We propose formation of an ad hoc committee to explore the feasibility of changing IIT's grading scheme from the current one to one in which plus an minus grades can be recorded on transcripts. The current scheme allows issuance of A, B, C, D, and E grades for undergraduate students, and A, B, C, and E grades for graduate students. Under the proposed scheme, we would record grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and E for undergraduates; the graduate grades would be A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, or E. Minor variations on this scheme would also be considered.
There are two strong arguments in favor of this kind of change. One is that instructors would be able to offer more specific evaluations of students' progress in courses. The other is that it reduces the stress associated with borderline decisions. Currently, many grade-sensitive students become terribly agitated if they earn a high B in a course. A student whose score is just barely under the cutoff for an A under the current scheme would now receive a B+, whereas his neighbor whose score is just above the cutoff would now receive an A-. This should reduce the stress and the number of incidents of grade-shopping.
A change of this kind would clearly have implications on the lives of both students and faculty, and it would require expenditures on the part of the University to implement. The purpose of the ad hoc committee would be to explore the implications of the change, including the financial implications. The committee would report back by the March UniFC meeting with a recommendation, which potentially would need to be approved by the Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees before action by the Council itself.
I would recommend inclusion on this committee of a faculty representative from each of the University's colleges and institutes, plus one or two student representatives. We would also seek representation from the Counsel's office and the Registrar's office, both in determining the cost of the change and in analyzing the implications on the university's record-keeping techniques. It is likely that a change in grading scheme would need to be coordinated with the transition to the Banner system.