The U of O administration did not directly communicate to students that the release date for final marks had been moved back from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1.
pass/fail grading system
“As we are now two weeks into the fourth pandemic-era semester, it is worth asking why the U of O left students in the summer semester behind … if the university truly values the wellbeing of their student body, then the S/NS option must be made available for every semester to mitigate the stresses of the pandemic.”
The University of Ottawa Students’ Union deems the decision as “a huge win for student advocacy.”
With the fall 2020 semester taking place online, transitioning courses to an online format has not been easy, and many students have had difficulties adjusting. To combat such difficulties, should a Pass/Fail grading system be implemented once again?
“The university is aware of the petition and is looking into the matter,” says U of O manager of media relations, Isabelle Mailloux-Pulkinghorn.
“In our view, despite our best efforts, online learning is not quite where it needs to be, in terms of quality, access to resources and delivery of course content,” reads an open letter from the UOSU to provost and vice-president of academic affairs Jill Scott.
Not all students start on an equal playing field even with the option of universal, pass or fail grading. For many students, especially international students, online learning has brought challenges that other students don’t have to face.
Should the University of Ottawa follow suit and buck our A+s in favour of high honours? In a word, no.
