CAPP’S Report
on
Repeated Course Grading Option
and
Formulation of a
New Policy on Grade Replacement
April 11, 2011
Charge from SEC to CAPP
Repeated course grading options (CAPP): Historically when students retake a class to try
and earn a higher grade both grades are factored into their overall GPA. Some campuses
replace a lower grade with a higher grade and some campuses even allow students have
[sic] a 'semester forgiveness' policy that eliminates all grades (high and low) for one
semester at a students' request. The SEC asks CAPP to consider whether Manoa should
develop a "replace" grade rule for courses taken twice by students who did poorly the
first time they took a course (e.g., the C Chem prereq req.) and report on the result of
their efforts at the November 2010 Senate meeting. (SEC Fall 2010)
I. Introduction:
CAPP formed a sub-committee to address the charge and report to the entire committee.
Subcommittee members worked extensively on this issue since Fall 2010. Surveying
UHM peer and benchmark institutions, CAPP presented an initial report and introduced
the new policy of Grade Replacement at the Faculty Senate’s January 19, 2011 meeting.
After receiving input from various stakeholders and the Senate, and reviewing a sample
of UHM data on the number of students re-taking classes upon receiving failed or lower
grades all members of CAPP jointly formulated a new policy on Grade Replacement.
UHM individual departmental undergraduate instructional faculty advisors, council of
chairs, instructional faculty members, the council of academic advisors and the UHM
Registrar were consulted. CAPP met with the chair and a member of the Council of
Academic Advisors, and the Arts and Sciences Academic Advisor. The full Senate was
also asked to provide feedback to CAPP at its earlier presentation of the report on
January 19, 2010.
UH Mānoa does not have a Grade Replacement Policy based on the review of Mānoa’s
policy on 1) repeating passed courses, and 2) repeating failed courses. Therefore, in
response to the SEC charge, CAPP developed a new policy to address grade replacement.
The new policy evolved from CAPP’s review of Mānoa’s current policies related to 1)
repeating passed courses, and 2) repeating failed courses.
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II. Purpose of the New Grade Replacement Policy
The purpose of the New Grade Replacement Policy is to provide those students who have
performed poorly in a course at UH Mānoa, a reasonable option to improve their grade(s)
by removing the burden of the earlier poor grade(s) from the student’s cumulative grade
point average.
III. Grade Replacement Policy
CAPP voted on the new “Grade Replacement Policy” at its March 9, 2011 meeting. The
vote was unanimous. The policy is included below.
University of Hawai`i Mānoa Undergraduate students may repeat up to three (3)
Mānoa courses for grade replacement. Both grades will be reflected on the transcript.
However, only the higher of the two grades will be used in the calculation of the
cumulative grade point average. Degree credit for any repeated course is given only
once.
Policy Details
1. This policy applies to courses first taken in the Fall of 2011 and beyond at University
of Hawai`i Mānoa.
2. All courses taken for A, B, C, D, F, including plus and minus grades may be repeated
for grade replacement under this policy.
3. Students re-taking a class under the Grade Replacement Policy must take it for a letter
grade; grades cannot be replaced by NC or W.
4. All grades for courses repeated beyond the three (3) allowed under the Grade
Replacement Policy will be calculated in the cumulative grade point average.
5. Replaced grade(s) will not affect academic actions already recorded on the transcript,
such as probation, suspension, eligibility for financial aid, scholarships, deans’ lists,
honors status, and graduation with high academic achievements.
6. Students must indicate at the time of registration that they are choosing to exercise a
Grade Replacement option.
IV. Current Policy on Repeating Courses (From Page 16 UHM 2010/2011 Catalog)
Repeating Passed Courses
Students may only repeat a course in which they received a grade of C-, D+, D, D-, F, or
an NC. Degree credit for a course is given only once. The grade assigned for each
repeated course is permanently recorded on the transcript. Grades for all repeated courses
will be included in the GPA.
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Repeating Failed Courses
Students may repeat, for a letter grade only, any course in which an F was received. If
this is done at UH Mānoa, credit hours and grade points for each attempt are included in
the GPA. Students may repeat (but not for a letter grade) CR/NC courses in which they
received a grade of NC.
Duplicate Credits
Academic credit is generally not awarded for courses or examinations that duplicate
material for which academic credit has already been given. Repeating passed courses (see
above) yields no additional credit, nor does taking more than one version of a cross-listed
course. (In the “Course Descriptions,” less obvious duplications may contain notations
like, “credit not given for both 200 and 201”; “credit for only one of . . .”; etc.)
Backtracking
Backtracking is not permitted. Additional credit and grade points are not awarded for
lower-level courses if they are taken after or concurrently with the advanced course for
which they are explicitly or implicitly prerequisites.
Students should direct any questions about the applicability of this policy to the student
academic services office of their college or school.
V. Mānoa’s Current Policy on Repeating Courses and How it Effects Students
Current policy does not allow students to repeat courses in which they have received
grades of C or higher. In practice, however, students may repeat courses by obtaining
instructors’ overrides, regardless of the grade received. Some colleges, schools,
departments, and instructors strictly enforce this policy and do not give overrides to
repeat; others allow students to repeat as requested. Restrictions on repeats are often
based on the number of, and competition for available seats.
