Jody Fournier, Provost of Capital University, announced that Capital will be modifying its pass/fail policy for the 2020 spring semester.
Students will receive an email that links them to the proper site in order to request a pass/fail system for their spring classes.
Originally, Capital only allowed pass/fail for elective courses, and it could only be one class.
At this time though, Capital is allowing students to apply pass/fail to multiple courses, and it doesn’t have to be an elective.
For those that don’t know, the pass/fail system is a method of recording a student’s success in a class. It’s a common alternative to the GPA system, but it’s usually only an option for university core classes.
Instead of recording a student’s specific grade point average, the pass/fail system will simply record a P for “pass” or an F for “fail” for each course that they’re taking.
“We have become acutely aware of the challenges that students are facing,” Fournier said.
There are students who are struggling to learn as effectively in a virtual setting as they do in an actual classroom, which can lead to lower grades and late assignments. Because of this, students are afraid that their GPA is going to drop.
The pass/fail system is enticing for those exact students, because under Capital’s policy, any class that you have a D or above in will be marked as “passed” at the end of the semester.
If you pass a class, your GPA will not go up at all, it will stay the same as it originally was. Granted, your GPA will drop if you fail a class, which is if you receive an F.
Fournier urged students to think carefully and meet with advisors before making the decision to move their courses to a pass/fail.
“You should be very careful about doing that,” Fournier said, “You should consult to make sure this doesn’t trip you up for what you’re doing now and what you’re going to do later.”
Students will have until 5 p.m. on April 21st to make a decision, and remember, this is only for spring 2020 courses.
