The Carleton University Senate passed a motion Friday that will allow students to designate 0.5 credits in the winter semester as satisfactory (SAT).
Students will also be able to save their 0.5-credit SAT option from this semester and apply it to a full-year course at the end of the winter semester, according to Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG) president Matt Gagné.
Courses designated as satisfactory will not affect students’ CGPA.
CASG has worked with the Senate since September to pass short-term grading reform for students adapting to online learning.
“We hope this news helps you adjust your winter semester and brings some much-needed support to your winter,” Gagné wrote on Reddit.
Last month, the Senate passed grading reform for the fall semester that included a similar 0.5-credit SAT option. The motion also moved to automatically convert failed courses to an unsatisfactory credit, except for courses failed due to disciplinary reasons such as academic integrity offences.
Howard Nemiroff, the associate dean of undergraduate students and the chair of the senate committee on curriculum, said grading reform is meant to help students navigate the challenges of COVID-19.
“It is still critical to ensure that our students will not be unduly disadvantaged,” Nemiroff said in a memorandum to the Senate when the motion on grading reform first passed.
Earlier this month, the university announced it will delay the start of the winter semester by five days. The decision was made “to provide everyone with an extended holiday break and to allow for a few additional days to prepare for the winter 2021 term,” according to an email sent to students.
