Grading and Awarding Academic Credit
Grading at WISR
Student work at WISR is graded Credit/No Credit. Credit is awarded primarily for the completion of work that can be demonstrated by evidence that is then included in the student’s Learning Portfolio. In awarding credit, WISR faculty are mindful of the quantity and quality of work expected of students in conventional universities. Although the form and content of WISR student projects may be very unconventional, WISR faculty assign semester units to a particular student project by referring to their experiences in more conventional universities. WISR faculty base their credit-awarding decisions about student projects on their sense of the approximate number of semester units that would be awarded for a similar amount and quality of academic work in accredited universities.
Faculty Feedback on Drafts of Student Papers and Theses
Faculty make every effort to give students rapid feedback on drafts of papers and theses. Typically, faculty give students feedback on papers that are 20 pages or less, within 7 to 10 days. Faculty may need as much as three to four weeks to read and give feedback on longer papers, and especially on drafts of theses and dissertations. Faculty are available to set up hour-long conferences with students, either face-to-face, or by phone once every week or two, as needed by students. Generally, it is best to set up appointments a week to 10 days in advance, so students can coordinate their own schedules of availability with the openings in the faculty member’s schedule.
Awarding Credit at WISR
Credit hours (in semester units) at WISR are awarded based on each student’s progress through the requirements for a specific degree program. In order to complete requirements for the BA, students shall have earned at least 124 semester units; MA students, except in the MFT program, shall earn at least 32 units. At least 48 semester units are required for the MFT program. The PhD program requires 54 semester units beyond the MA. Faculty fill out Project Evaluation Forms for each completed project, noting the credit units awarded with their comments explaining the basis for the awarding of credit. In addition, faculty note if a particular graduation requirement has been fulfilled, as noted above, and this form is attached to the student’s Course Syllabus [pdf] [doc] .
Course Syllabus
At the completion of each project or course of study, the student writes a summary of what they did during that project/course, and he/she self-evaluates what she/he learned and accomplished. Read More . . .
The evidence used in awarding credit may be of several kinds:
Academic papers, professional work and community work, multimedia products (including audios, videos, photos and web pages), creative/artistic works, faculty and professional observations of student learning, participation in WISR projects and seminars, and written, reflective analyses of prior experiences. However, WISR does not grant credit for prior experiential learning alone, only for current learning that may involve current writing and analysis that draws on prior experiences. Read More . . .
Transfer of Credit to WISR from Other Institutions
Maximum transfer credit accepted.
No more than 94 semester units may be transferred from other institutions toward WISR’s 124 semester units required for the BA. No more than six semester units of graduate study may be transferred toward WISR’s 32 semester units required for all MA degrees offered by WISR. No more than 21 units of PhD credit may be transferred toward the PhD at WISR. Read more . . .