Queen’s will allow undergraduate students to take /fail grades and the ability to drop courses late without academic penalty.
In a Wednesday statement, the University announced late drop options will be available to students from March 26 to May 20. Students can request a /fail grade after a letter grade has been posted in May.
“Students should seek advice and carefully consider the impacts of these options on government financial assistance and future academic requirements before choosing either or both of the options,” the statement read.
“Transcripts will also be annotated to note this was the year in which we all faced extraordinary demands in response to COVID-19.”
Individual faculties will have istrative control of /fail requests. Students won’t receive tuition refunds for dropping any courses.
A petition for Queen’s to introduce /fail options for its students was launched on March 24. At press time, it had garnered nearly three thousand signatures.
The petition asked for Queen’s to follow several other Canadian universities in introducing /fail options for its students, including McGill University, McMaster University, the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia.
“The shift to remote learning in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to learning for many students,” the petition read. “This disproportionately impacts certain displaced students, leading to inequitable learning outcomes, and a lack of ability for academic integrity.”
“Despite Queen’s faculties’ best attempts to make their courses accessible, many students are struggling to adapt to these changing circumstances and find themselves unable to concentrate during this stressful and uncertain time. This uncertainty surrounding academics, housing, employment, and health will make it exceedingly challenging for all students to succeed.”
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