University of Virginia Library

Faculty Postpones Decision
On New Course Program

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Acting upon a call for a quorum by
Robert Harris of the Government
Department, the College Faculty
yesterday adjourned before voting upon a
program to allow selected students in
introductory physics to study at their
own pace and to grant academic credit to
undergraduate physics tutors.

According to the motion, the student
would work individually at his own rate.
The course, which would be equivalent to
Physics 1-2, would be divided into units
and have a study guide, a reading
assignment, and a set of unit tests.

Mastery of course unit content would
be required for advancement.

Finally, the unit tests would be graded by
undergraduate tutors in the presence of the
student. The tutors would also be available for
discussion and would receive academic credit
for their tutoring work.

According to Joseph Thomas of the Physics
Department, student tutors would receive two
hours credit for their work and students taking
the self-paced course would receive six hours
for two semesters.

He also explained that the tutors would be
under the supervision of faculty and would
receive only a pass-fail grade for their work.

Mr. Thomas added that a mid-term and
possibly final exams would avoid
procrastination on the part of the students.

Mr. Thomas continued by saying that the
program was established to help "formalize
academic interaction among students." He
added that similar programs were in use at MIT,
Columbia, University of North Carolina, and
Michigan State.

'Easy Credit'

In discussing the motion, Mr. Harris stated
that he was "afraid that the program would
constitute easy credit on a dual basis. It would
be easy for those students taking the course,"
he said, "and easy credit for the student
tutors."

"I thought that the physics faculty could
provide for instruction without the use of
students," he continued, "I would like to know
more about this motion before it is
considered."

Mr. Harris then proposed that the motion be
divided so that the rest of the report on
academic legislation which contained the physics
program could be voted upon separately. His
motion was defeated 24-13.

Student Tudor

Mr. Thomas then said that he fell that
student tutors would be learning new material
from tutoring the course.

Mr. Harris then stated that the program
raised "fundamental issues in educational
policy of the first magnitude" and asked for a
quorum call. A quorum was lacking at the
meeting and the faculty then was forced
to adjourn by parliamentary procedure.

Two motions by Robert Morgan of the
Government Department were not presented to
the faculty because of the adjournment. The
two motions dealt with pass/fail options.

The first motion read that "a failing grade
earned in any course taken under the Pass-Fail
Option shall be recorded on the student's
transcript as 'F.' The Registrar is authorized to
adopt a suitable means of distinguishing such
grades from those used to compute grade point
averages."

According to David Shannon, Dean of the
College Faculty, a student failing a course taken
on a pass/fail basis presently receives an "audit"
on his transcript and receives no credit hours
for the course.

Mr. Shannon explained that this was
necessary because the Registrar would
otherwise have no way of determining the
difference between a course failed on a regular
basis and a course failed on a pass/fail basis.

The former failing grade is computed into
the student's grade point average while the
latter is not.

Robert Harris

Professor Of Government

Mr. Morgan's second motion requested the
faculty's Committee on Educational Policy and
Curriculum to "reconsider the question
whether grades assigned under the 'Pass-Fail
Option' ought to be included in the
computation of students' grade point averages
and if the number of hours which can be
offered for graduation under this option ought
to be reduced from the present number of 24.