{"id":9132,"date":"2020-04-10T15:16:43","date_gmt":"2020-04-10T19:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences-new\/?p=9132"},"modified":"2020-04-10T15:16:43","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T19:16:43","slug":"students-consider-course-grading-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/news\/students-consider-course-grading-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Consider Course Grading Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m encouraging students to talk to their advisors before making any decisions,\u201d Crop and Soil Sciences\u2019 Director of Undergraduate Programs David Crouse said.\u00a0 After three weeks of online classes, some students are finding difficulty with the new online format, some don\u2019t like the solo learning approach and some have irregular, or worse, no online access.\u00a0 \u201cThere are some real struggles,\u201d Professor Bob Patterson confessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feeling the Strain<\/b><\/h1>\n

These limitations are calling into question whether students should maintain the standard course grading scale for their classes, or consider switching to another option such as S\/U (pass\/fail) or an \u201cincomplete\u201d designation.\u00a0 <\/span>Our department faculty acknowledge the debate on what guidance to give students on changing course grade formats.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Normally, students can only take classes S\/U (pass\/fail) for free electives. The <\/span>university provost<\/span><\/a> recently announced a change to that requirement due to COVID-19 restrictions.\u00a0 Now students can take any class S\/U, even required courses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grading Options<\/b><\/h1>\n

\u201cChoosing the S\/U option will not affect your GPA or graduation eligibility,\u201d Crouse advised, \u201cbut you do have to earn a C- or better to receive a grade of ‘S’.\u00a0 It may benefit some students to consider this option and concentrate their efforts in specific classes during these challenging times. The S\/U designation will be much easier to explain (than a low grade) to a prospective employer or anyone remembering recent history. In any case, students should clarify with their instructors what is required to maintain a C- grade.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This idea has some students reassessing their academic strategy.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI work full time in a hospital ER. I\u2019m keeping up with school work ok for now, but that could change. My professors are really working with me, offering anything they can do to help.\u00a0 Just having the option to change course grading takes a lot of stress off me,\u201d junior Mary Grace Phillips said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that the required effort to get credit for a class doesn’t significantly change between graded and pass\/fail.\u00a0 But, I do see an opportunity to maximize semester and cumulative GPAs by non-trivial amounts through strategic changes to pass\/fail, especially since changes can be made after final semester grades get posted,\u201d said sophomore Curtis Murphy. Both students noted that it\u2019s a very individual decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Incomplete Classes Offer Options<\/b><\/h1>\n

\"anStudents who are truly struggling with online access, distance learning, or passing grades may consider requesting an \u201cincomplete\u201d course designation.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI tell students. An incomplete is due to conditions outside the student\u2019s control. \u2018I didn\u2019t do the work,\u2019 isn\u2019t an incomplete. COVID-19 is,\u201d Crouse noted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An \u2018incomplete\u2019 grants students an extension for completing the class – essentially pausing, not losing progress.\u00a0 A \u201cwithdrawn\u2019 designation loses the 60% of the progress they\u2019ve made. “They have to start the class completely over,\u201d Crouse said.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

But an \u2018incomplete\u2019 does come with some issues. Students have to be motivated to finish. \u201cThese students will drop off my \u2018active student\u2019 roster.\u00a0 I\u2019ll need to find a system to keep track of them and make sure they are keeping up with the requirements. I don\u2019t want anyone to panic when they get that 14-day to completion reminder in November,\u201d Crouse continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bob Patterson agreed, \u201cI don\u2019t mind encouraging students to request \u2018incomplete\u2019 status if it benefits them.\u00a0 But it must be an individual discussion. It\u2019s an important decision not to be taken lightly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur message to students is – if you\u2019re struggling in the online environment, let\u2019s talk.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t want to push students towards an \u2018incomplete\u2019 when they could finish the class.\u00a0 In some cases the S\/U designation may be a better option than having to come back and finish an \u2018incomplete\u2019,\u201d Crouse said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Which Option is Right For You?<\/b><\/h1>\n

If you are currently enrolled in Crop and Soil Science undergraduate classes, contact your advisor or <\/span>Brittany DesLauriers<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>David Crouse<\/span><\/a> in the undergraduate office to discuss your situation. They are eager to talk you through the choices and find the solutions that are best for your circumstances.\u00a0 The strength of the wolf is in the Pack. Together, we\u2019re growing the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\u201cI\u2019m encouraging students to talk to their advisors before making any decisions,\u201d Crop and Soil Sciences\u2019 Director of Undergraduate Programs David Crouse said.\u00a0 After three weeks of online classes, some students are finding difficulty with the new online format, some don\u2019t like the solo learning approach and some have irregular, or worse, no online access.\u00a0 \u201cThere are some real struggles,\u201d Professor Bob Patterson confessed.<\/span>\r\n

