PWR Policy on Incompletes

The PWR policy on incompletes was developed with the interests of the student in mind. It's not dogma, and in special cases we may have some flexibility with some aspects of the policy.

The grade of I (Incomplete) is sometimes necessary, but the Program recommends that instructors take a conservative stance on awarding incompletes. Students who try to complete their work independently must do so without the support of the PWR classroom, and they miss out on the PWR experience of close, face-to-face collaboration with instructor and peers.

The grade of I (Incomplete) is designed to accommodate medical or other emergencies. It is NOT a good solution for a student suffering from writer's block. If a student has had difficulty with deadlines or difficulty completing work through the quarter, an incomplete is not recommended.

As an instructor, whenever you have concerns about a student, don't hesitate to contact the Associate Director or Enrollment Coordinator to discuss the options available. Additionally, you may wish to consult these other pages in the Teaching Guide: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/undergrad/cgi-bin/drupal_pwr/tg_avertingclassroomproblems

PWR Policy on Incompletes

1. To be eligible for a grade of Incomplete in a PWR 1 or PWR 2 course, the student must complete 75% of the work for the course before the end of the quarter. In practical terms, this means that the student must complete everything but the revision of a major assignment. This policy was developed because we have found that there is a very low completion rate if students have not already turned in a draft and received peer review and instructor feedback on it.

2. As per Stanford University policy, the student must request the incomplete "by the last class meeting."
3. The instructor and student should agree on a deadline not more than three weeks into the following quarter (or in summer, not later than the end of June). We recommend the shortest feasible deadline, as the paper will not get easier to write as time goes on. Students sometimes incorrectly assume that they will have a year to complete the course (Stanford policy allows the instructor to establish a deadline of up to one year).
4. The instructor and student must fill out a "contract" (available from the Enrollment Coordinator and also in electronic form via this link), clearly indicating the scope of the work that needs to be done and the agreed-upon deadline. An oral agreement between instructor and student is insufficiently clear, particularly because a situation that gives rise to an incomplete usually involves some kind of distress for the student. This contract also helps the program track the progress of students who have received incompletes.
5. The instructor must inform the PWR Enrollment Coordinator of the outcome of the process. In other words, the instructor should let the Enrollment Coordinator when the student completes the work or if the student does not complete the work by the established deadline.

Again, these stipulations--the 75% requirement, the short timeline, and the emphasis on transparent communication--are in place because of past experiences with students, and are aimed at helping students successfully complete the PWR requirement.

We've found that the further students get from their PWR class, the less likely they are to complete the work on their own and the more likely they are to suffer (emotionally and otherwise) because of it. Additionally, the clarity of the "contract" is needed because students often assume they will have a year to complete the work (Stanford policy permits the instructor to set a deadline of not more than one year).