Barnard College has altered academic policies regarding final exams and Pass/D/Fail academic accommodations for the Spring 2024 semester in light of recent protests.

On Thursday, April 25, Barnard College students received an email from Dean Leslie Grinage announcing updates to Barnard’s Spring 2024 final exam procedures, including the addition of remote exams and changes to the Pass/D/Fail policy. This email follows the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who outlined new exam and grade policies yesterday.

Grinage began by acknowledging the “challenging semester” and attached resources for students, encouraging them to be “in touch” with administrators as needed.

Under the new accommodations, Barnard will require courses holding exams to provide remote options. Students requesting this option are not required to provide a reason for doing so but must inform course instructors by April 29, the last day of classes.

The email reminded students that Barnard’s Honor Code applies to remote instruction and exams as it would for in-person assessments. Students should also be aware of Barnard’s Academic Standing policy and may contact their class dean for more information regarding how any requests and elections made may impact their academic standing. 

Furthermore, the deadline for students who are not graduating in May 2024 to request an Incomplete grade has been extended to May 10. Those graduating are advised to talk with their dean about potential alternatives. To request an Incomplete, a student must have “cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances.” Grinage did not clarify what is considered a “compelling circumstance.” Final exams may only be deferred due to illness or personal emergency the day-of; therefore, final exam deferral cannot be requested in advance of the exam week. 

Grinage also outlined a few changes in the Pass/D/Fail policy, noting that students may choose two Spring 2024 courses to Pass/D/Fail, which must be declared before an extended deadline of April 29. This is an increase from the standard allowance of one course per semester. Those graduating in May 2024 are not eligible to uncover P grades in their final semester. All other policies regarding Pass/D/Fail elections remain the same, such as the inability to do so for certain courses. In contrast, SEAS’s new policy has no restrictions on the type of course a student can Pass/D/Fail.

Update made on Monday, April 29 at 8:43 pm:

In an email to students on Monday evening, Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage announced further changes to the Pass/D/Fail policy for the Spring 2024 semester.

The deadline to declare P/D/F grading for a course is now Friday, May 3. Additionally, students may now take one major or minor course P/D/F. Students cannot take elect P/D/F grading for senior thesis or capstone courses.

The period for graduating seniors to revoke their P/D/F elections has been extended by one week, until Friday, May 10. Seniors who revoke a P/D/F during this period will not be able to elect P/D/F in a different class.

Continuing students will still have until September 13 to uncover grades for classes taken P/D/F.

The email can be found below.

Email sent from Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage to Barnard students at 4:38 pm on Thursday, April 25:

Dear Students,

As a challenging semester comes to a close, I write to share a number of updates to academic policies and logistics that have been put in place to provide additional support to all who wish to utilize available resources. The College recognizes that many of you are experiencing difficulty, and we encourage you to be in touch with your faculty members, class dean, CARDS, and advisers as needed, in addition to reviewing the options outlined below. 

Final Exam Information 

Barnard will align with Columbia regarding final exam procedures, and faculty holding exams will provide a remote option for students who request it. If you are choosing to elect this option for your classes, you must inform your individual faculty members by the last day of classes, which is Monday, April 29, so that they may plan accordingly for the exam period. You are not required to share the reason you are electing this option. Faculty have been encouraged to offer flexibility to students when possible. More information about options for final assessments will be provided by your faculty in the days to come.

Honor Code and Academic Standing

We remind you that students are bound by Barnard’s Honor Code, which applies in situations of remote learning and assessments in the same ways it does for in-person exams.

Please be advised that all students should be aware of Barnard’s academic standing policy (please scroll down on this page to “Academic Standing and Degree Progress”) and how incomplete grades, deferred exams and/or withdrawal grades may impact a student’s academic standing. To discuss your academic standing, please contact your class dean. 

Incompletes, Deferred Exams, and Pass/D/Fail Information

Incompletes

Incompletes are to be given only in cases of illness, personal emergency, or other compelling circumstances. If you need to request an Incomplete, please be in touch with your faculty member via email to obtain their approval. From there, you will need to submit an Incomplete Request Form in Slate, including uploading email confirmation from your instructor. 