Feeling the Strain<\/b><\/h1>\r\nThese limitations are calling into question whether students should maintain the standard course grading scale for their classes, or consider switching to another option such as S\/U (pass\/fail) or an \u201cincomplete\u201d designation.\u00a0 <\/span>Our department faculty acknowledge the debate on what guidance to give students on changing course grade formats.\u00a0 <\/span>\r\n\r\nNormally, students can only take classes S\/U (pass\/fail) for free electives. The <\/span>university provost<\/span><\/a> recently announced a change to that requirement due to COVID-19 restrictions.\u00a0 Now students can take any class S\/U, even required courses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Grading Options<\/b><\/h1>\r\n\u201cChoosing the S\/U option will not affect your GPA or graduation eligibility,\u201d Crouse advised, \u201cbut you do have to earn a C- or better to receive a grade of 'S'.\u00a0 It may benefit some students to consider this option and concentrate their efforts in specific classes during these challenging times. The S\/U designation will be much easier to explain (than a low grade) to a prospective employer or anyone remembering recent history. In any case, students should clarify with their instructors what is required to maintain a C- grade.\"\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThis idea has some students reassessing their academic strategy.\u00a0 <\/span>\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=right, color=red]Just having the option to change course grading takes a lot of stress off me[\/pullquote]\u201cI work full time in a hospital ER. I\u2019m keeping up with school work ok for now, but that could change. My professors are really working with me, offering anything they can do to help.\u00a0 Just having the option to change course grading takes a lot of stress off me,\u201d junior Mary Grace Phillips said.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cI believe that the required effort to get credit for a class doesn't significantly change between graded and pass\/fail.\u00a0 But, I do see an opportunity to maximize semester and cumulative GPAs by non-trivial amounts through strategic changes to pass\/fail, especially since changes can be made after final semester grades get posted,\u201d said sophomore Curtis Murphy. Both students noted that it\u2019s a very individual decision.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Incomplete Classes Offer Options<\/b><\/h1>\r\n\"anStudents who are truly struggling with online access, distance learning, or passing grades may consider requesting an \u201cincomplete\u201d course designation.\u00a0 <\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cI tell students. An incomplete is due to conditions outside the student\u2019s control. \u2018I didn\u2019t do the work,\u2019 isn\u2019t an incomplete. COVID-19 is,\u201d Crouse noted.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAn \u2018incomplete\u2019 grants students an extension for completing the class - essentially pausing, not losing progress.\u00a0 A \u201cwithdrawn\u2019 designation loses the 60% of the progress they\u2019ve made. \"They have to start the class completely over,\u201d Crouse said.\u00a0 <\/span>\r\n\r\nBut an \u2018incomplete\u2019 does come with some issues. Students have to be motivated to finish. \u201cThese students will drop off my \u2018active student\u2019 roster.\u00a0 I\u2019ll need to find a system to keep track of them and make sure they are keeping up with the requirements. I don\u2019t want anyone to panic when they get that 14-day to completion reminder in November,\u201d Crouse continued.<\/span>\r\n\r\nBob Patterson agreed, \u201cI don\u2019t mind encouraging students to request \u2018incomplete\u2019 status if it benefits them.\u00a0 But it must be an individual discussion. It\u2019s an important decision not to be taken lightly.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201cOur message to students is - if you\u2019re struggling in the online environment, let\u2019s talk.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t want to push students towards an \u2018incomplete\u2019 when they could finish the class.\u00a0 In some cases the S\/U designation may be a better option than having to come back and finish an \u2018incomplete\u2019,\u201d Crouse said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Which Option is Right For You?<\/b><\/h1>\r\nIf you are currently enrolled in Crop and Soil Science undergraduate classes, contact your advisor or <\/span>Brittany DesLauriers<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>David Crouse<\/span><\/a> in the undergraduate office to discuss your situation. They are eager to talk you through the choices and find the solutions that are best for your circumstances.\u00a0 The strength of the wolf is in the Pack. Together, we\u2019re growing the future.\u00a0<\/span>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The hurdles of online learning are causing students to question whether they should maintain the standard course grading scale for their classes, or consider switching to another option such as S\/U (pass\/fail) or an \u201cincomplete\u201d designation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2196,"featured_media":9173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,18],"tags":[335,320,334,337,317,336,164],"class_list":["post-9132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-impact","tag-course-grades","tag-covid-19","tag-exams","tag-incomplete","tag-online-learning","tag-pass-fail","tag-undergraduate"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9132"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9186,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9132\/revisions\/9186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/crop-and-soil-sciences\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}