Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1974 Version B [PAGE 524]

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516

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[March 20

The Chancellor and the Dean of the College of Engineering at Urhana and the Vice President for Academic Development and Coordination concur in the recommendation of the Senate. The University Senates Conference has indicated that no further Senate jurisdiction is involved. I recommend approval, subject to further action by the State Board of Higher Education. O n motion of M r . H a h n , this recommendation was approved.

PASS/FAIL GRADING OPTION FOR U N D E R G R A D U A T E S . CHICAGO CIRCLE

(14) The Chicago Circle Senate has recommended the establishment of a limited pass/fail grading option for undergraduates. For the past three years the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has had such an option on an experimental basis. The main purpose of such an option is to permit a student the opportunity to attempt scholarly pursuits in areas of relative difficulty that may be removed from the central concerns of his academic program. To encourage students to take such enriching courses and not at the same time jeopardize general academic performance, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences instituted its experiment. Studies conducted by the College office indicate that students have not abused the option, which is limited to courses outside the major field of concentration. Other colleges proposed similar options, and after lengthy debate and deliberation an all-campus proposal was brought forward. The provisions are as follows: 1. The student must be in good standing as defined by the college in which he is registered. 2. A maximum of 32 quarter hours of credit may be earned at Chicago Circle under the pass/fail option. If a student withdraws from a pass/fail course before the end of the last day of instruction in the sixth week of the quarter, the credit hours the course carries will not count toward the total of 32 authorized. 3. No more than one course per quarter may be taken under this pass/fail option. 4. The pass/fail option may not be used in any course required for the major including prerequisite and collateral courses. 5. The pass/fail option in a course must be elected by the end of the tenth day of instruction of the quarter. 6. The pass/fail option in a course cannot be revoked after the close of the tenth day of instruction in the quarter, except as provided in No. 11 below. 7. A college or school may, by action of its faculty, institute a more restrictive policy for any or all of the above provisions. 8. Instructors are not informed that the pass/fail option has been elected, but assign a letter grade in the usual manner. The Office of Admissions and Records retains a record of that letter grade, but it is not entered on the student transcript except as hereafter provided. 9. For courses taken under the pass/fail option, a grade of P is recorded on the transcript if the letter grade A, B, C, or D is earned. If the letter grade E is assigned, an F is entered on the transcript. IN (incomplete) and DF (deferred) grades will be replaced by P or F upon completion of the courses. 10. The grades of P and F are not used in the computation of the grade point average. 11. Grades of Pass or Fail are final and cannot be reconverted to letter grades except under the following circumstances: If, during the student's final quarter prior to graduation it is found that one or more of the courses needed to satisfy the requirements of a student's major field were completed under the pass/fail option at Chicago Circle (prior to the declaration of the major or prior to intercollegiate or intercurricular transfer), the student may elect that a sufficient number of "pass" grades be replaced by the originally assigned letter grades to meet major requirements. Only the minimum number of reconversions will be made. If such a minimum can be met by more than one selection of reconversions, the student may elect his preference. This same policy will apply in the case of any additional restrictions instituted by a college or school under Provision 7.