With classes being moved online, some universities have looked into changing their grading system for the rest of this semester.

UALR has proposed that students be evaluated with either a credit or no credit (C/NC) instead of a letter grade. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Chancellor Christina Drale is in support of the move to change the grading system for the rest of their semester and it is likely to be approved. Giving students credit or no credit ratings is the university’s way of making sure grades are not affected by the challenges the coronavirus has brought.

Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Stephen Addison will wait for UCA to make a decision on how the school will go forward with grading students. 

Addison realizes changing the grading system will be helpful for students but it isn’t as simple as it seems. 

“In making the switch to online delivery, I advised college faculty to ensure that students didn’t suffer adverse consequences from any changes to courses. Many instructors have made changes to how they will grade. I’m sure that we’ll have more discussions as a university — it’s not a simple discussion as many students need particular grades to get into subsequent programs — so not everyone will want pass/fail grading,” Addison said.

Dean of Education Victoria Groves-Scott doesn’t see the need to change the way professors grade students. With the adjustments the College of Education has made, the need to change the grading system might not be needed. 

“We have moved all classes online and are adjusting assignments that can be graded using letter grades while measuring the same course objectives. Therefore, we see no need to adjust our grading system right now,” Grove-Scott said.

Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Patricia Poutler said UCA hasn’t considered using the credit or no credit system that UALR has adopted for the rest of the semester. 

Poulter believes the letter grade system is the best option going forward for this semester. 

“I believe students have done significant work throughout the semester, through a majority of the semester, and their grades should reflect said work. Faculty are taking into account the sudden shift in content delivery methods, and have adjusted their syllabi accordingly,” Poulter said.