According to the Bloomington Campus Procedures on Early Evaluations approved by the Bloomington Faculty Council, all instructors of courses in which there are beginning students enrolled will receive a request for assignment of letter grade evaluations, observations, or recommendations in the fourth week of the regular semester, with a submission deadline of the Sunday after the sixth week. The Student Engagement Roster is the mechanism to submit early evaluations. Instructors will be notified of their obligation via email and be directed to complete progress reports for these students. A progress report is a filtered list of students in the Student Engagement Roster for which feedback is requested by a campus office, such as the Office of the Registrar, Athletics, etc.
Please note, the Procedures on Early Evaluations were updated twice in the 2020-2021 academic year. The first amendment, passed in December 2020, changed the definition of an early evaluation (see additional information below). The second amendment, passed in April 2021, changed the population of students requiring feedback regarding their performance in their courses. All beginning and transfer students will require feedback for all of their courses taken during their first two semesters at IU-Bloomington.
The Early Evaluation may consist of observations and recommendations to the student instead of, or in addition to, a letter grade. The method by which an early letter grade evaluation is determined, and the percentage of the final grade which that evaluation represents, are decided by the instructor. This evaluation will be accessible to the student and the student's academic advisor. These evaluations are for counseling purposes and are not recorded on the students' permanent records.
The submission deadline established by the Bloomington Faculty Council is the Sunday after the sixth week of the semester.
This semester, due to the COVID pandemic's continuing unexpected effects on some individuals, students may withdraw with an automatic grade of W through the end of the term instead of the customary ninth week of the term deadline. Thus, the provision of feedback past the standard midterm window can help students make informed decisions about whether to remain in class, especially as the extended automatic W deadline approaches.
- Early Evaluations are required for 1st 8-week session courses and encouraged for courses that meet less than 8 weeks, and/or start after the submission deadline.
- Early Evaluations are required for only one component of a multi-component course. For example, submit either the lecture or all discussion sections of a course.
- If you teach only graduate courses in which no undergraduate students are enrolled, you will not be required to enter Early Evaluations.
Please assign either a letter grade (A+ through F; S or F for approved S/F graded courses) or observations/recommendations for each student on the roster.
Consult our Grade Value Explanation page for more information on acceptable grade value options.
Additional Considerations
- Instructors can assign a grade proxy through the Faculty Center via One.IU. (See publication Assigning Grade Proxies and Enrollment Assistants.)
- Instructors will not see other instructors' engagement rosters.
- Instructors who teach courses with undergraduate students should go to the Student Engagement Roster via One.IU or Canvas to find out whether they are required to submit Early Evaluations for students in their courses.
- Students can view their Early Evaluation grades, observations, and recommendations online. Students are notified via email that they have received feedback via the SER; advisors and/or other offices may contact the student based on the recommendations provided.
Help & Resources
For grade roster questions or questions about Early Evaluations, contact the Office of the Registrar at regrrost@iu.edu or by phone at (812) 855-5680 Monday through Friday until 4:30 p.m.
Should you need additional assistance, the following resources might also prove helpful: