| Policy Number: ACAD 205 | Policy Title: Evaluation of Student Performance |
| Supersedes Existing Policy: No | Policy Sponsor: Senior Vice-President, Academic |
| Associated Procedure: Yes | Policy Owner: Dean, Leadership, Learning, and Academic Excellence |
| Next Review Date: June 2028 | Date Last Approved by the CET: June 18, 2025 |
1. Introduction and Purpose
This procedure provides clear, practical guidance for faculty, staff, and students on assessment design, communication, grading practices, feedback timelines, accommodations, and the handling of missed or supplemental evaluations.
2. Application
This procedure applies to all Loyalist College credit-level and apprenticeship courses.
3. Procedure
3.1. Design and Planning of Assessments 3.1.1 Faculty are expected to design assessments that align with course learning outcomes (CLOs), program/vocational learning outcomes (P/VLOs), and any other requirements such as Essential Employability Skills (EESs) or accreditation standards. Assessments should be distributed across the course and include a combination of formative and summative evaluations. Authentic assessment methods that reflect real-world tasks are encouraged.
The Centre of Leadership, Learning, and Academic Excellence (CLLAE) is responsible for guiding faculty when designing effective assessments and will provide ongoing training and support.
3.1.2 Program coordinators support assessment alignment across courses and review course outlines for assessment consistency and to ensure that overall learning goals are met.
3.1.3 Faculty are to ensure that no single assessment shall exceed 30% of the final course grade unless a higher weighting is justified in writing and approved by the Dean or designate, in accordance with program-level requirements.
3.2. Communicating Assessment Requirements 3.2.1 Assessment expectations, including type, weight, and expected due dates, must be clearly detailed in the course outline using the current course outline template. Also, this information must be:
- Communicated to students during the first week of class
- Posted in the Learning Management System (LMS)
- Updated and communicated if changes occur during the course (approval required from the Associate Dean).
3.2.2 Grading criteria must be communicated to students as each assessment is assigned (see 3.4 Grading and Feedback).
3.3. Assessment Accommodations 3.3.1 Faculty are expected to apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in the creation of assessments. Where accommodations are required, faculty must consult with Accessibility Services to adjust formats, timelines, or delivery methods while maintaining the integrity of learning outcomes.
3.4. Grading and Feedback 3.4.1 Faculty must use rubrics or other grading criteria to support fair and consistent evaluation. Feedback must be timely, specific, and actionable, and may be delivered in various formats (e.g., written, video, in-person meetings). Faculty must:
- Return feedback within 10 business days of the assessment deadline, except where an extension is approved by the Associate Dean.
- Enter grades into the LMS promptly
- Ensure at least 40% of the final course grade is posted in the LMS by the time 60% of the course is completed (typically by Week 8 for 14-week courses)
3.5. Missed Evaluations Students who miss an assessment due to reasonable or unforeseen circumstances such as illness, emergency, religious observances, conflicting responsibilities, college varsity or other engagements must inform their professor as soon as possible. The professor will assess the situation and determine whether an alternative arrangement is appropriate, using a restorative approach where applicable. Depending on the situation, options may include:
- Rescheduling the original assessment.
- Offering an alternate but equivalent assessment.
3.6. Supplemental Assessments Loyalist College permits the use of supplemental assessments as a mechanism for students to demonstrate achievement of course learning outcomes when their final grade falls just below
the requirements to pass. When implemented, supplemental assessments must meet the following college-wide expectations:
- The availability and conditions for supplemental assessments must be clearly communicated to students at the beginning of the course through the course outline.
- Supplemental assessments are only permitted when a student’s final grade in a course falls within 5% of the minimum passing grade.
- All requests for supplemental assessments must be communicated to the Associate Dean.
- Assessments must be administered and completed within two weeks of the course end date, unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean.
- A successful supplemental attempt will result in the minimum passing grade being recorded for the course.