McMaster University registrar outlines causes for delayed grade postings amid student concerns
Darran Fernandez, McMaster University registrar, has addressed student concerns regarding the delays in posting final grades for the Fall 2024 term to Mosaic. Speaking in response to frustrations shared by students on social media, Fernandez outlined the university's grading process and provided context on current delays.
According to Fernandez, McMaster typically requires final grades to be submitted and posted within seven days of the end of the exam period. This process is supported by a structured plan communicated to faculty each term. However, exam schedules that align closely with holidays or breaks can sometimes impact the timeline.
"On the administrative end, we have a date that we convey to faculties and departments. A date that we expect for all grades to be in and for students to be fully graded [and] we follow up with [them] should there be any missing grades," Fernandez explained in an interview with The Silhouette.
On the administrative end, we have a date that we convey to faculties and departments. A date that we expect for all grades to be in and for students to be fully graded [and] we follow up with [them] should there be any missing grades.
Darran Fernandez, University Registrar
McMaster University
Fernandez emphasized that McMaster's grade submission policy aligns with national standards. "On average, it's a five to seven day window provided to instructors," said Fernandez. As chair of the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada, Fernandez highlighted that McMaster is well-informed of general practices and normally adheres to them.
Acknowledging the challenges delayed grades pose for students, Fernandez outlined the university's efforts to minimize disruptions. For students requiring Fall term grades as prerequisites for Winter 2025 courses, McMaster ensures that students are not immediately removed from their courses due to pending grades.
Fernandez also noted that some Canadian graduate programs accept applications during the first weeks of January and that many institutions are understanding of minor delays in transcript submissions. "We do advise that [students] check their grade record to see that the grade is there before they make [a transcript] request," said Fernandez.
He encouraged students encountering issues to contact their faculty offices for support, describing these offices as the primary resource for resolving grade-related concerns.
Looking ahead, Fernandez expressed confidence in McMaster's ability to maintain its usual consistency in grade processing.
"By way of our practices, I get the impression that people are very diligent in submitting according to the deadline . . . but that still doesn't make these outlier situations go away. There's obviously every intent on our end to make sure that a student can progress seamlessly between courses, in particular when prerequisites are involved."
There's obviously every intent on our end to make sure that a student can progress seamlessly between courses, in particular when prerequisites are involved.
Darran Fernandez, University Registrar
McMaster University
While he described the typical grade submission process and steps to mitigate the impact of delays, Fernandez indicated that he was not fully aware of the specific outliers or why they have taken so long to be resolved.
Fernandez expressed empathy for the stress students may experience due to delayed grades, acknowledging that additional stress on top of challenging courses is unwelcome and expressed confidence that the issues will be rectified.
Students are encouraged to monitor their grades on Mosaic, consult faculty advisors for support and report any concerns to their respective faculty offices.
Students waiting for updates from the university as some final grades for the Fall 2024 semester remain unreleased
As of January 10, 2025, some McMaster University students are expressing frustration as some final grades for the Fall 2024 term have yet to be uploaded to Mosaic, the university's student information system.
The delay, which has extended weeks past the end of the exam period, has created challenges for students relying on these grades for academic planning. Namely, students taking prerequisite courses.
Unresolved grades would affect the ability to enroll in required courses for the Winter 2025 term, such as CHEMENG 2F04, COMPSCI 2AC3 and CHEM 2OB3 which rely on prerequisites like CHEMENG 2D04, COMPSCI 2C03 and CHEM 2OA3, respectively. The course enrolment and changes deadline is January 14, 2025, leaving students limited time to address any issues.
Students applying to graduate programs may also face difficulties, as many programs require official transcripts early in the Winter 2025 term. Some programs, such as McMaster's MA in health and aging, MA in Indigenous studies, and MSc in neuroscience, have fast-approaching transcript submission deadlines that may be affected by these delays.
Alexander Wu, a second-year computer science student, expressed concerns about the delay in grades for COMPSCI 2C03 (Data Structures and Algorithms), a key prerequisite for subsequent courses in his program.
