EDITORIAL: Students need hybrid grading for fall 2020

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, most classes transitioned to a completely online format during the spring and summer semesters. To adjust for this sudden change and address students’ concerns, leadership at the university swiftly implemented an interim grading policy.

While suitable for that moment in time, this model did have some issues and was an interim decision. Some classes require a certain letter grade in prerequisite courses before students may enroll in them.

UHCL addressed the unique situations of each student by encouraging students to seek academic advising before making final decisions on whether or not the student should opt-in to the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading policy for a given course. 

In addition to those aiming to attend graduate school and take advanced classes, veterans and international students also faced uncertainties. They required even more counseling through offices like Veterans Services and International Student Services to maintain their benefits and status.

While results varied, some faculty expressed concerns about students taking advantage of this system because they feel it gives students a way to slack off.

Though imperfect, the policy did relieve many students at the start of what would become a very stressful year. This interim grading policy was the best decision at the time.

While a complete return to the S/U grading option may present complications, the traditional grading model does not work in these uncertain times either. Students need a solution in between the two policies.

Best intentions

Beginning fall 2020, UHCL pivoted back to the traditional grading policy. The rationale was that students could now see prior to enrolling in E-Services if a class was partly in person or completely online, allowing them to choose which course format was right for them.

UHCL required faculty who taught bimodally to make accommodations for those who could not meet on campus and create an alternate plan in the event of another shutdown. Individual accommodations aside, the fall 2020 semester changes resulted in a 52% drop in on-campus face-to-face classes. Of the 1639 courses offered this semester, 27% have an in-person component. 

Despite these accommodations, issues still prevailed and the idea that students could choose the best course format for themselves was an illusion of choice for many.

Students who signed up for one type of class found that classes changed format right as the semester started. While some professors notified their students of course format changes, not all professors did. At the Nov.13 Student Government Association (SGA)Town Hall, SGA President Hiba Loya said students in the College of Science and Engineering experienced this problem. In addition to an existing lack of diversity with course options, the pandemic exacerbated previously existing problems. Pre-pandemic and before the four options model, UHCL had a problem with class offerings.

Even for those whose class format was not changed at the last minute, the idea that students could pick the right format for themselves does not apply to all courses. If a student is taking a required class that is only taught by one professor or a class that is only offered at certain times of the year, they are at the mercy of that professor and their chosen course format. 

Students have no choice but to take required classes in the format and/or at the time they are offered. When a professor of a discussion-based course like philosophy, criminology or literature wishes to forgo bimodal or synchronous class discussions in favor of an asynchronous model, there is little a student can do. At the Nov. 13 SGA Town Hall, there was an anonymous submission that stated that once a professor was reported to the department chair for poor class structure, the professor posted the equivalent of a shrugging emoticon to Blackboard. In multiple SGA Town Halls, students have brought up similar issues they’ve had with faculty and course format.

Even if students had their preferred formats and courses available, the way COVID-19 has affected their lives is still in flux. Living situations are changing for students during the semester as employment changes and pandemic-related debts stack up. At UHCL, 84% of students receive some sort of financial aid and many students live with family. In some cases, students have experienced the tragic loss of a loved one. Often these circumstances occurred after they designed a course schedule that worked best for them at the time.

This is not an issue unique to UHCL. At higher education institutions like the University of Maryland and George Washington University, students are voicing concerns over grading policies as the pandemic persists. 

UH (main campus) is one of the universities that continues to offer a version of a S/U policy in the fall for undergraduate students only.

Faculty and administrators aim to balance course integrity with compassion, but giving this false sense of control and returning to the regular policy in a pandemic does not work for many students.

Hybrid grading model

UHCL can best help its students by creating a hybrid S/U grading policy. Here are some examples of what this policy could look like:

• The S/U policy could apply to a set percentage or number of a student’s credit hours. For example, a student taking four classes that are three credit hours each would be taking 12 credit hours. If the university allowed the student to seek S/U grading on 50% of those credit hours, they would earn a traditional letter grade in two of their classes and an S/U grade in up to two of their other classes. Princeton has implemented a similar policy, allowing undergraduates to select one class as a pass or a fail. Students at the October SGA Town Hall (including a senator), asked if a policy like this could be implemented.
• The S/U policy could only apply to core curriculum courses and core requirements in which there were no options in course format. Electives are more flexible by nature because a student can switch the class or the professor, so the S/U policy would be excluded from applying to these courses.
• The S/U policy could have a deadline, like before midterms, in which students can indicate what classes would have the S/U method applied. Some universities have aligned similar policies with course drop dates on their academic calendar. Ideally, this date would be within the first third of the semester. By then, students will know what to expect from the class moving forward. 

Students should obtain two approvals to request the S/U grading option for a course. One of the approvals would be from a faculty adviser or faculty chair, while the second signature would be from a staff adviser within their colleges’ advising office. Universities like Duke, require students to request the S/U policy to be requested in writing. Instead of sending the request to the professor, it should be sent to the program director and department chair. This way, students utilizing the policy are knowledgeable of the potential consequences of choosing the S/U grading. 

These solutions are influenced by what other accredited universities have done and can be workshopped through the shared governance process to find a solution that best maintains academic rigor while allowing flexibility to foster student success.

With the end of the semester on the horizon and increases in COVID-19 infection rates, this issue needs to have been addressed yesterday. The choice is clear: UHCL administrators should take the lead and accommodate to the unique circumstance of the pandemic – not just in enrollment but in grading like other institutions.