Carnegie Mellon allows students to convert classes to pass/fail

Carnegie Mellon University is allowing students to convert any of their online courses to pass/fail grading.

“The decision to allow this flexibility is a direct acknowledgement of this unprecedented situation,” Provost Jim Garrett wrote in a letter to campus this week.

Normally, according to the CMU website, students may take a free, elective pass/fail class only after submitting a request form before the university’s withdraw period. Pass/fail classes can’t normally count toward a student’s graduation requirement.

But with faculty and students both transitioning to a new style of online learning, campus leaders felt an adjustment during the coronavirus pandemic would be beneficial.

No other Pittsburgh-area schools have made explicit announcements changing regular pass/fail policies in light of the pandemic.

The decision was made in consulting with Faculty Senate, Student Government and the CMU leadership team, Garrett’s letter said.

Evan Feder, an information systems major who serves as student body president, said he had been inundated with messages from fellow students, pushing for a pass/fail option in their classes.

“This is exactly what students want,” said Feder, a junior. “This is one of the most messaged topics I’ve every received.”

Feder said he was relieved by the provost’s final decision.

Carnegie Mellon enrolls students from across the U.S. and in more than 40 countries, he said. Those students now have to navigate schooling without counseling services, without meeting with professors or tutors, without materials left behind in their dorms. Students in various time zones must wake up at odd hours to listen in on a lecture via webcam.

Under this adjusted policy, Feder said, students can stop worrying about the grades they’ll receive and just focus on learning.

“Overall, it’s really good that CMU has student interests at heart,” Feder said.

Students have seven days after grades are posted to convert their classes on a case-by-case basis.

While the classes will count toward a student’s graduation requirement for this semester only, pass/fail grades are not factored into a student’s grade point average.

Garrett is also asking faculty for leniency in class attendance this week, as students adjust to new routines and internet capabilities. No assignments are to be given during this period, and classes are to be recorded so students can catch up, if needed.

Aside from these changes, little has yet been done to alter Carnegie Mellon’s academic calendar.

Students were originally to have April 16-17 off, but those days have been adjusted to make up for classes being canceled Monday and Tuesday. The university has announced no changes to its Commencement ceremony, scheduled for May 17, despite other universities in the area canceling their events.