For students who are not graduating in May 2024, the deadline to request an incomplete grade has been extended to May 10. Any graduating seniors who need to request an incomplete should be in touch with their class dean to discuss possible options.

As a reminder, the official College deadline for completing Spring 2024 Incomplete coursework is Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Individual faculty may also set an earlier deadline for the work to be completed. For more information, visit https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams and scroll down to “Incomplete Grades.”

Deferred Exams

Students may defer an exam due to illness or personal emergency on the day of the exam. If you need to request a deferral please fill out the Deferred Exam Form and review the procedures listed here: https://barnard.edu/registrar/grades-exams (scroll down to “Final and Deferred Exams.”) Please be aware that deferred exams cannot be requested in advance of exam week.  

Illness During Exam

If you become ill during an in-person or proctored remote examination:

a) inform the proctor

b) hand in the exam, and

c) call Primary Care Health Services at 212-854-2091 to make an appointment.

If you’ve completed less than 40 minutes of a two-hour exam or less than one hour of a three-hour exam, you qualify for a deferred exam (see above.) If you leave the exam more than 40 minutes into a two-hour exam or more than an hour into a three-hour exam, you’ll be graded on the basis of the work you’ve completed to that point. If you are ill for any unproctored or take-home exams, please refer to “Deferred Exams” above.

Pass/D/Fail Option

Students may elect the Pass/D/Fail option for two of their courses this semester, which is an increase from the standard allowance to select this option for one course. All other Pass/D/Fail policies remain in place. The deadline for electing the Pass/D/Fail option remains Monday, April 29. A class with a “pass” grade will not count towards the minimum credits required for dean’s list consideration. Note that graduating seniors are not eligible to uncover P grades in their final semester. 

It is my sincere hope that this information, including adjustments to academic policy and practice, will be helpful to you. I wish you well in these final weeks of the Spring semester.

Sincerely,

Dean Grinage

Email sent from Dean Leslie Grinage to Barnard students on Monday, April 29 at 7:23 pm:

Dear Students,

As a follow up to my email from last week, I am writing to announce additional updates to the College’s Pass/D/Fail policy and deadlines, which are being put in place to further support your ability to finish the semester successfully. 

Further extension of Pass/D/Fail Deadline

Students will have until this Friday, May 3 to finalize their P/D/F elections in SSOL. 

Option to Elect Pass/D/Fail Grading in One Major or Minor Course

As we announced last week, students may elect P/D/F grading for two spring 2024 courses (rather than the usual limit of one course per term).

As a further exception, we will allow one of the two courses to be a course that is needed for either a major or a minor requirement. The P/D/F-elected course will count towards major or minor requirements if a passing grade is received. Please note:

Additional Pass/D/Fail Revoking Period for Graduating Seniors

We will allow an additional week for graduating seniors to make a more informed decision about whether to revoke their previously-declared spring 2024 P/D/F elections.  

After the May 3 P/D/F election deadline, graduating seniors can use this Slate form to revoke a previously-declared P/D/F election until Friday, May 10. (Please note that seniors who revoke a P/D/F election during this period will not be able to elect P/D/F in a different class.)  

We hope this extra week gives a valuable opportunity for seniors to better assess their readiness to complete final exams and papers before the P/D/F elections are finalized.  We are offering this exception to seniors, who are not able to uncover “P” grades due to the timing of official degree conferral. As usual, continuing students will have until the end of the second week of the fall semester (September 13, 2024) to choose whether or not to uncover “P” grades.  

I strongly encourage those of you who are considering a P/D/F election in your major to consult with your advisers and/or the department chair before doing so, in order to understand the potential impact on your course of study and cumulative learning in your field.

I wish you all the best with your studies at the close of the semester.

Sincerely,

Dean Grinage

Barnard Hall via Bwog Archives