ECU looks to inform students about grading policies

Students at ECU may often find themselves in a predicament over grades and university policies. All students have access to the Academic Advising and Support Center and the 2008-2009 advising manual, but the information is easy to overlook when students are unaware of what they are looking for.

ECU students are forced to make big decisions about dropping courses or grade replacement, within the limits of the university's policies.

According to two students, the policies at ECU are quite different from other neighboring colleges.

When asked about ECU drop policies, junior Camie Hileman said she likes them, but wishes there were more drops available in higher course levels.

"I think it would be nice if we had the pass/fail option like N. C. State, where you can take a class and it doesn't matter what you get in the class, just if you pass it, you get the credit. If you fail, then you don't get anything," Hileman said.

A nursing student at Pitt Community College, Ashley Jones, reported that she still has time to drop classes at Pitt without being penalized.

Mary Beth Corbin, ECU director for Campus Advising Policies, confirmed that students are "permitted to use the Grade Replacement Policy a maximum of three times for 0000, 1000 and 2000 level courses, only in which he or she earned a grade of D or F."

The policy states that students cannot grade replace a course if an advanced course, covering the same material, is successfully completed.

After requesting a grade replacement at the Office of the Registrar, the form must be submitted "no later than the last day of classes of the semester in which the student retakes this course," Corbin said.

The original grade does not determine GPA, but will be on the student's permanent academic record. Corbin said that if paperwork is not submitted on time, a retroactive grade replacement form can be submitted at a later date.

Students should also be informed that courses above the 2000 level must be retaken if the course is required for the student's major, in order to receive credit.

Incompletes are options for students who have not been able to complete the assignments necessary to receive a grade in a course. However, students are only given one additional semester to remove an incomplete with the instructor's approval.

"The date for removing incompletes is always listed on the academic calendar," Corbin said.

Nov. 21 is the last day for undergraduate students to remove incompletes given during the 2008 spring and summer sessions, according to the 2008 fall academic calendar. Graduate students have until Dec. 3.

Dropping classes is a way to lighten class loads, but students only have a limited amount of time to drop. Corbin states that students are given allotted drops to use while at ECU, which are based on class level--entering freshman receive four drops, sophomores receive three, juniors receive two and seniors receive one. The university drop policy allows drop/add during the first five days of a regular term, with no penalties to students, however after the first five days, students must use one of their allotted drops during the drop period.

The drop period is generally long enough for professors to return at least one graded assignment, though some professors fail to do so.

The ECU faculty manual states that students may use allotted drops if the student has not received any type of grade--be it homework, quizzes, papers or tests.

"If a student wants to drop a course beyond the last date to drop a course without grades, he or she may appeal to the Student Academic Appellate Committee," Corbin said.

The Student Academic Appellate Committees information is located on the ECU Web site at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentlife/sga/Committee-Listing.cfm.

Mary Beth Corbin can be contacted at the Center for Academic Services or via email at corbinm@ecu.edu.

This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.