"I knew what I got already because my exam and assignment grades are on Avenue 2 Learn . . . But some people might be close to failing and there's a rumour about a curved grade. Those students don't know if they need to apply for a prerequisite waiver, which adds to their stress" said Wu.
. . . some people might be close to failing and there's a rumor about a curved grade. Those students don't know if they need to apply for a prerequisite waiver, which adds to their stress.
Alexander Wu, Second-Year Computer Science Student
McMaster University
On the main Reddit page for McMaster, one student commented, "I finished one of my courses four weeks ago and still haven't gotten my final grade yet." Another remarked, "Still haven't received grades for 2 of my classes."
According to the webpage for the Office of the Register, McMaster typically makes final grades available to students approximately a week after the exam period ends.
While the university administration has not yet provided a formal explanation for the delays, students are looking for clarity and resolution as key academic deadlines approach.
By: Anonymous contributor
I never imagined that I would date my teaching assistant. I also never imagined that I would have a “W” on my transcript from dropping their class. Dating my TA was probably one of the worst decisions of my undergraduate degree.
When I got into a relationship with my TA last semester, I didn’t think it was too big of a deal. Dating your TA is much more socially-accepted than dating your professor or course instructor.
For one, the age differences between you and your TA aren’t always that big. My TA was two years older than me, but I’ve had TAs who were my age or younger. In that case, it’s hard to impose a ban against two consenting 20-somethings dating.
But what a lot of people don’t recognize is that there’s a power imbalance when dating your TA. Even when they’re the same age, or a bit older, there’s the fact that the TA is in a position that can strongly influence your academics and career.
When I had talked with my TA about our relationship, he told me that the department frowned upon student-TA relationships but there was no strict rule against them. While he was “required” to fill out a conflict-of-interest form, nobody forced him too. As long as he gave my assignments to another TA to grade, nobody batted an eye at our relationship.
I don’t think that’s enough. Especially in classes where TAs are asked to deliver lectures or hold review sessions, it’s not enough to require TAs in relationships with their students to not directly grade their work. Their presence alone influences their students’ marks.
Even when I got out of the relationship, I still felt ashamed and embarrassed every time I had to see him in tutorial or lecture. When I found out that he had marked my midterm, I was angry but didn’t know what to do. It’s difficult to tell your professor the reason you want to switch tutorials or have your test remarked is because you slept with your TA.
In the end, I ended up dropping the class and dodging questions from people asking me why. I still see my TA around campus, however, and I’m scared that I’ll be assigned to his class again. I’ve been so anxious that I’m even considering switching programs to avoid him.
A conflict of interest policy is not sufficient. I reviewed Mac’s conflict of interest policy for employees and there is a section that states that a conflict of interest is present when an employee of the university engages in an “intimate relationship with a person who relies upon them for opportunities to further their academic or employment career”.
However, the only actions an individual must take when this conflict arises is to report to their direct supervisor, who can then decide if the “conflict is confirmed”. If it is, then the case is moved to higher-ups who decide what sort of actions need to be taken to remove the conflict.
But by the time that decision is made, it’s probably too far into the semester to make any changes. In my case, my TA didn’t bother disclosing our relationship since he knew the only action that was required was that he didn’t grade my work.
Even though it states in the policy that failure to report will result in “appropriate disciplinary procedures”, I’m not confident that the university enforces this.
McMaster University should protect their students by banning student-TA, or any student-faculty, relationships altogether. These relationships have harmful power dynamics that blur the lines of consent, and can sometimes be considered sexual harassment or assault.
I’m not saying that all student-TA relationships end poorly. Sometimes it really is just bad timing when two people happen to meet. But if a relationship is meant to be, it can wait till the end of the semester to begin.
Dating your TA seems like a fun and sexy experience. In reality, this kind of relationship can be complicated, embarrassing and act as a huge stress on your academics and your mental health. Honestly, that cute TA isn’t worth it.
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By: Justin Temple
Waiting for final grades to be posted is a terrible experience defined by an abundance of anxiety coupled with the constant refreshing of Mosaic. Usually, this biannual waiting game ends before the new year for fall term grades and before the beginning of May for winter term. At that point, the "grade anxiety" faced by so many students, myself included, has subdued.
