Entering Grades

Use Faculty Self Service to enter grades. See Faculty Self Service Guide for instructions.

Late Grades

Late grades should be avoided. They often result in unwarranted academic actions or even in students not being able to graduate on time. Furthermore, late grades must be posted manually at considerable expense.

Changes in Grades

Each semester's work is an entity and grades are to be assigned for work completed during the normal period of the semester. Subsequent changes in grade may be made in the event that the instructor deems an error was made in the assignment of the original grade or for some reason the course extends longer than a semester. In this case, the Grade Change Request Form should be completed and submitted to the Registrar's Office immediately upon notice that a grade change is necessary.

Posting of Grades

Posting of student grades by name or a personally identifiable number is prohibited under the terms of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). However, a student waiver authorizing disclosure of educational records by means of a personally identifiable number (e.g. a student ID number) is acceptable provided that such consent is in writing, dated and signed by the student. [NOTE: A name or social security number must never be used for this purpose.] If instructors use this method, the waiver must be for a specific course; must be for a specified period of time (semester, academic year, etc.); must specify the records to be disclosed; and must be retained by the instructor of the course for a period of one year after its expiration. Students should not be coerced into signing a waiver, as the law requires that it be voluntarily given. Instructors may post grades for students who do not want their student ID number used by establishing a unique identifier known only to that student and the instructor.

Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act

The method with which the University of Tennessee governs the distribution of student information is based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 or FERPA. This Act, as amended, established the requirements governing the privacy of student educational records in regards to the release of those records and access to those records. This Act is also known as the Buckley Amendment.

The Act gives four basic rights to students:

• the right to review their education records;
• the right to seek to amend their education records;
• the right to limit disclosure of personally identifiable information (directory information);
• and the right to notify the Department of Education concerning an academic institution's failure to comply with FERPA regulations.

FERPA provides for confidentiality of student records; however, it also provides for basic identification of people at the University of Tennessee without the consent of the individual. Release of information to third parties includes directory information, such as contained in the campus telephone book, in the online web-based people directory, and in sports brochures. Students are notified of their FERPA rights and the procedures for limiting disclosure of directory information in Hilltopics, at Orientation for new students, and in annual emails.

Student Data Use

Student data and information is a vital and important university resource. Its use must be protected at all times. As a custodian of student data you are expected to comply with all university policy and federal and state laws regarding its use.

These policies include Section 3.6.3 Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty (Student Records) in the faculty handbook. At UT Memphis a student's academic, health, and disciplinary records are maintained separately. A students academic and health records are confidential and not available to others, except by request with authorization from the student or the student's legal representative. Transcripts of academic records are available only to the individual student or the student's legal representative and to authorized members of the Administration and Faculty. Information from disciplinary and counseling records is not available to unauthorized persons on campus or to any person off campus without the express written consent of the student or the student's legal representative, except under legal compulsion or in cases where the safety of persons or property is involved. Non-academic student records will be reviewed periodically and destroyed when no longer current. The stipulations described above do not apply to notes and records kept by individual faculty members as an aid to their memory. However, administrative staff and faculty members should respect confidential information about students that they acquire in the course of their work (Section 3.6.1). The UTHSC student handbook, The Center Scope, contains information on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as well as additional details on student records.

For more information on protecting student data, see:

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• UTHSC FERPA Tutorial