Comment Re:the solution to "the mental health crisis" (Score 1) 85
My understand though is you still get marks, and all the other ordinary feedback the instructor would provide. As far as electives go the other students are not taking it pass fail or might not be so if their is any bell curve grading happening you will be slugging it out with people that have full skin in the game.
I think I would find being told - "You passed, but if you deliver this kind of performance next semester you'll be getting a D." My reaction to that would be "well crap, I just dodged a real bullet better shape up because the next one counts!"
I do also see your point though for some folks it would be just another event where they receive no real consequences, and that only serves to reinforce their idea/experience with life of there being no consequences.
The flip side is if you sitting there with a merit scholarship that requires you to maintain a 3.0 GPA or something and you finish semester 1 with something closer to 2.0, because you really did not understand what studying actually means yet.. Are not despairing? Because I know I'd be thinking crap not only do I need to do better next semester I am going to need to jump all the way to straight As or I am done, maybe I ought to just quit.
Also pass/fail is still not exactly no consequences if you really FA, you will still FO; and get failing mark, and no course credit.