The Office of the Provost sent an email to students about new options for the spring semester grades on Wednesday, April 15.

The email covers a student’s option to change the scale of their grades from the typical A through F scale to include either an ‘incomplete’ grade or a ‘credit/no credit’ grade.

Provost Mike Godard explained what the new grading options were, and why a student might choose to defer a typical grading scale due to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One option for students is a credit/no credit scale. According to the email, if a student believes their final grades in a full semester or 2nd eight-week course will be negatively impacted by the learning style changes due to COVID-19, they may choose to use this scale.

Faculty will not know at the time final grades are posted if a student chooses this option. However, Godard strongly suggested in the email that a student confer with several institutions on campus including Student Financial Services and academic advisors before using the credit/no credit option.

Students must fill out a form to use the Credit/No Credit grading option as well. This form is available at http://myworkflows.semo.edu/ and will be processed by the Registrar’s office. The grading option change request form will be due by Friday June 5 and will result in a final grading option.

According to the email, a grade of incomplete (I) is another option for students who are managing to complete passing work but who are unable to complete all of the course requirements due to unusual circumstances. Students can choose to utilize this option starting from the midpoint of the spring 2020 semester only. This also includes 2nd eight-week courses.

To qualify for an Incomplete grade, the student must collaborate with the instructor to determine requirements for completing the course. These requirements must be fulfilled by the end of the fall 2020 semester or the student will receive an “F” for that course.

Students must fill out a form for an incomplete grade, which must be submitted to their instructor before 5 p.m. May 8. The form is available at https://semo.edu/registrar/Spring2020Incomplete.pdf

Godard encouraged students to communicate early and often with their instructors. Students were advised in the email to be cautious about changing their grading options. For instance, using a credit/no credit scale may result in difficulty fulfilling graduate school requirements.