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Volume CXXXIII, Number 13 |
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D for effort
With plusses and minuses finally beginning to settle in, the Bowdoin faculty has approved yet another change in grading policy, this time amending the credit/fail system. This change is one we can agree with-at least in principle.
The credit/fail system offers students the opportunity to explore areas of the curriculum that appear especially challenging without serious risk to one's GPA; it also allows them to pick up an extra course if their degree status requires it. Nevertheless, it is a system that is too often abused by students looking to lighten their workload. Opting for credit/fail as a means of avoiding the necessary mastery of material required for a good grade is contrary to the purpose of higher education. With that in mind, it is entirely appropriate for the College to issue a "D" to those students who too often willingly walk the fine line between credit and failure.
While we agree with the policy in principle, the decision was made without any meaningful input from the students-those most affected by the change. The administration claims that it did not seek student input because, as with earlier attempts during the plus/minus debate, the results from the student body were considered unhelpful. While that claim in itself is contestable, it still does not warrant the exclusion of the student body as a whole when it came to the Credit/D/Fail debate.
The decision is one that will greatly affect every student's ability to choose courses and take chances in the academic arena, the hallmark of a liberal arts education. Such a change should have been made with more extensive student input than the three student representatives on the Recording Committee. The next time policy decisions are being made, grading or otherwise, we hope that the Administration will make a greater effort to include the students.
For information on sending a letter to the editor, please click here.
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