Pass/Fail and Alternative Grading Approaches
March 20, 2020 / Bill Reynolds, PhD / Tags: Learning, Fail, Grading, Pass, Teaching, Covid
An interesting discussion on the POD listserv over the last couple of days has been about whether current conditions make pass/fail grading a more viable option than traditional grading schemes. This discussion may not have any practical implications for us at FGCU鈥擨 don鈥檛 know whether changing a course grading policy mid-stream is a viable option, and my suspicion is that it is not. However, part of all of our responsibility during (and after鈥攕oon, I hope) this crisis is to reflect on the hardships we and our students are experiencing and consider how to anticipate and mitigate those challenges in advance of the disruption, or at least be prepared to do so in real time. One of the most significant challenges we鈥檙e hearing about from students is related to the uncertainty they鈥檙e experiencing and managing the associated anxiety. Would their academic-associated stress be reduced if their courses converted to pass/fail from letter grades? When we debrief from this disruption, it will be worth exploring the experiences of universities that made a grading policy shift in mid-stream.
If you鈥檙e interested in this discussion, here are some links to information and sites where it is currently taking place:
- (I learned on this blog that UF faculty have petitioned to allow students to choose a pass/no pass option for their classes. I don鈥檛 know the outcome, but maybe this is a more viable option for us than my post above suggests.)
- Link to a that is tracking colleges and universities that are changing grading policies.
- Link to a dealing with this issue.
If you have additional ideas, advice, suggestions, music, or funny bits that you would like to share with your colleagues, send it all to wreynolds@fgcu.edu or lucascenter@fgcu.edu and we will post it to the blog.
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