The Faculty Senate at Western Carolina University is asking faculty to complete a brief survey on key issues being considered during the 2021 Spring Semester. These issues include continuing to allow students to opt in to receive Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades on select courses instead of letter grades, the use of Student Assessment of Instruction (SAIs) data on annual faculty report and an optional pause on the tenure clock for tenure-track faculty.
Please follow this link to complete the survey.
For some of these issues, the FS senators have been divided in past semesters. We need faculty input to shape our policy decisions. Faculty are also urged to contact their senators and share their perspective on these issues.
In my Fall 2020 undergraduate class, multiple students chose a S grade over studying for the final. They had As & Bs entering the final exam and chose to only complete part of the exam so that they had enough points to get a C which they then translated to an S. They were capable of earning a higher grade, even during a pandemic, but chose not to. These students did not need the S option.
The main question is: What future impact will S/U grading have on the undergraduate students when/if they seek graduate education? I don’t think it’s a good practice. I support letter grading.