UA studies grade-drop policy
Low scores excluded instead of made up, if rule passes
FAYETTEVILLE — Faculty at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville are considering a policy change that would allow undergraduate students to drop low grades without having to repeat any courses.
The university’s current “grade forgiveness” policy allows students to repeat up to two courses in which there was a grade of “D” or “F”, with only the grade in the repeated course then used to calculate credit hours and grade-point average.
A change to a “grade exclusion” policy would instead allow students to omit from their grade-point average calculation up to nine semester hours in which a grade of “D” or “F” was received. As with the current policy, the original course grade would remain on a student’s transcript, but with a special notation.
“Being forced to retake a class if you have switched your major can be an expensive burden that we’re placing on some students,” Julie Trivitt, chair of the faculty senate’s academic standards committee, said Wednesday at a meeting of UA’s Faculty Senate.
The proposal, brought forth by the committee, must be approved by the larger faculty group. If approved, it would take effect in fall 2020.
Trivitt, a clinical associate professor of economics, gave the example of students who struggle with a course on calculus, a mathematics class required for engineering majors.
“They recognize that they’re probably not going to be an engineering major after all. They switch to a major that doesn’t require Calculus. They can now [under the proposal] get that five hours of “D” or “F” out of their GPA without having to pay tuition for that five-hour class,” Trivitt said.
Adrienne Gaines, chair of UA’s Academic Advising Council, said a change could affect students who must meet ongoing academic requirements as part of scholarship awards, including the state-sponsored Academic Challenge Scholarships, which require students to maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average while in college.
Among other large public universities in nearby states, the University of Mississippi also gives students the option of “grade exclusion.” In Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas has a “grade forgiveness” policy similar to the current UA policy.