Concordia announces new pass/fail measures, other changes for students
Final exam deferral, news on failing grades, and course repetition also among changes
Concordia announced several new measures on Wednesday that have been demanded by the student body since the beginning of the semester.
On a new page of the Concordia website, the administration has outlined new ways it plans on helping students affected by online learning.
The pass/fail option, among the most pressing demands from students, has been re-implemented—but only for one class that is deemed eligible. The irreversible decision must be made through MyConcordia before the Jan. 22, 2021, 5 p.m. EST deadline. If a student’s final grade has not been posted by the time of the deadline, they must get in touch with their department or faculty in order to receive their passing mark. A credit will still be attributed when the passing grade is issued.
Another surprising measure implemented is leniency for failed courses. The same eligible courses—if failed—will not appear as an “F” grade in a student’s transcript but rather a “DISC.” The credit will not be issued and will not count towards graduation.
One important detail to remember is—should the student opt for a passing grade, or receive a DISC after failing an eligible course—neither outcome will have any effect on the GPA.
The list of eligible classes will be published “mid-December.”
The deferral of final exams has also been simplified. A student no longer needs a doctor’s note, and the processing fee will be waived. The list of reasons has been extended to include challenges faced by the new reality of online learning.
For students repeating a course—either after failing it or trying to improve the grade—must note that both will be completely removed from the calculation of their GPA.
As for students handing in work after the Jan. 22 deadline with the approval of their professor, it is important to wait until the “INC” notation—a mark that temporarily indicates unfinished classwork—has been removed before applying for a passing grade.
