Giving students the option to request satisfactory/unsatisfactory or letter grades will help students excel academically after facing hard times this fall semester and still getting acclimated to virtual learning.
Being a college student in the middle of a pandemic while practicing virtual learning is still a work in progress and students are struggling to perform to the best of their abilities.
According to Science Daily, Dartmouth College conducted a study in the spring on COVID-19 and how it has increased anxiety and depression for already stressed college students. The study concluded that collegestudents were more anxious and depressed during the initial outbreak of COVID-19 than they were during similar time frames in previous academic years.
Like many other schools, Florida A&M University put into place a COVID-19 grading policy modification for spring semester, giving students the option to either receive a letter grade or a pass or fail grade of satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
Like the spring, fall semester hasn’t been any easier. Worldwide social injustice protests, the U.S Presidential Election, and the start of the second wave of the virus have all become stress points for young adults. Having to adjust to this so-called “new world” takes time.
According to insidehighered.com, several recent surveys were conducted that suggest students’ mental health and well-being has beenimpacted by the pandemic’s social and economic consequences, as well as the continued uncertainty about their college education and post college careers.
Sophomore business administration student Kourtlan Carter, explained that as a transfer student, it’s been a struggle to catch a steady rhythm in navigating her studies virtually during the pandemic with the many changes there have been.
“I have no idea how to work canvas, I have some professors who are just as confused with other virtual learning software as I am and all that does is apply a lot more pressure than usual and cause my academic performance to not be my best even when I feel like things are going right.”
It would be in the best interest of the university to utilize the COVID-19 grading policy modification for fall semester and to help relieve a bit of stress on students and give them the option on how they will be graded during this difficult time for students who desperately need the assistance this semester.