Assessing Course Policy Impacts: Late Course Enrollment and Its Effects on Student Performance and Incomplete Grades
This program is tentative and subject to change.
This research examines the effects of late course enrollment, defined as enrolling after the first lecture, on student performance and the prevalence of Incomplete grades in a large introductory Computer Science (CS0) course. Incomplete grades are awarded to students at risk of failing due to missing assignments, allowing them to complete outstanding work in a subsequent term. We analyze whether there is a statistically significant correlation between late enrollment, poor performance, likelihood of receiving an Incomplete grade, and course engagement. Specifically, we seek to answer the question: How does late enrollment affect students’ likelihood of receiving Incomplete grades and their overall academic performance compared to on-time enrollees? Our findings reveal that there are significant disparities in academic performance between on-time enrollees and late enrollees, indicating a need for course policy revisions.