Unit Policy
Title
Offices of Medical Student Education: Policy on Timeliness of Summative Assessments and Grades
Introduction
Purpose
This Policy establishes the time by which University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“University”) School of Medicine (SOM) Medical Doctorate (MD) degree program students (“Students”) must receive the results of Summative Assessments and final grades, with Summative Narrative Comments, if applicable.
Scope
This Policy applies to MD degree program evaluators, course/site directors and coordinators, and Offices of Medical Student Education staff. It also applies to members of the Education Committee and members of the three curriculum subcommittees that represent the three (3) phases of the MD degree program curriculum: Foundation Phase, Application Phase and Individualization Phase.
Policy
Policy Statement
Final Grades and Incompletes, along with Summative Narrative Comments, if applicable, for all courses must be submitted to the registrar within thirty-five (35) calendar days of the last day of the course.
Evaluators are expected to submit all Student evaluations and Summative Narrative Comments promptly to support timely grade submission. Within twenty-one (21) calendar days following the end of a course, course/site coordinators will notify course/site directors of any incomplete evaluations. Course/site directors, when appropriate, may notify department chairs and campus directors of any evaluator who has not submitted Student evaluations. Course directors are responsible for ensuring all Summative Assessments, Final Grades, Summative Narrative Comments, and Incompletes, if applicable, are released to Students and the SOM registrar within thirty-five (35) calendar days of the last day of a course. Adherence to this Policy is monitored at Phase Committee Meetings and annually by the Education Committee.
Course directors and/or Assistant Phase Directors will notify the appropriate Assistant Dean of Curriculum (clinical or preclinical) of an evaluator’s violation of this Policy. Once notified, the Assistant Dean of Curriculum will determine an appropriate form of follow-up with the evaluator.
Definitions
Final Grade: The overall evaluation of a Student's performance at the end of a course or rotation, including all elements of the assessment structure as specified in the course’s syllabus.
Incomplete: A grade of Incomplete reflects that a Student has yet to demonstrate all requirements to pass a given course at the conclusion of said course but still has the potential to do so. This may be due to a number of factors, including absences or required retakes of exams in the case of a Student achieving a passing score in a course but not achieving a passing score in a specific examination as defined by the course’s syllabus.
Summative Assessments: Evaluations used to measure a Student's overall competence at the end of a defined period of training.
Summative Narrative Comments: Written feedback provided at the end of a course, rotation, or period of training that summarizes a Student's overall performance.
Phase Committee Meetings: Monthly meetings of the subcommittees of the Education Committee corresponding to the three phases of the MD degree program curriculum: Foundation Phase, Application Phase, and Individualization Phase.
Related Requirements
External Regulations
Unit Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Name: Kathleen Barnhouse, Associate Dean for Preclinical Curriculum
Email: Kathleen_barnhouse@med.unc.edu