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Spring 2020 Expanded P/F Option - Non-Residential Programs

Expanded PASS/FAIL option for Non-Residential Undergraduate Students for Spring 2020 Term 

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 in the 20/SPRG Term, Doane University is expanding our Pass (P) or Fail (F) grading option.   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 Non-Residential undergraduate student to elect up to four (4) credit hours of 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

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

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 7 credit hours:  BUS-365 (3 credits), CMS-316 (3 credits), and HHP-104 (1 credits).  One option would be to elect to make CMS-316 and HHP-104 as P/PS/F (4 credits changed).  A second option is to only make CMS-316 as P/PS/F (3 credits changed). The student cannot make both CMS-316 and BUS-365 P/PS/F since only one course can be at the 300-level.  Also, BUS-365 is excluded from this exception. 

Additional Details:

  1. A Non-Residential undergraduate student can elect to change a course to P/PS/F grading option starting on Monday, May 4, 2020 at the following website: https://bit.ly/DoaneNRPassFailA 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 Support 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. Internship courses (with course number “421”, for example BUS-421) currently being taken Pass/Fail will not count towards the maximum of four credits.  

  7. Credits taken using the P/PS/F option do not count toward graded credits required for academic honors at graduation.

  8. Credits taken using the P/PS/F option may not be accepted by certain graduate or professional schools.

  9. This option is not available for graduate courses/programs due to the more individualized learning experiences and discipline-specific nature of graduate education.  

  10. 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.

  11. 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:  https://bit.ly/DoaneNRPassFail

Questions can be sent to: [email protected]