching, it's important to remember that sacrificing your well-being to upkeep an ideal GPA can lead to unhealthy habits appearing in the long-term concerns. Taking care of your health, such as eating well and taking breaks.
December is fast-approaching: holiday shopping is underway, the weather is dropping and students are beginning to prepare for final examinations. But with this winter forecasted to be especially harsh, students should also prepare for the possibility of rescheduled exams.
For the fall 2018 term, McMaster University plans to run final examinations for a 12-day period from Dec. 7 to Dec. 20. While students are given their exam timetable at least a month in advance, there is an expectation for students to remain available throughout the entire examination period. With many students creating their travel and holiday plans around their final exams, is this a fair expectation?
During the past winter term, McMaster was closed on Apr. 14 due to inclement weather. Exams scheduled to be written that day were rescheduled to Apr. 22, which fell within the examination period. Students, however, had mixed reactions to this rescheduling. Many had made travel plans under the assumption that their last exam was on Apr. 14 and questioned the seemingly arbitrary eight-day push.
Scheduled to write an exam today? All exams are postponed due to the forecast of inclement weather. All exams scheduled for today April 14 will now be held Sunday, April 22nd at the same time and in the same location as originally intended. The University is closed for the day.
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) April 14, 2018
Universities should prioritize safety and close when inclement weather has the potential to create unsafe situations for anyone on campus. However, the policies surrounding inclement weather and exams need to be made clear and more comprehensive to reduce student confusion when closures occur.
McMaster’s Undergraduate Examinations Policy states that “Students must be available for the entire examination period as listed in the Sessional Dates section of the Undergraduate Calendar. Examinations will not be re-scheduled for purposes of travel.”
Though this policy makes sense in the event of rescheduled exams, the university should understand that students have commitments outside of their studies that often must be made well in-advance. It seems unfair to make students plan to wait out the entire examination period, especially when they are scheduled to finish exams within the first few days.
The current policy also fails to have any buffer room for exams that must be rescheduled nearing the end of the examination period.
For example, if there was a snow day on the very last day of the examination period, would students be expected to write exams during their holidays? Would they be pushed to the deferred examination period, taking place months after the scheduled time? The policy as-is does not address these important questions.
In fact, the only mention of how exams are rescheduled is found in a separate Storm Emergency Policy, which states that in the event of inclement weather, exams are scheduled to the following Sunday within the examination period. However, this still does not address the possibility for a closure late in the examination period.
One solution could be to have a dedicated few days for rescheduled exams. Rather than have a test and examination ban that few classes adhere to anyways, the term could be shortened. Thus, instead of ending classes on Dec. 5 and starting exams on Dec. 7, classes could end Nov. 30 and exams can start virtually a week earlier on Dec. 3. This then provides the necessary buffer time in the Dec. 17 to Dec. 20 period that can be used for rescheduled exams as necessary.
Students would still be expected to remain available throughout the examination period, but at least there would be a clearer understanding on how exams are rescheduled and reassurance that they will not interfere with the official holiday period.
Although there is a level of accountability towards students to understand the expectations of the university, the university must also make their expectations clearer.
The office of the registrar’s official site for exams does not clearly outline this information without requiring students to find and read both the McMaster’s Undergraduate Examinations Policy and the Storm Emergency Policy.
As of now, it appears that only the DeGroote School of Business explicitly warns their students against making travel plans within the examination period.
While the responsibility to read both policies falls on students, there is no reason to not publicize their expectations more. Including a comment on students’ exam timetables on Mosaic can easily reduce some of the confusion that arises during rescheduled exams.
In addition to increasing the delivery of their expectations to students, the university should strive to publicize announcements of closures in a more effective manner. Not all students have or check social media. Sending an email to students better communicates closures and rescheduled exam details, and should be included in a revised inclement weather and exam policy.
Can you guys please begin announcing campus wide closures by email? You guys send us so many emails we don't care about but for some reason campus closures where people might accidentally arrive on campus to find half the buildings locked don't deserve an email...
— Darkknight512 (@Darkknight512) April 14, 2018
It is evident that McMaster University should revise their current examinations and inclement weather policies to be more comprehensive regarding final examinations. Ideally, this information should be made accessible to students in a singular, readily-available policy.
At the very least, the university should be more vocal to students about their expectations to avoid confusion over the upcoming examination period.
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