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Spring 2020 Expanded P/F Option - Crete Programs

Expanded PASS/FAIL option for Crete Undergraduate Students for Spring 2020 Semester 

Students will be allowed to change grading designation starting Monday, May 4, 2020 and concluding Friday, May 22, 2020.

In light of the disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), for undergraduate students enrolled on the Crete campus, Doane University is expanding our Pass (P) or Fail (F) grading option for the Spring 2020 semester.   For this term, a student can elect to change to a new Pass/Pass-Satisfactory /Fail grading designation starting in the last week of the term and up to a week after final grades are posted.  As such, it will allow a student to elect to change the grading designation to Pass/Pass-Satisfactory/Fail after final grades are posted.  The structure of this expanded policy is to provide a safety net for students who feel their grade(s), learning, and/or grade point average (GPA) were impacted by the changed course modality. 

This expanded policy allows a Crete undergraduate student to elect up to seven (7) credit hours of currently graded credits be evaluated as Pass (P), Pass-Satisfactory (PS), or Fail (F) instead of a letter grade.  A “Pass” (P) is defined as a “C-” grade or higher as a final course grade.  A Pass-Satisfactory (PS) is a grade of “D+”, “D”, or “D-”.  A Fail (F) is defined as a “F” as a final course grade.  Courses covered by this expanded policy will satisfy graduation requirements, including Doane Core as well as major and minor requirements.  

Additional stipulations for this expanded policy include:

  1. Any 100-level or 200-level course can be changed to P/PS/F

The following education courses are excluded: EDU-211, 221, 250, EDS-207, 236

  1. At most, one course at the 300-level can be changed to P/PS/F.  

The following education courses are excluded: ART-343, EDU-311, 312, 318, 321, 321L, 322, 323, 325, 330, 341, 341L, 350, 361, EDS-328, 332, ESL-325, 326, ENG-343, 344, HHP-320, 355, MTH-324, 325, 326, MUS-316, 331, 341, SCI-343, 344.  

The following business course is excluded: BUS-365

  1. No 400-level courses can be changed to P/PS/F.

Example: suppose a student is currently enrolled in 15 credit hours:  ART-204 (3 credits), ENG-306 (3 credits), ENG-495 (5 credits), SOC-308 (3 credits), and ATV-132 (1 credit).  One option would be to elect to make ART-204 and SOC-308 as P/PS/F (6 credits changed).  A second option is to only make SOC-308 as P/PS/F (3 credits changed).   Another option is that the student can elect to make ENG-306 and ART-204 as P/PS/F (6 credits changed). The student cannot make both ENG-306 and SOC-308 P/PS/F since only one course can be at the 300-level.  Similarly, the student cannot make ENG-495 P/PS/F since it is not allowed for 400-level courses.  Note that ATV-132 by default is already Pass/Fail and does not impact a student converting a maximum 7 additional credits under this expanded policy.

Additional Details:

  1. A Crete undergraduate student can elect to change a course to P/PS/F grading option starting on Monday, May 4, 2020 at the following website:  bitly.com/DoanePPSF.  A student must make this election no later than Friday, May 22, 2020 (this is one week after final grades are posted).
  2. A student should communicate with their advisor about their plans to ensure they understand how this decision may impact other areas of their academic career (e.g,. future graduate or professional school).
  3. Students on academic probation are strongly encouraged to consult with the Academic Success Center before deciding to change to a P/PS/F option. 
  4. Students currently on Financial Aid warning, who are attempting to repair their GPA, should contact Financial Aid prior to making a grading change.  
  5. A grade of Pass (P) and Pass-Satisfactory (PS) will not be factored into a student’s cumulative GPA; however, these courses will count toward earned semester hours.  In order to receive a grade of Pass (P), a student must earn a grade of “C-” or higher in the course.  Grades of “D+”, “D”, “D-” will be recorded as a Pass-Satisfactory (PS).  An “F” will result in a grade of Fail (F) for the course.
  6. Juniors and seniors who have previously elected to designate a course as Pass/Fail for this Spring semester will continue to have that course evaluated only as Pass or Fail.  As such, a course grade of “C-” or higher is considered a Pass (P) and a “D+ or lower” is considered a Fail (F) - there is no “Pass-Satisfactory” option for these previously elected courses.  These students can elect a maximum of seven (7) additional credit hours of Pass/Pass Satisfactory/Fail in the term.
  7. Courses such as internship (with course number “421”, for example BUS-421), or activity (ATV, for example ATV-154) currently being taken Pass/Fail will not count towards the maximum of seven credits.  
  8. Credits taken using the P/PS/F option do not count toward graded credits required for academic honors at graduation or at the end of the semester such as the Dean’s list.
  9. Credits taken using the P/PS/F option may not be accepted by certain graduate or professional schools.
  10. This policy does not apply to courses already completed in the Spring 2020 semester (like online courses offered during the first 8-week of the semester).
  11. This option is not available for graduate courses/programs due to the more individualized learning experiences and discipline-specific nature of graduate education.  
  12. Once the form has been submitted, the course will be converted to P/PS/F and it cannot be later converted back to a letter grade.
  13. No transcripts showing Spring 2020 courses or May 2020 diplomas will be mailed until after May 22 when the deadline to change a course to P/PS/F has passed.

Starting on, Monday, May 4, students can complete the Pass/Pass-Satisfactory/Fail request form at the following website:  bitly.com/DoanePPSF

Questions can be sent to: registraroffice@doane.edu