This in-depth article is co-authored.
Edit 12/10 at 1:30PM : We have edited the article to reflect the latest communication about the matter by SGA
The debate about the necessity of re-adopting the Pass/Fail grading system for the Fall 2020 semester intensified lately in the student community. An initiative led by students has called for gathering the names of those interested in pushing for such a change and communicating this issue to the Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Nizar Messari.
As a reminder, the P/F grading system was indeed adopted last semester as an option for students who feel like their academic performance has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, including the lockdown. As no one predicted the scale by which things would shift when it comes to the university learning experience, this measure allowed students to adapt to the challenges that the pandemic has presented.
Students had to adapt to the new challenges of online learning but sustainability is put to the test
The second half of spring 2020 was a massive trial and error process for everyone. Students suddenly found themselves drowning through a very abrupt transition of environment, learning style, and workload. While the adoption of the new system was enforced by the circumstances, adaptation was not as straight forward. Many students found it very hard to manage the imposed changes in learning when suddenly the student experience got restricted to purely academics, a lifestyle that is not optimal for the large majority of AUI students. Still, the constraining nature of the station obliged students to deal with the situation. Adapting to and dealing/coping with a similar shift, nevertheless, are two different aspects of change where sustainability is a core issue.
The P/F system was indeed a solution that introduced flexibility when it was most needed, but is it a sustainable solution? The quick answer is no. The long answer is that no one can deny that it helped students greatly manage what was left in the past spring semester with the ability to choose whether to keep a letter grade, but that does not solve the problem at its roots. The P/F delays the adaption to online learning rather than simplify it. The proof of the latter is fall 2020.
The P/F was not initially announced for Fall 2020, in the hope that students would have adapted to the situation and learning. However, the fact that students are claiming to have the P/F system back shows the opposite which questions the reliability of such a solution. Was P/F a one time wonder? It is in these lines that the debate around the issue continues across both sides of the debate.
How about professors? The question that reinforces the need to reconsider the P/F system
In a context in which many students have reported that their online experience has not been optimal, many are considering that the fact that professors did not fully adapt to teaching online is a key factor in considering the P/F system for this semester. While it is true that faculty were trained on the usage of new tools to enhance the academic experience at AUI (Microsoft Teams, usage of Jenzabar, etc.), many students have reported that some professors were not able to create an environment that allows for effective learning and interaction.
The new asynchronous/synchronous models that the administration has shared just before the start of the semester were difficult to implement in a number of courses, where students found themselves either with a huge amount of online lectures/videos and no value during class time, or class sessions where interaction is not encouraged and reciting slides is the only model that is followed.
To that extent, the ability of faculty members to adapt to these new teaching methods is also difficult given the characteristics of the pandemic. While students reported that some classes were well managed even though Microsoft Teams, they acknowledge that this situation is neither optimal for students or faculty. Hence, students are pushing for a reconsideration of the P/F option until a proper academic experience is reestablished.
What will happen
With the new calls for the adoption of the P/F system, the decision will have to be made at the level of the Vice-President of Academic Affairs in concertation with Deans and other members of the university’s Academic Council. Whether this matter will be dealt with in the coming few days or not entirely depends on the extent to which the student initiative proved to be successful and backed by the Student Government Association who communicated about the matter saying that “we have contacted the VPAA to discuss its implementation for this semester. We will keep you posted on any relevant updates“.
The timing of this debate is crucial as finals are approaching and students are in the midst of a hectic period of assignments, projects, second midterms, and other due dates. This issue also raises a number of questions about the viability of the online education model as it is currently implemented at AUI, the price-to-quality ratio of academic services, and the general discontent that has been raised recently regarding fees, campus experience, and academics – a matter that will heavily influence the decision-making process for the Spring 2021 semester.