UH Changes Grading Policy After Classes Move Online
Students still need to earn at least a “C” grade to get credit for a class.
The University of Hawaii plans to allow students to choose between getting letter grades or just receive credit for classes at the end of this semester.
If a student gets a “C” grade or better, they could choose a “credit” option. And if they get anything below that, they could choose a “no credit” option, according to a systemwide email.
The move to the new grading system puts UH in line with other universities across the country, which have adapted grading policies to help accommodate students taking classes remotely.
“UH recognizes that the academic, personal, and financial situations of students, faculty, and staff have been abruptly transformed,” the email said.
Some programs, like those at the graduate level, already require a “C” grade to receive any credit. Students that take the “no credit” option won’t take a hit to their GPA, according to the email.
The move to the “credit” and “no credit” options had input from the faculty senates across the 10-campus system. UH Manoa’s student government also supported the decision.
Students will have until May 22, the week after finals, to choose which option they want to take. That gives the students more flexibility, said Micah Leval, a student government senator at UH Manoa.
“If they had to choose before seeing their grade, they would take a gamble,” Leval said in a phone interview last week. “They wouldn’t know what they would end up with in the end.”
More guidelines on how the new policy will be implemented should be released Friday, the UH email said.
