Grading
Attendance, participation, professionalism & activities | 20%
ATI Assignments | 10%
ATI exams | 35%
Exams/quizzes | 25%
Assignments | 10%
TOTAL | 100%
Grading Scale
Grades are determined in accordance with the policy of the Department of Nursing. The grading scale is as follows:
94-100%=A 87-89%=B+ 77-79%=C+
90-93%=A- 84-86%=B 74-76%=C
80-83%=B- <74=F
Passing Grade: A cumulative score of 74% or higher is needed to successfully complete nursing courses with a passing grade. For policies regarding incomplete or withdrawal, please refer to the current University catalog. The final course grade will NOT be rounded up to a whole number (e.g., 75.99=C, not 76=C).
Grade Disputes: If a student has a grade to dispute, the student must notify faculty within one week after the grade is posted. Disputes made at the end of the course in order to elevate a grade will not be considered for discussion.
Course Activities
Attendance, participation, professionalism & activities
Expected Outcome: Students will be engaged in the classroom with discussions and activities and have a positive attitude and be respectful toward the program, guests and peers. Students will come prepared with required materials for class; having read required material. Students will be alert and attentive in class and take responsibility for their own learning. Students will be on time to class and when returning to class from break. See the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas. Failure to meet the requirements on the rubric may result in a loss of points.
Lectures
Lectures will be both live and recorded. Lectures that are recorded will be found in Canvas in the module for the Tuesday that they are due. Students are to review these, on their own, before class so they may participate in the discussion. Annoto is used in each recording so that students may ask questions as they review the lecture. Those questions will be transmitted to the instructor so they can be addressed in class. Questions the day of the discussion are welcome.
ATI assignments
ATI is a program that has been purchased for your benefit to help you towards passing the NCLEX. Each student is solely responsible for reviewing the ATI material and for studying for the ATI exams on their own. ATI assignments have instructions on each assignment. The practice tests can be taken as often as necessary, without penalty, to get the desired score. Each assignment should be downloaded within ATI, saved in .pdf form and submitted to Canvas by the due date. Be sure to check the directions on each assignment. Failure to follow the directions in Canvas will result in a 0 for the assignment. A video is available on orientation to the ATI site and the class access code will be posted.
Other assignments
There will be other assignments that will be listed in Canvas. Each assignment will have a due date. Most assignments can be submitted into Canvas more than once before the due date, (for corrections or improvements) but after the due date, or after the assignment has been graded the students cannot make revisions. It is up to the student to verify that the correct assignment is being submitted into Canvas. Blank documents or incorrect assignments will result in a loss of points.
Discussions
Discussions are scholarly and are designed to enrich your knowledge and explore new concepts and ideas. Students will be broken up into random groups to participate in the same discussions on Canvas. Each reply will need to be based on a scholarly article or reference from your book and will need to be in APA format. See the rubric attached to the assignment and the directions on the assignment in Canvas.
Extra Credit
Extra credit may be given in an assignment for or as an incentive to participate in a function such as the SNA conference or the homecoming parade. Please note that extra credit is a bonus that is not required, if it is offered, try to take advantage of it. Verbal notification or an announcement will be given when the extra credit is made available and it will have a due date which will be visible in Canvas. Failure to follow the assignment directions in Canvas may result in a loss of points for the assignment.
Tests and Quizzes
Tests and quizzes will be done in class through Canvas. Each student is responsible for bringing a working device that has been updated and is ready to go at 0800. If the student does not have a device that is up and running at 0800 they risk losing time on their quiz/test as most are timed. Students must be present in the classroom to take the quiz unless otherwise stated. A password may be required to take the quiz/test and will be given to the class before the quiz/test and shall not be given out to students not present in the classroom. If the password is given to students that are not present in the classroom, the entire class will receive a zero for that quiz. Quizzes/exams are to be done independently and not as a group. Quizzes may be on material from previous weeks as well as material the students are expected to review for that day.
