Executive Policy 5.211 Executive Policy 5.211

Grading During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis

Executive Policy Chapter 5. Academic Affairs
Executive Policy EP 5.211, Grading During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
Effective Date:  April 2020
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy
Governing Board of Regents Policy:  RP 5.201, Instructional Programs
Review Date: April 2025

1. To address the exceptional circumstances that instructors and students are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic which required an abrupt shift to remote teaching and student support. UH recognizes that the academic, personal, and financial situations of students, faculty, and staff have been abruptly transformed.  This policy balances the disruption caused by the sudden need to move all courses online mid-semester with our usual grading standards.


2. To provide students the option of selecting “Credit/No Credit (CR/NC)” grades for their courses disrupted during the Spring 2020 term.

1. Credit:  Indicates that the student achieved course learning objectives (or outcomes) at level of “C” or better. The student will be awarded credit.  This grade will not be included in the calculation of the student’s GPA.


2. No Credit:  Indicates that the student did not achieve course learning objectives at level of “C” or better, e.g., C-, D, F. The student will not be granted credit for the course. This grade is not calculated in a student’s GPA.

1. Scope of policy


1. The policy applies only to Spring 2020 courses which have end dates after Spring Break (March 20, 2020).


1. For part of term courses or 5-week courses ending prior to Spring break, grades will be issued as originally assigned. 


2. For part of term courses or 5-week courses ending after Spring break, grades will be subject to this policy.


2. The policy applies to all UH courses, undergraduate and graduate, for the disrupted Spring 2020 term.


3. For programs whose professional accreditation organizations will not allow for alterations in the grading process during the COVID-19 crisis, a very limited number of exceptions from this policy may be made upon request to the President upon the recommendation of a University of Hawaiʻi Officer by April 30, 2020.


4. Students who request and receive an “Incomplete” grade for a Spring 2020 course will receive the letter grade awarded by the instructor upon completion of the missing work, following the deadline in the Academic Calendar. If the course was previously approved for Credit/No Credit grading before the start of the Spring 2020 semester, the instructor will assign either a CR or NC, as appropriate.


2. Process


1. Faculty will award letter grades as usual for Spring 2020 courses by entering grades into MyUH during the grading period. Courses already established as Credit/No Credit only will continue to use those designations instead of letter grades.


2. Once the faculty have entered grades, students will be able to view the usual assigned letter grades in STAR-GPS.


3. At this point, a student may elect to retain the assigned grade or convert the letter grade to the Credit/No Credit option for one or more courses until May 22, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. (until May 14, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. for UH West Oʻahu courses).


4. After 4:00 p.m. on May 22, 2020 (May 14, 2020 for UH West O‘ahu), registrars will make the grades final and will include a notation indicating this is a “semester disrupted by COVID-19” on student transcripts.


3. Implications for Other UH System, Campus and Program Policies, Procedures and Practices


1. Within the UH System, students will be “held harmless” by the choice to select Credit/No Credit in Spring 2020. This policy supersedes all other relevant UH System, campus policies, and requirements described in campus catalogs regarding Credit/No Credit grades or grading for Credit/No Credit grades awarded under this policy. 


2. Examples of policies and requirements which are superseded include but are not limited to:


1. Academic probation will be extended to the following semester for any student who does not move off academic probation based on their GPA. 


2. An award of a “Credit” grade (C or better grade) will be recognized as meeting requirements at any campus regarding courses, majors, minors, concentrations, certificates, general education courses, electives, “back credit” (UH Mānoa only), and/or other admission or graduation requirements.


3. Courses for which students received a grade of “Credit” will also be recognized as meeting any prerequisites for moving to the next course in a sequence or for transfer within the UH System.


4. Credit/No Credit grades for Spring 2020 will not be counted toward any existing Credit/No Credit limits in the System. 


5. For the purposes of transfer within the UH System, grades of Credit taken during Spring 2020 will be accepted as meeting the criteria for general education requirements, major requirements, minors, and concentrations at any UH campus.


3. Students must be able to make an informed decision about the implications of electing the Credit/No Credit option.


1. Students will be provided information at the time of the announcement of the policy and at the point of selecting the Credit/No Credit option.


2. Students will be strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor before deciding whether to accept a letter grade or to opt for a Credit/No Credit grade. Circumstances in which students might consider keeping letter grades include, but are not limited to:


1. Students who earn a C- or  D in a course and need to earn credit, e.g., to meet a general education or elective requirement.


2. Students who want the grade earned calculated into GPA for any reason, e.g., eligibility for the Dean’s List, applications for certain scholarships, applications for selective admissions programs, graduate admissions or transfer outside the UH System). 

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Office of the Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy
Telephone: (808) 956-6897
Email: ovpaa@hawaii.edu

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    President