All grades are recorded on the students’ transcripts and impact students’ cumulative
Grade Point Average (GPA), except repeats of courses in which students received a grade
of “C” or higher the first time. Apparently, the purpose is to discourage grade inflation –
i.e., retaking courses passed with grades of A, B, or C in order to raise the GPA. Note
that according to regulations stipulated in the catalog, students are not permitted to repeat
these courses; in practice, however, they are not prevented from repeating these courses,
but are discouraged from doing so because subsequent grades do not impact the students’
cumulative GPA. Students who repeat courses in which they have received grades of
“C” or higher usually do so for reasons other than their UHM GPA, such as fulfilling prerequisites for a competitive undergraduate or professional program.
Students who receive poor grades (C- to F) or who withdraw (W) are always allowed to
repeat. Only one set of credits will count toward graduation, and both grades impact the
GPA.
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Current policy in the catalog concerning repeating passed and failed courses and how the
grades are computed is unclear and unnecessarily burdensome. Under “Repeating Passed
Courses,” the catalog addresses repeating courses for which students received failing
grades as well as low passing grades. As such, the catalog fails to clarify how the policy
differs for passed courses and failed courses. In addition, the policy does not allow
students to replace a lower course grade with a higher grade in calculating the GPA; the
grades for all attempts are included. CAPP finds this policy to be unfriendly to students,
to discourage students’ making further attempts to improve performance and hence gain
knowledge, and to discourage some beginning students who do not perform well in their
first year.
VI. New Grade Replacement Policy and Benefits
CAPP’s new Grade Replacement Policy has taken into consideration the Council of
Chairs’ and others’ concerns. The policy is designed to be student-centered and provides
clarity in how grades are computed and averaged cumulatively. While current, policy at
UHM, allows students to re-take failed and/or any other courses it does not allow grades
to be replaced with a higher grade. The grades for all attempts are posted on the
transcript and calculated into the GPA.
CAPP’s new Grade Replacement Policy is designed to replace three grades within a
student’s undergraduate career at UHM only. While critics of this policy may indicate
that this is grade inflation CAPP maintains that grade inflation is providing a higher grade
than a student deserves. Replacing a poor grade with a latter, higher grade reflects the
student’s actual mastery of the course content, and is, in fact, the grade that the student
deserves. Finally, then raising a “B” to an “A” would not contribute to grade inflation
any more than raising an “F” to a “C.”
Allowing a student to repeat a course for grade replacement in which s/he earned a grade
below the student’s satisfaction can encourage the student to attempt the course again, if
there is an added incentive to improve her/his GPA. Students who have difficulty in
General Education courses or during their first two years would be encouraged by this
policy to remain in school in order to repeat courses in which they have done poorly, thus
expediting their learning.
Although some argue that this policy would destroy the academic validity of the GPA, in
reality replacing three grades over the course of a student’s undergraduate career would
not significantly alter the GPA of graduating seniors. With the option of repeating three
courses throughout a student’s undergraduate life, the overall GPA of a senior student
will be only slightly impacted. Repeating a course to change a C grade to a B has much
more influence on the GPA of freshmen and sophomores than on the GPA of juniors and
seniors. Placing a limit on the number of grade replacements, with this new
recommended policy encourages students to use this option discreetly.
The new grade replacement policy does not limit students from repeating additional
courses beyond the first three. If students wish to re-take a fourth class, then the new
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grade for this fourth course will not replace the earlier grade, but be calculated along with
it in the student’s cumulative grade point average.
VII. Implementation of the New Grade Replacement Policy
CAPP discussed implementation aspects of this policy. CAPP, however, refrained from
providing implementation parameters, as CAPP understands its role to be a policymaking body of the Mānoa faculty senate for academic matters. CAPP’s intent is to use
technology to implement the mechanical aspects of this policy. For example, program a
drop-down menu in Banner so that students can choose an option during registration to
take a course for grade replacement. The parameters for choosing the grade replacement
option would be limited to three times, with all three higher grades being calculated in a
student’s cumulative grade point average and so forth. CAPP’s position is that the
implementation of a grade replacement policy should not be a manual task, but should be
implemented by using the available technology.
CAPP will work with groups who will implement this policy and help design the
guidelines.
VIII. UHM Peer and Bench Mark Institutions Surveyed.
In the early stages of this study, the subcommittee of CAPP also found that Mānoa’s
current policy runs counter to the policy of many peer institutions that allow some form
of grade replacement. CAPP members surveyed 18 peer or land grant universities (see
summary below) of which we found information from 17.
All 17 allow courses to be repeated. Some allow unlimited number of repeats while
others establish limits in some way or another to the number of times a student could
repeat a course to improve the grade earned. Of the 17, five universities, Penn State,
Louisiana State, Missouri, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Virginia, calculate the
grades earned using all times registered for a course. Five others, Arizona, Iowa State,
California at Davis, Kentucky, and Tennessee at Knoxville, specify that with a limited
number of repeats, only the higher grade earned will be used in calculating the GPA.
