Milligan College has implemented a temporary pass/fail option for up to two classes in the spring 2020 semester. The move to online academic instruction due to COVID-19 has many undergraduate students struggling and many institutions across the U.S. have already implemented this policy.
Vice president for academic affairs and dean, Dr. Garland Young, said, “We hope that this policy provides a helpful option for students whose circumstances surrounding our sudden move online have placed them at a distinct disadvantage.”
The College recommends that students contact their academic advisors and discuss their options before choosing to take a pass/fail grade. In most cases, pass/fail grades do not help students’ grade point averages who are already excelling academically, so the option is available to help students in extreme situations.
“Students who have maintained a reasonably strong level of academic performance will not benefit from pass/fail grading,” said Stacy Dahlman, associate dean for academic administration and registrar. “Earning letter grades at or around a student’s usual level of academic performance will raise the GPA or leave it roughly the same. A grade of “P” will neither raise nor lower the GPA.”
The process for submitting a request to take a pass/fail option will open on May 4 and close on May 22, and all requests will require an academic advisor’s approval. After May 22, the decision for utilizing the pass/fail option cannot be reversed. The registrar’s office will only accept forms from academic advisors, not students.
Most courses only require a passing grade, so students may not have to retake a course in which they chose a “P” grade. Some courses, however – outlined in the “Milligan Undergraduate Pass-Fail Grading Policy – Spring 2020” document – require students to complete the class with a specific letter grade in order to progress onto higher-level courses. Students can reference this document sent in an email by Stacy Dahlman on April 15.