By Eunice Sung
Following an announcement that the University of Maryland community is transitioning to an exclusively online environment for the remainder of the spring semester, undergraduate students received an email March 26 saying that all courses in spring 2020 will now, by default, be “graded pass/fail unless the student elects to receive an earned grade for the course.”
Students will have until May 12 to choose to receive a letter grade for one or more of their classes, according to the new “Keep Learning” website, which details new educational policy changes due to COVID-19.
Not only will the limit on pass/fail credits be waived this semester, the requirement for a C-minus or better in major, concentration and academic writing courses will also be waived. Students will instead need to earn a passing grade of a D-minus or higher to meet these requirements.
According to the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies Lisa Kiely, many voices were heard and considered while making the final decision to switch to this new grading system. Kiely said the president, provost, faculty members, students, SGA and colleagues from around the country contributed to the process.
Kiely said that everyone first and foremost considered the health and wellbeing of students as well as the best possible ways to “balance what students are learning versus what’s happening right now.”
Kiely added that students’ transcripts will have a note on them to recognize and acknowledge this semester as an anomaly.
“Everybody will understand that spring 2020 was not a normal time,” she said.
Junior psychology major Marisa Flanigan found this change to be beneficial for students due to uncertainty around the virus and how it will affect each student’s situation over time.
“You have no idea what somebody’s environment is, if they have access to technology, if they have to watch over siblings or if they have jobs that they have to go to,” she said.
Flanigan said that students may be struggling with their mental health during this time and that this new system could alleviate some stressors.
Genevieve Tan, a sophomore fire protection engineering major, also thinks UMD has been doing a good job in the midst of the chaos by considering many different factors and putting students’ needs first. After her initial excitement upon hearing about the new system, however, she said she realized she may have no choice but to stick with the usual letter grading. She is planning on completing a master’s and doctorate program in the future so her GPA here at UMD is critical to achieving her career goals.
“The usual connotation of choosing something pass/fail is that you won’t get a really good grade in that class,” she said. “That’s just one of my concerns.”
A “pass” will not count towards a student’s GPA. A “fail,” however, will be calculated.
“I’m really grateful they’re giving us until the end of the semester to decide,” Tan said. “I think overall, this is a really good thing because it gives people the option to make things not affect their GPA.”
Jiwon Oh, a junior microbiology major, is in a similar position as she now has to make new and confusing decisions she did not anticipate having to make while preparing for pharmacy school post-undergrad. If she chooses the pass/fail option for her courses, she is worried that it will lower her chances of being accepted.
“I thought it wouldn’t matter since it’s not just my decision, it’s a whole global thing going on,” Oh said. “Even though we have the pass or fail [option versus letter grading], I’m questioning whether or not the other graduate schools will know that we had the option to choose letter grades.”
Jamie Lo, a junior biology major, also received suggestions from advisors and professors to continue with the traditional letter grading system for best results when applying for graduate school.
“I thought it was really fair to make it level for everyone to reassure students that even if they don’t have all the resources, their GPA won’t really be affected for the most part,” she said.
However, she said she believes the school could have done more in terms of addressing finances, such as mandatory fees for labs or art rooms, since students will not be on campus to physically access these resources anymore.
“There’s no reason why the university should still keep that money if all of us are being sent home,” Lo said.
Jocelyn Chen, a sophomore majoring in cell biology and genetics, stressed the importance of also keeping professors informed as they are also struggling to adjust to the new environment.
“Just because things are online doesn’t mean things are easier for them,” Chen said.
Students can learn more about education policy and grading changes by visiting the “Keep Learning” website or by reaching out to the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
Kiely, the assistant dean of undergraduate studies, urged students to give feedback about the new online learning environment and to ask any further questions they may have about the change.