As the moment approaches where university students will trade long hours behind a computer screen for holiday vacation, concerns over grading have been raised by California State University Long Beach students.
A change.org petition created by CSULB student Carolyn Dao asking the university to extend the alternative grading system that was offered in the spring 2020 semester to fall began making the rounds on social media and quickly garnered over 15,000 signatures as of publication time.
In an email from Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications, Jeff Cook, to the Signal Tribune, it was noted that the credit/no credit policy was revised during the spring semester to accommodate the academic disruption caused by a sudden transition to remote learning because of the pandemic. The policy allowed a class with a credit grade to satisfy general education, degree, major and minor requirements.
“This pandemic has cause[d] unprecedented stress on students and teachers alike. The loss of in-campus experience has immeasurable influence on student performance with negative impacts,” the petition said in its opening paragraph.
Provost Brian Jersky announced to students on Tuesday, Dec. 8 however that the extension would not be granted.
“After much consideration of the long-term implications to your academic and professional careers, we have determined that the credit/no-credit policy should not be extended to Fall 2020,” the announcement said.
The concerns listed in the announcement that led to the decision include:
•Harm that could be caused to student’s transcripts if few or no letter grades are recorded for multiple semesters.
•Effects on the Standard Academic Progress (SAP). “The spring term grade distribution indicated that a greater number of students received no-credit for courses they typically would have received C or D as passing grades,” the announcement stated before noting this could negatively impact Financial Aid.
•Graduate and professional schools not recognizing credit/no credit grades, especially if they extend over a long period of time.
The announcement said that the university had a chance to prepare for alternative modes of instruction for the fall semester and students knew in advance that the classes they were registering for were likely not taking place in person.
“Knowing that exceptions such as a CR/NC (credit/ no credit) option would no longer be possible, we provided multiple levels of support to faculty and students,” Jersky said.
The announcement, which was sent in an email to students, ends by saying that faculty and staff are committed to student’s academic and personal success and encourages them to reach out to instructors, academic advisers, or department chairs if they need any assistance.
For Skyler Tomlin, a fourth-year human resources management student, this decision is disappointing.
“I find it ironic how the provost specifies that we were given the CR/NCR option last semester only because of the ‘academic disruption the pandemic caused,’” Tomlin said to the Signal Tribune. “The last time I checked, we’re still dealing with the same pandemic and the same academic disruption since we are still learning remotely.”
She continued, “Online school is not comparable to the experience I’ve had learning in person. I do not feel like the marks I am earning in this online environment are reflective of my studies as a whole.”
Tomlin, who is in her final year at CSULB, noted that postponing her education was not an option.
The credit/ no credit option is typically used by students who want to make sure their GPA is not negatively affected by a letter grade, something that Tomlin acknowledged.
“Essentially, with the CR/NCR option, I am ensuring that my old GPA from in-person learning remains relatively the same,” the student said. “I am not going to fail any of my classes but I feel like I am not absorbing the content and understanding the material at the same rate as in-person classes.”
First-year transfer student Mark Martinez is also concerned about how remote learning is affecting him and his peers and shared the petition on social media over the weekend.
“I’ve managed to talk to a few of my classmates here and there when we’re in private zoom groups to critique our work and a large portion are scared, stressed, have to work, basically every responsibility that adults have,” Martinez said. “Many have really fallen off the horse because of the accumulated stress and their work has suffered.”
He added, “On top of that stress, students are still paying full price for tuition despite being remote and feel that there should be more leniency, given the circumstances.”
Martinez called the transition into remote learning jarring and although he believes he’s maintaining his grades, his motivation has severely drained. He credits his professors as being lenient and understanding during this unprecedented time.
Martinez initially considered dropping his classes this semester until the pandemic was over, but ultimately decided against it.
Both Tomlin and Martinez agree that the credit/no credit option should be available for students who need it, with Tomlin adding that not all students will go to grad school and those who are will probably know better than to opt-in for the grading option. She believes using that as a justification to reject the extension was unfair.
Students have expressed their discontent with the decision on social media and some are ready to mobilize.
The change.org petition now appears under the name “CSULB students united,” for which a website has been created. In it, different links appear one to email university officials about the alternative grading options as part of an email campaign and another to sign and share the petition. It also links an Instagram and Reddit page, where updates will be provided.
Dao told the Signal Tribune in an email that there are plans to organize a drive through protest on campus to show support for the cause. A date has not yet been announced.
A date has been announced.
Saturday (12/12/2020) @2:00pm.
Lot E1 at California State University, Long Beach.