Canadian university introduces grade worse than ‘F’
Image via Wikipedia
Located in British Columbia, Simon Fraser University has just upped the ante, or lowered the bar, or whatever metaphor you have handy when it comes to establishing a new milestone for failure. Not satisfied with handing out “F’s” to their worst-performing students, the school has instituted a new grade that captures a more specific and damning aspect of academic futility, “FD”.
FD stands for “failure with dishonesty” and specifically targets cheaters. In our cut-and-paste, sneak a peek at your smart-phone during test time culture, you see, cheaters are on the rise, and have earned the right to a black mark on their permanent records. Here’s Simon Fraser’s Rob Gordon, the head of the U’s committee on academic integrity:
“We now have to be concerned about cheating during exams with high-tech devices and the inappropriate use of internet sources and downloading, including online companies offering services to students that promote academic dishonesty.”
As the spouse of a university professor, I can assure you that this is no small problem. But is the new grade any different from having an amplifier that goes up to 11?
Well, yes, the new grade is unique in that one’s transcripts are tainted by the “D” in “FD”. As Gordon puts it:
“It’s more than a fail, it’s a failure with a particular reason that is publicly announce that may well be seen by potential employers.”
As for the thousands of internet sites where one can purchase a term paper or test answers, the most brazenly titled may be “CheatHouse.com.”
But back to Simon Fraser’s new grade: Did they get it right? Should it have used an even more-specific acronym like FAWiP (Failure Aided With iPhone), or gotten nastier with something like NLF (New Low in Failure)? Suggestions?
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
Laugh, but I applaud this. Cheaters are losers and deserve to be outed.
Caitlin,
I agree, actually. It’s a problem that has risen to serious proportions.
Back in my days as a college professor, we wished for something like this. We made jokes about creating the F- or something. It actually is a huge problem and the brazen casualness of cheating was one of the most off-putting things in our student population.
A few years back, my coach would give us a grade for how we played in a game. Most of the grade was quality of play, but there was a particular grade for if we played dishonorablly, or had cut some corners on plays. I think there does need to be a distinction created between failing, and failing because of cheating.
[...] David. “Canadian university introduces grade worse than ‘F’.” True/Slant. Aug. 17, 2009. [...]