Editing Herzing Issues: Grading and Academic Records (section)

=== HU-101: HESI exam structure changed for Spring 2026 final semester: now three graded HESI exams (diagnostic, midpoint, exit) all counting toward course grade; prior cohorts had only exit HESI as grade-bearing; change not uniformly communicated across cohorts ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
! style="width:14em" | Severity
| Medium
! Status
| CONFIRMED
|-
! Issue type
| Mid-Program Assessment Structure Change / Cohort Inequity
! Date added
| 2026-05-05
|-
! Owner
| colspan="3" | Program Chair / Curriculum Committee / NSG 635 Faculty
|}
'''Finding.''' Per the tracker's evidence, for the Spring 2026 cohort in NSG 635 (Integration of Concepts, the final semester), Herzing added two additional graded HESI exams, a diagnostic HESI and a midpoint HESI, alongside the existing exit HESI. Prior cohorts had the diagnostic and midpoint as ungraded gauges of readiness, with only the exit HESI determining pass or fail. The exit HESI still requires a score of 900 or higher to graduate; failure results in repeating the entire 16-week course.

'''Evidence.''' Handle 10 (February 12, 2026) reported that the final semester now has three HESI exams, diagnostic, midpoint, and exit, all being added to the overall grade. Student B (February 13, 2026) confirmed the change, stating that grades in the gradebook now reflect scores on all three, and described semester five as HESI exit exam prep requiring a baseline HESI, a midpoint HESI, and then the final exit exam. An anonymous member identified as member 835 (February 12, 2026) initially reported understanding that only the final exit HESI counted, contradicted by students actually in the course. Handle 11 (February 12, 2026) confirmed the exit HESI must be over 900 to graduate, or the student repeats the entire class. 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.''' Handle 10 states that in the last semester there are now three HESI exams, diagnostic, midpoint, and exit, all being added to the overall grade. Student B separately observes that Herzing is known for changing things from semester to semester and cohort to cohort.

'''Standards.''' 34 CFR 668.71-75 (misrepresentation): students who enrolled with the understanding that only the exit HESI was grade-bearing in the final semester face a materially different grading structure than disclosed. Contract law principles (Ross v. Creighton University): material changes to grading structure mid-enrollment may breach the implicit enrollment agreement. ACEN Standard 4: assessment instruments must be consistently applied and clearly communicated. The cohort-to-cohort variation, acknowledged in the evidence as an institutional norm, documents a systemic policy inconsistency rather than a one-time adjustment. Students who sought advice from recently graduated alumni received inaccurate information because the grading structure had changed.

'''Impact.''' Students in the Spring 2026 cohort face a higher-stakes final semester than prior cohorts, with three graded HESI exams rather than one. Poor performance on the diagnostic or midpoint HESI, previously advisory, now directly affects the course grade. Students who relied on alumni advice about the final semester structure received incorrect information, potentially underpreparing. The confusion documented in the Facebook thread, with students currently in the course contradicting students who had already graduated from the same course, reflects the institutional inconsistency.

'''Notes.''' This issue extends {{HU|HU-083}} (Milestones elimination) and {{HU|HU-074}} (HESI weighting escalation), a continuing pattern of increasing HESI stakes across successive cohorts. Cross-reference: {{HU|HU-010}} (exit exam benchmark can change at any time), {{HU|HU-088}} (HESI covers untaught content), {{HU|HU-083}} (no retake option).

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