Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

COVID-19

Student presses Thompson Rivers University to offer pass-fail option during pandemic

Apr 1, 2020 | 2:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — A fourth-year student at Thompson Rivers University is calling on the school to give students a “pass or fail” option for courses taking place in the second semester of the current school year.

TRU, along with many other universities, shifted most of its instruction to online classes rather than in person, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Serena Girard says that has impacted the quality of learning taking place and, in turn, may also impact final grades and grade-point averages (GPAs).

That adds to the pressure students are feeling, and Girard feels it may contribute to poor mental and physical health.

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“A lot of the students I’ve been talking to are definitely struggling right now with the switch to online courses,” Girard told CFJC Today. “It’s not the same anymore. We’re not doing in-person, in-class instruction so it’s a lot less stimulating and there’s a lot less ability to speak face-to-face to professors. Overall, it just makes it a lot more difficult for everybody.”

“It seems like a lot of us are going through some mental health stuff right now,” she continued. “Personally, I suffer from depression, anxiety and ADHD, so I’ve found it difficult to focus and maintain a proper routine in order to get the same grades that I normally do. I realized it’s not just me; it’s everyone else as well. We’re all having a hard time.”

Girard says other institutions, including the Universities of Victoria and Alberta, offer students the pass/fail option, meaning they can receive credit for passing a course without a sub-par grade affecting their GPAs.

TRU Registrar and Assocaite Vice-President of Enrolment Services Michael Bluhm says the university has decided against offering a pass-fail option because of limitations in the school’s technology.

“Rather than a pass-fail mechanism that’s a very difficult thing for us to implement in a very short period of time, what we have done is shifted to an extension of our ability to allow students to withdraw from a course, up to and including after they’ve received their final grades,” Bluhm told CFJC Today.

While withdrawing from a course may result in a student repeating a course they already completed, Bluhm says it is better than a fail.

“A pass-fail… option also still may result in a failing grade or a non-credit,” said Bluhm. “Then if that’s a required course for a program, it’s something students would have to contemplate taking over again.”

“It is great,” said Girard. “But at the same time, it’s kind of pushing toward withdrawing and no longer finishing all of the hard work that they’ve put in.”

Bluhm says the school has financial support options in place for students needing to retake courses, and other resources for any student experiencing health difficulties during the pandemic.

“First and foremost, really we want students to be putting their health and well-being first, and that of their friends and loved ones and their community. So, if stepping away from your studies right now is what you need, then we’ll help you through that.”

A petition Girard has launched to press TRU to offer a pass-fail option can be found here.