By Lauren Chavez, Sept. 28, 2021
From the fall 2020 to the summer 2021 terms, Cal Poly Pomona offered a credit/no credit option for students during the transition from in-person classes to online learning.
Prior to the start of the fall 2021 semester, Interim Provost Iris Levine revealed 53% of courses would be completely online, 40% would be hybrid and 7% would be face-to-face.
While there has been no indication the campus will offer an alternative grading option for this fall semester, students discussed whether the hybrid learning environment should make the university offer the option once again.
Sebastian Lopez | accounting student
“I appreciate the option because I’m a second-year student and I’m still getting used to the fully synchronous and the asynchronous and all that stuff and first time being on campus; I’m still getting used to navigating myself through campus. The classes and note taking … I just appreciate it. I don’t opt into it, but I appreciate the offer.”
Samantha Aguilar | kinesiology student
“I would say it’s beneficial for some students because, obviously, it’s an adjustment coming from being online and now being on campus. So, it’s going to be again, an adjustment for everyone just with schedules and with some people in the athletic department, we have a lot on our hands. So, I would say that would be beneficial for certain students. Also, people that are part of the DRC, like myself, it takes us longer to adjust with everything.”
Fernanda Arciniega | business student
“I feel more positive with the letter grading instead of getting no credit or credit because then you’re not going to know if you do good. You’re obviously going to know that you passed, if you’re getting the credit. If you’re in the middle, you’re not going to know until the end if you’re getting credit or no credit in the class. So, I feel like it’s better to do the letter grading instead of doing the credit/no credit.”
Alan Torres | electronic systems engineering technology student
“It’s good to have that option. I know during the dark times of COVID, it really helped a lot, especially for people that are getting by, by themselves. It’s really just another option to have it; you can never have too many options, right?”
Malaki Wheeler | electrical engineering student
“I feel like it’s a good thing because it looks better on your transcripts, because anything can happen in these times. So, you might not be in the right mind of space to do your work and you might fall behind. Instead of having a straight up ‘F’ on your transcript, you can have no credit and retake it again.”
Anik Rajman | electric engineering student
“I think it would be great if they offered it. I think we’re still in a rough time where COVID’s not gone, so I think even with partially online learning with hybrid, offering that credit/no credit would be great.”
Iliana Rodriguez | English literary studies student
“I personally didn’t take that option. I think that it shouldn’t be offered again just because I mean things are still hard, but we have to adjust to being back to normal. So, I think it’s a good idea to get back into the mindset of being a full-time student, even in this hybrid mode.”
Victoria Murguia | English literary studies student
“I guess in some ways, it could be good for people because it’s kind of hard getting back to school; it’s a little overwhelming. I know that sometimes … if you’re a graduate student and you have the no credit option then it doesn’t look good on college transcripts, or graduate school transcripts I should say. So, I guess it’s just a hit or miss, I think. I know it’s helped me before, but I just used it as a safety net. But I think we should have the option before you either do it or you don’t.”
Feature image by Nicolas Hernandez