Three, New Mexico State, Washington State, and Michigan State, allow only classes in
which the grade earned was below a C to be repeated; they record only the higher grade
in GPA calculation. Oregon State University allows only one repeat with the final grade
only used in the calculation of the GPA. Utah State allows up to 12 repeats, with only the
last grade recorded being used in the calculation of the GPA. Georgia and Utah
apparently allow unlimited repeats with only the final grade earned used in GPA
calculation.
Surveyed institutions are as follows:
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List of Land Grant Colleges and UHM Peer Institutions contacted
on Policy on Repeating Classes, October 2010
College
Date
Repeat allowed? Grade average of
last grade
(X) # of times? times class taken (X) recorded (X)
Oregon State Univ.
25 Oct
X; 1.
X
Utah State Univ. at
http://catalog.usu.edu/content.php?ca
toid=2&navoid=76 under “Repeating
Courses.”
2 Nov.
2010
X; 2 after original;
additional, up to ten,
with Dean’s approval.
Does not apply to
courses marked as
repeatable
X
New Mexico State U. at
http://catalog.nmsu.edu/undergrad2010-2011/01general/regulations.html under
“Repeating Courses”
2 Nov.
2010
X; Only when grade
earned first time is D or
F. The first occurrence
with a C or better grade
will count in earned/
passed hours. Future
attempts will not count
in earned/passed hours.
Neither credits nor grade
points may be earned by
repeating a course for
which a grade of C or
higher has already been
received.
X; If a student
repeats a course
eligible for grade
substitution in which
they have earned a D
and then fails the
course, the second
grade of F will not be
substituted for the
original grade.
Univ. of Arizona
25 Oct
X; 1 with GRO; any
number w/out GRO.
2 Nov
X; 1 for course with
grade of C- or lower;
course with grade of C
or higher cannot be
repeated. Courses
designated as repeatable
courses, such as Special
Topics may be repeated
as many times for as
much credit as allowed
by catalog listing.
X; Only last time
course taken will be
calculated in gpa and
contribute to total
hours required. All
attempts at the course
and grades earned will
be retained on the
transcript.
3 Nov
X; only for courses in
which grade received
was below C (2.0)
Graduate student may
repeat course in which
s/he received C or
above, CR, or P ONLY
with approval of assoc.
dean
X; though all entriies
remain part of
permanent academic
record.
http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/Chapte
rDetail.aspx?key=75 - Section2885
“Section 20 Repeated Courses.
http://catalog.arizona.edu/200910/policies/gro2.htm, General
Catalog 2009/-10 “Academic
Policies–Grade Replacement
Opportunity (GRO).
Washington State Univ.
at
http://www.catalog.wsu.edu/Catalog/
Content/SummaryofAcademicPolicie
s.pdf under “Repetition of Courses”
Michigan State Univ.
http://www.reg.msu.edu/AcademicPr
ograms/Text.asp?Section=112 - s532
All attempts without GRO
included in calculation.
X with GRO
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College
Date
Repeat allowed? Grade average of
last grade
(X) # of times? times class taken (X) recorded (X)
Penn State Univ. At
3 Nov
X; One may repeat a
course in which a grade
of D or F was received.
One may repeat a course
in which a grade of C or
higher was received, but
see next column.
X; When a course has been
28 Oct
X (unstated)
X for all courses repeated
after the first 15 credit hours of
repeats.
Louisiana State
University
11/2/10
X: 1 (more with dean's
approval)
X
University of California
at Davis
11/2/10
X (more with Dean's
approval)
X (up to 16 units). All
grades recorded, only
last one used in GPA
University of Georgia
11/2/10
X (not
specified)
X
X 3 courses may be
repeated once
X
http://psu.intelliresponse.com/registr
ar/index.jsp?requestType=NormalRe
quest&question=May+I+repeat+cour
se see “Repeating a Course.”
Iowa State Univ.
http://www.registrar.iastate.edu/catal
og/2009-11/policies.pdf p. 40.
University of Kentucky 11/2/10
University of Missouri
at Columbia
11/2/10
11/2/10
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
repeated, all of the credits and
grades earned are included
when calculating the student's
grade-point average. However,
the course counts only once as
a graduation requirement.
X (not
specified)
X
X; 1 with
Dean's approval
X
X Repeated courses after first
three
University of
Tennessee at Knoxville
11/2/10
X: 3 attempts
University of Utah
11/2/10
X; no limit
University of Virginia
11/1/10
X with Dean's
permission
X (for only 15 credit
units. After 15 credit
units have been
repeated, all grades are
averaged.)
X First three repeated
courses
X
X All attempts included on
record and in calculating GPA
The institutions in Bold are UHM peer group institutions as developed by The National Center for Higher
Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) Information Service. (See http://www.hawaii.edu/cgibin/iro/maps?pbuhy09.pdf) The institutions in regular type face above are fellow Land Grant Institutions. Those
in Bold Italics are both Land Grant and in the peer group.
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