Pass/fail grade lifted to "C" status

Students have for a long time had the option of taking many courses at Umpqua Community College on a pass/fail basis in addition to the traditional A-B-C-D-F grading system and now—thanks to a planned change in how the pass grade will be—these classes will be more valuable to transfer students.

Nancy Maxwell, interim vice president for instruction explains: “Some universities would not accept our pass because it was not defined as a ‘C’ or better; others considered it as a ‘D.’”

Because previously UCC Pass grades were not defined as being “C” grades, transfer students to some universities ended up having to re-take the course while others saw their GPA falling as the transfer university recorded the un-defined Pass as a “D”.

Beginning fall term of the 2010-2011 school year, UCC students’ transcripts will define a pass grade as a “C” or better. This will also allow these courses to count towards an AAOT degree or for transfer to another university. The new policy will only be effective for classes already taken Pass/Fail beginning fall 2010-11, not for classes already taken.

Pass/Fail courses have been popular for students because they provide access to information, but the grades have not affected a student’s GPA at all. For this reason, some students utilize this option when considering elective courses outside their normal field of interest. For example, students who wished to explore art, but didn’t feel artistically inclined, were taking painting or ceramics courses on a Pass/Fail basis to avoid the damage a less than stellar grade could have to the GPA.

The college webpage states the following classes may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis: Physical Education activity courses numbered 180, 185, 190; many Studio Art, Music and Theatre courses; Keyboarding ome developmental courses numbered below 100.

Students wishing to take a course on a Pass/Fail basis must inform their instructor within the first two weeks of a course if they wish to exercise the Pass/Fail option. When transferring to another institution, students will receive credit for courses taken Pass/Fail, but they will not count towards or against their GPA in anyway.

The UCC catalog specifically recommends that “courses in a student’s major should not be taken with the Pass/Fail option.”

The Pass/Fail option for some courses has been offered in the UCC course catalog since the 1989-90 school year. The need to define a Pass grade as a “C” or better has arisen because the state-wide adoption of the AAOT degree has highlighted the fact that some schools require students to have a received a grade of “C” or better for transfer. Maxwell says, “Our real purpose [for the new policy] is making it clearer to students that they are not at a disadvantage for transferring.”

Students who have recently taken courses Pass/Fail with the intent of transferring to another institution should check with the transferring school to ensure that the undefined Pass grade will be acceptable.

The Mainstream is a student publication of Umpqua Community College.