The University of Victoria (UVic) is offering students a choice in how their final grades are presented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the spring semester.
On March 27, the university announced that students would be given three options in regard to their final grades; upon receiving the final grade, students will be able to choose to keep the assigned grade, opt for the Pass/Fail model meaning the course won’t count towards their GPA or drop the course entirely without any academic penalty.
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According to the UVic website, under normal circumstances, the deadline to drop a course in the spring term would be the last day of February and the course would be stricken from the student’s transcript. After the deadline, students would be required to apply for academic concession to drop a course. These rules have been waived in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a statement on the UVic website, this decision to offer students a choice in how their final grades are presented comes as part of the institution’s effort “to alleviate stress during these unprecedented and challenging times.”
READ ALSO: More than 2,000 UVic students asked to leave dorms in response to COVID-19
In-person classes were suspended on March 16 and instructors were asked to transition to alternative platforms, change the weighting of assignments and examinations and alter remaining projects. On March 19, the university confirmed that a student had tested positive for COVID-19.
Faculty have until May 5 to submit the final marks and then students will then be given time to make a decision about their individual marks.
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UVic students have a message for their fellow students. Physical social distancing is important now more than ever.#plankthecurve #stayathomesavelives #stayhome #flattenthecurve @JustinTrudeau @CanadianPM pic.twitter.com/Q92YaMyDy6
— UniversityOfVictoria (@uvic) March 28, 2020
Students are advised to consider the impacts of their choice of grading model as the decision could affect their options for future studies, admission to professional programs and other academic goals. Advising resources will be made available to help students with their decision.
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