Grading and Progression for Electives Policy

It is the policy of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix that the elective course director is responsible for final determination of each student’s grade.

Process

1. Curricular unit directors will complete the assigned curricular unit assessment as appropriate. The elective director is responsible for determination of each student’s final grade and must sign the assessment form.
2. The grade in an elective is based on the student’s performance in the Educational Program Objectives (EPO) for each elective.
3. The grade will be a composite based upon performance assessments provided by supervisors during the elective rotation and other criteria as listed in the syllabus/elective description.
4. The final grade will be in one of the following categories: Honors, High Pass, Pass or Fail.
5. Each elective director will determine the appropriate distribution of grades within the elective.
6. A grade of Incomplete will be awarded if:
   1. Students have not completed the required elective activities by the course end date. Elective directors assigning a grade of Incomplete will submit in writing via the final grade form in the curricular management system  a “Course Completion Form” within one week after course end date indicating the requirements to complete the elective, including the expected completion date. Failure to complete the required assignments by the completion date will result in a failure of the elective.
   2. Students begin but are unable to complete elective requirements as stipulated in the syllabus if and only if the student has a legitimate (for example medical/personal) reason for not completing requirements. Such a legitimate reason must be corroborated by communication from the Associate Dean, Student Affairs in conjunction with the Associate Dean, Clinical and Competency Based Education and appropriate relevant offices, e.g. Campus Health or the Disability Resource Center.
   3. If the student has successfully completed a minimum of 50%  (two weeks for four week elective, one week for 2 week elective)* of the elective, the student will not be required to restart the elective.
      1. If a student has not completed a minimum of two weeks* of the required elective, the student may still be eligible for an incomplete on their transcript in the setting of an approved reason for an unplanned departure from the curriculum (see above).
      2. In the event a student receives an Incomplete grade in an elective, the elective Director will delineate, at their own discretion, in writing via the final grade form in the curricular management system, the steps and timeline to successfully complete all required elective elements. A plan for completion of the elective may not involve a direct week-by-week completion, as clinical sites may have additional requirements or stipulations about length of time on service.  Students contemplating a clinical incomplete in an elective should discuss these considerations with the appropriate stakeholders if possible to best understand what the required clinical schedule will look like.   
      3. Successful completion of all required elements by the date stipulated will result in a grade change from Incomplete to Grade Earned (H/HP/P/F). Failure to complete all required elements by the time stipulated will result in a grade change from Incomplete to Fail
   4. A grade of Incomplete automatically reverts to a failure on the transcript after one calendar year or at graduation if the elective has not been completed.
      1. If an approved leave of absence is the reason the incomplete is not completed within one calendar year, a student will receive a “W” on their transcript and will be required to restart the elective.
   5. Withdrawing from an elective: In the event that a student begins but then withdraws from an elective without the coordinated approval by the Associate Dean, Student Affairs and the Associate Dean, Clinical and Competency Based Education, the student’s transcript will reflect a “W” (withdraw) regardless of the amount of time spent on the rotation.

*In order to meet the threshold of 50% completion of the elective, the student must complete the expected requirements as determined by the elective director and site director for the specific elective.

7. Each student will be rated  on the individual EPOs within the six behavioral competency domains (five for non-patient care electives). Criteria for assigning a Level 1 are outlined in the applicable elective syllabus. See Competency Assessment Policy and Level 1 Competency Appeal Policy.
8. If a student receives a summative Level 1 rating in any individual EPO, the student will not be eligible for a grade higher than Pass (see Level 1 Competency Appeal Policy to appeal).
9. Students will fail the elective if they receive a summative Level 1 on two or more different Educational Program Objectives on the assessment form.
10. In-person formative feedback with written documentation is required if, at any point during the elective, the student is at risk of not meeting expectations in one or more of the EPOs. For students meeting expectations at the midpoint, an in-person meeting to provide formative feedback is highly recommended but not required.
11. Students are required to submit an elective evaluation according to the Course and Faculty Evaluation by Student Policy. Students who do not complete the elective evaluation within the designated time period will receive a Level 1 rating on the applicable Professionalism EPO.
12. Students who fail an elective will not receive credit for the elective. Students who fail a required elective will be required to repeat the entire elective or an equivalent elective in order to receive credit for that requirement.