By the Jan. 4 deadline, College freshman Molly Sprayregen still couldn’t access one of her grades on Penn InTouch.
Along with some professors being unable to finish grading in time, Penn Computing experienced a glitch on the morning of the deadline for faculty to post grades.
The error prevented both students and professors from logging in to the system.
A high volume of transactions caused a problem with the PennKey login, according to an e-mail from Robin Beck, vice president for Information Systems and Computing.
ISC has been upgrading the security of the PennKey login system for the past year, but this was the first time a University-wide glitch occurred, Beck wrote.
“By 3:00 p.m. we had alleviated the issue and all services returned to normal,” Beck wrote. “Unfortunately, online grading was one of the services affected that day, and as a consequence those faculty who had not yet uploaded grades were delayed.”
On the day grades were due, a high volume of complaints from students and professors reached College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dennis DeTurck, who said computer technicians immediately began fixing the glitch.
“It caused a lot of administrative consternation,” he said, mentioning that students who needed their first semester grades for applications or for jobs — or even for December graduation — expressed particular frustration.
Concerning professors who miss the deadline, DeTurck explained that faculty are urged to submit their grades on time.
“We have to use moral suasion,” he said. “If we get a lot of complaints about a specific person, there will probably be repercussions.”
DeTurck explained that a few professors “invariably” submit their grades late, but usually they have reasons, such as family emergencies.
However, he said grades are “emphasized seriously.”
The PennKey login situation was “bad, but it wasn’t a disaster where we lost information,” DeTurck continued, adding that he understands it inconvenienced many students.
Sprayregen agreed, explaining that the delay angered several of her classmates.
Fortunately, her grade was uploaded before an application deadline that required her first semester grades, and she was able to submit it on time.
“I ended up being lucky,” she said.
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