Quizzes and exams will generally be given at 0800 on the prescribed day, students are expected to remain quiet or leave the classroom so that other students may complete their exam in silence. As time allows, the quiz will be reviewed, and questions taken immediately after. DO NOT APPROACH THE INSTRUCTOR WHILE STUDENTS ARE STILL TAKING THE TEST AND ASK QUESTIONS. If you have a question, email the instructor.
All teaching will be done out of the required texts. The internet is an information highway that will present many conflicting opinions, so parameters need to be set. All quizzes and exams will be based on information in the main textbook. If the student wishes to challenge an exam question, the information must be verified in the textbook first, before it is brought to the attention of the instructor.
Tests and quizzes are locked after they are taken. Students cannot review the material on their own, but can make an appointment with an instructor to review each quiz/test.
ATI Testing and Remediation
ATI is a program utilized by the nursing department that will help students become familiar with “NCLEX Style” testing. It is a rigorous program that requires the full attention of the student. The students fundamentals book should be used in conjunction with the ATI book as it contains much needed information for student’s to make informed decisions when answering questions. The content in ATI is the same content that is presented in the fundamentals textbook, but may be presented in a different style. There are ATI assignments that need to be completed by the student and 2 high stakes exams that count for 35% of the student’s grade. Before each high stakes exam each student will do a practice test that will be considered the “Ticket to Test”, the results will be turned into Canvas with a score of at least 90%. The first attempt and the final attempt (score ≥90%) will be uploaded to the assignment as per the instructions. This test may be taken as often as needed without penalty, BUT, the test has a time restriction and may only be taken once every 24 hours, so plan accordingly. If the ticket is not completed by the stated due date, the student may forfeit the right to sit for the proctored exam.
ATI Proficiency Levels (Fundamentals)
- Level 3 81.7%-100.0%
- Level 2 65.0%-81.6%
- Level 1 50.0%-64.9%
- Below Level 1 equal to or less than 49.9%
Scoring for proficiency levels is as follows:
- For students that reach LEVEL 3 their grade will be: 100%
- For students that reach LEVEL 2 their grade will be: 85%
- For students that reach LEVEL 1 their grade will be: 70%
ATI level Explanation:
Level 3: Scores meeting the Proficiency Level 3 standard can be considered to exceed most expectations for performance in this content area. Scores at this level were judged by the content expert panel to indicate a student as likely to exceed NCLEX-RN standards in this content area.
Level 2: Scores meeting the Proficiency Level 2 standard can be considered to exceed minimum expectations for performance in this content area. Scores at this level were judged by the content expert panel to indicate a student is fairly certain to meet NCLEX-RN standards in this content area.
Level 1: Scores meeting the Proficiency Level 1 standard can be considered to meet the absolute minimum expectations for performance in this content area. Scores at this level were judged by the content expert panel to indicate a student as likely to just meet NCLEX-RN® standards in this content area. ATI advises these students to develop and complete a rigorous plan of focused review in order to achieve a firmer grasp of this content.
Below Level 1: Scores below the Proficiency Level 1 standard can be considered below minimum expectations and can be indicative of significant risk in this content area. ATI strongly advises these students to develop and complete an intensive plan for focused review and remediation, including the use of ATI materials, textbooks, class notes, reference materials, and assistance from nurse educators.
Students who get Below Level 1 receive a Zero. If they achieve a Level 2 on the final ATI, their first ATI score will be adjusted to 60%. A proficiency level BELOW LEVEL 1 on both ATI exams may constitute a failing grade in NURS 3130.
ATI Remediation
Any student that gets a Level 1 or Below Level 1 proficiency score on an ATI exam must do remediation. This will include meeting with the professor. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with the instructor to determine what content areas must be reviewed and to develop a remediation plan.
Remediation for ATI exam #1 must be complete prior to taking the final ATI exam. Remediation for ATI exam #2 must be completed prior to final grades being posted if it is required. The remediation instructions for the final exam are different, see the rubric attached to the assignment. Failure to complete remediation for any ATI exam will result in a ZERO score for the assignment and may result in a forfeiture of the ATI exam. Please refer to ATI testing policy in student handbook.