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Volume CXXXIII, Number 13 |
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Faculty passes new credit/fail measure
PRIYA SRIDHAR
STAFF WRITER
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| Faculty members vote on the new credit/D/fail proposal Monday afternoon in Daggett Lounge. The resolution passed the faculty 61-6 with one abstention. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
Nothing will change with the credit/fail system next year. Unless you get a D.
Bowdoin's faculty voted Monday to change the College's current credit/fail option to a new credit/D/fail system. Under the new system, a student can receive a D in a credit/fail course, but still get college credit. Accordingly, if a student receives a D in a credit/fail course, it will impact their GPA next year.
Currently, Bowdoin's course catalogue states, "A student may elect no more than one course of the normal four course load each semester on a credit/fail basis, although a student may elect a fifth course any semester on a credit/fail basis."
Of the 32 required credits needed for a diploma, only four of them can be credit/fail, not including classes that are only offered credit/fail.
Most departments require that students fulfill their major with all regularly-graded classes; however, credit/fail classes can satisfy the school's distribution requirements.
Courses can be changed to credit/fail any time during the first two weeks of the semester except during the first semester for first years who have until the sixth week of the semester to decide whether they wish to take a course credit/fail.
With the new system, however, many policies relating to the credit/fail option are likely to change. The deadline for making a course credit/fail is likely to change to six weeks for everyone and courses taken credit/D/fail would be able to count toward a student's major.
The Recording Committee engages in two types of activities, both of which concern the general area of academic regulations.
One of its responsibilities is reviewing and disciplining students for probation, suspension, dismissal and students petitioning for exceptions from current rules. Their other responsibility is to review and recommend changes to current policies and practices.
The Committee is chaired by Professor Suzanne Lovett of the pscyhology department and includes the Dean of Student Affairs, Senior Associate Dean of Students Affairs, the Registrar, the Associate Registrar, three professors, Thomas Conlan, Barry Logan, and David Page, and three students appointed by the Student Government: Justin King '04, Taylor Salindari '05, and Mario Lopez '06.
The Recording Committee has been investigating how successful Bowdoin's current credit/fail option is. The credit/fail option was designed for students to explore an area or a field that they normally would not without having to feel the pressure that maybe they wouldn't get a certain grade. "It seems that students' primary concern is the grade, and exploration is secondary...The system is not working; that's why we're changing it. A lot of students are doing just enough work to get a D, whether that is their original intention or not. That's not good for the student, and it's not good for the rest of the class," Lovett said.
Craig Bradley, Dean of Student Affairs, said, "Students who earn a credit in a course when the actual grade is a D-what some have called a 'hidden D'-may benefit from being placed on Academic Probation. Most students on Probation regain good academic standing and succeed thereafter...knowing about a D-as opposed to a credit-can really help the Recording Committee and the Dean's office intervene productively to help students succeed academically."
Many more Bowdoin students than before are choosing the credit/fail option. In the 1998-1999 academic year 3.5 percent of all grades given were credit/fail grades, while last year the number was up to 7.5 percent. Out of all the classes the class of 1999 took, only 174 were taken credit/fail, while the class of 2003 took 426 classes credit/fail. It is impossible to find a specific explanation for the numbers, but it is likely that these numbers might change yet again with the new policy.
When it came to getting student input about this new change, the Recording Committee decided against distributing student surveys. They tried this two years ago when the College decided to add pluses and minuses to its grading system and found that not enough students responded in order to complete a representative survey. The Committee instead relied on its three student representatives to voice the opinion of the school on the matter.
"The change to CR/D/F will oblige students who choose this option for a class to exert more effort and apply more concentration to that class," Mario Lopez said.
Mark Roberts '04 said, "I've noticed a marked change in the competitiveness of the college classes simply with the addition of pluses and minuses. Many students simply aren't as willing to share ideas and help other students who are in academic need. Perhaps they don't want to lose their competitive edge in a class."
Roberts added, "I feel that changing the pass fail classes to include the grade D will limit the student bodies' desire to experiment with the liberal arts. Students will be afraid of possible consequences to their GPA.... As Bowdoin students and faculty, we should reach out to our classmates who are struggling in unfamiliar fields of study, not threaten their GPAs." .
The faculty, on the other hand, was clearly in favor of this change. The vote was 61 to 6 with 1 member abstaining in favor of the new policy.
For information on sending a letter to the editor, please click here.
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