This time around, however, I am still waiting on a final grade nearly two months after the course ended. A situation like this should never occur at McMaster University and needs to be addressed by mandating grade submission deadlines for course instructors.
Such a mandate is not without precedent. Carleton University requires that instructors submit their final grades within 10 calendar days of the course's final exam. The University of Western Ontario grants instructors even less time, requiring submission of final grades within a week of the final exam.
Besides Carleton and Western, the University of Regina, the University of Victoria, the University of Windsor and Ryerson University are other postsecondary institutions which have implemented grade submission deadlines for instructors. It is evidently not a new idea.
Despite this, McMaster currently has no policy that requires instructors to submit final grades by a specific deadline. This is beyond an inconvenience and only serves to complicate students’ lives.
For example, should an instructor fail to submit marks by the drop-and-add deadline for a prerequisite course, students' registration in a secondary course may be thrown into limbo.
Simultaneously, students planning on taking a second course based on their performance in the prerequisite class are withheld critical information that would likely dictate their decision to take the second course or not.
Even more alarming, a long delay in the submission of final grades can create a negative impact for students eyeing graduate studies. Given that grades are required to be reported to an applicant's desired graduate school as early as late December, an instructor sitting on their hands can put prospective graduate students in a completely unnecessary pinch.
With so much riding on those applications, McMaster is doing a disservice to its students by failing to force accountability onto its faculty.
Moreover, McMaster’s mission to promote health and wellness amongst its students could be furthered by mandating a grade submission deadline. As the time between when a student finishes a course and subsequently receives their final grade is variable and can last for weeks in length, existing academic anxiety is worsened.
A mark deadline could quell some of the existing anxiety by limiting the amount of time students spend worrying about marks they have yet to receive. Additionally, a grading deadline would provide students with a much more concrete timeframe to expect their marks, limiting any anxiety derived from the uncertainty of when grades will be uploaded.
As students, we should not have to deal with the mental and bureaucratic turmoil created from the inability of instructors to submit our marks promptly. Such issues could easily be averted by requiring instructors to provide their final marks by a specified date. Besides, as instructors demand us to submit our assignments on time, is it not time that they get a taste of their own medicine?
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Re-examine setbacks
It’s easy to say that you didn’t do well because the instructor was an asshole, but there’s usually something on your end as well. Be critical about your study habits! Sometimes the reason is not as obvious as “I just didn’t go to class and crammed everything in the last week.” Maybe it’s because you’re studying to music with lyrics and you need to listen to ambient sounds instead. One of the best apps around is called “Noisli;” download it onto your phone and get ready to focus like never before.
Learn to adapt
There’s no one way of studying that will get you a 12 in all subjects, so make sure your study method is appropriate for what you’re trying to do. This will increase your likelihood of success and minimize wasted time. If you need to memorize a boatload of notes, you want to test yourself with cue cards (or the like) and not just read your notes. If it’s a problem-based course, you want to do as many practice problems as possible instead of focusing your time on reading the textbook.
Time to get organized
In your planner or calendar, mark down all the quizzes, tests, and assignment due dates for all your courses. This way you can plan ahead and know when you cannot afford to go to Motown. If you want to be even more detailed, set your own due dates for when you want a part of your assignment, or a reading, to be done. That way you won’t have a revelation at 2 a.m. that you have a 2,000 word essay due in a week.
Get a fresh start
If you need to get the sour taste of those 6s from last semester out of your mouth, get a fresh start by getting a new set of stationary and notebooks. Clean up your room and start a new routine. These changes require time, preparation and commitment, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t succeed initially. Actually sleep at appropriate times. Don’t fixate on your bad marks, because you can’t change those and they just add an unnecessary pressure.
Pencil in a break
Your mind tends to become petrified into stone when you continuously focus on one task for too long. Take 10-minute breaks for every 40 minutes of studying. Switch subjects every few hours. Go to the gym or even the grocery store. To ease your guilty mind when you’re not studying, know that your break can still be productive in some way. Try downloading the Pomodoro Timer on your laptop or phone, a great app to help you keep track of your work and of your breaks.
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