Editing Herzing Issues: Grading and Academic Records (section)

=== HU-099: Discussion board "3 separate calendar days" posting rule results in zero credit for substantively correct posts submitted on same day; arbitrary procedural rule driving grade deductions independent of content quality ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:14em" | Severity
| Medium
! Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Arbitrary Procedural Grading Rule
! Date added
| 2026-05-05
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Faculty / Program Chair / Academic Affairs
|}
'''Finding.''' Per the tracker's evidence, discussion board assignments in the MSN-DE program require an initial response and two peer replies on three separate calendar days within the assignment window, typically Sunday through Wednesday. Posts made on only two days, even if all content requirements are met and every post is substantively correct, receive zero credit for the timing violation. The rule is enforced even when students are unaware of it and even when the content of all posts fully complies with assignment requirements.

'''Evidence.''' A student pseudonymously identified as Student D (July 10, 2025) warned that posting the required content only at 11:30 PM and 11:59 PM the same night would not earn credit. Student D (March 8, 2026) clarified the rule: an initial post responding to the week's prompt must be posted by 11:59 PM Central time each Wednesday, followed by two peer replies, with all posts required to be on separate days, calling the rule complete busy work. Student D (July 10, 2025) separately noted that Herzing makes concessions elsewhere, allowing appeals, makeups, and countless extensions, while enforcing the three-day posting rule strictly. Source group: Herzing Direct Entry MSN Facebook Group Export (December 2022 to May 2026), Exhaustive Line-by-Line Review of 34,887 lines, 1,350 posts, and 14,112 comments across 8 passes (Volume 7).

'''Reported statement.''' Student D states that posting required content only at 11:30 PM and 11:59 PM the same night will not earn credit, and separately describes the three-separate-days requirement as complete busy work.

'''Standards.''' 34 CFR 600.2 (credit hour): grading criteria must reflect academic achievement. A rule that awards zero credit for substantively correct posts submitted on two days rather than three conflates procedural compliance with academic achievement, penalizing students for timing rather than content quality. ACEN Standard 4: assessment instruments must measure learning outcomes, and a discussion board timing rule does not measure nursing knowledge, critical thinking, or clinical competency, but rather calendar management. Enforcing this rule strictly while allowing frequent makeups and extensions on other assignments creates an internally inconsistent enforcement posture that compounds the confusion documented in {{HU|HU-031}} (contradictory faculty guidance).

'''Impact.''' Students who complete all discussion content correctly but post on two days rather than three receive zero credit, the same grade as a student who submitted nothing. In a program where the overall passing threshold is 80 percent and a fraction of a point can mean a four-month delay ({{HU|HU-095}}), a zero on a discussion board assignment for a timing violation rather than a content failure can be academically consequential. Students with unpredictable work schedules, the program's target demographic, are most harmed by a rule that requires precise calendar management across a narrow weekly window.

'''Notes.''' The three-day rule is characterized in the evidence as complete busy work, suggesting it does not advance learning objectives. The contrast between strict enforcement of the three-day posting rule and flexible enforcement of other deadlines reflects an inconsistent institutional approach to academic policy that undermines student trust in the grading system. Cross-reference: {{HU|HU-012}} (seven NSG520 grades changed simultaneously with no explanation), {{HU|HU-016}} (grade appeal unmonitored inbox), {{HU|HU-095}} (79.8 percent fails identically to 60 percent).

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