This petition addresses the collective concerns of students at the BSS Faculty at the University of Groningen. We are concerned with the lack of numerical grading currently being provided by the Faculty. On November 19, we received an announcement from the Examinations Committee explaining the circumstances which have led to the absence of numerical grading for this semester. While this may be understandable in the current circumstances, the same announcement provided no reassurances that the situation will change anytime soon, suggesting that this will likely continue into the second semester.

Psychology programs across Europe and the Netherlands, such as the University of Leiden, University of Tilburg, University of Amsterdam, and countless others, have been able to provide their students with grades during the pandemic, even despite online examinations.

Largely, our reasons for our dissatisfaction boil down mainly to the detrimental effect this has on our future diplomas. When considering future applications for graduate programs, the absence of numerical grading could potentially have severe effects. For admissions purposes, RUG student applicants will likely be disadvantaged in comparison with their external counterparts. In other words, all other things held equal, why would a university take a RUG student missing a significant portion of grades over a student from another university with a complete diploma transcript?

The argument made above is not novel, and we are certain that the Faculty Board has heard it before. However, the lack of momentum surrounding the subject suggests that the concerns are not being taken as seriously as needed. Yes, it was positive to hear from the examinations committee that the opportunity exists to exchange a passing grade for a numerical grade when normal grading resumes. However, this red herring is merely a distraction from the core problem at hand - that being that the BSS Faculty appears to be one of the only, if not the only, faculty at the RUG to fail to provide numerical grading for online administered examinations. We are aware that most other Faculties at the university, such as the FEB, Arts Culture and Media, Law, and others are currently providing grades to their students. Every faculty is different, but are the roadblocks to numerical grading, namely being multiple-choice dominant examinations and large student bodies, truly only endemic to the BSS Faculty?

The case has been made for why students suffer from the current grading scheme being offered. However, so long as pass/fail grading schemes are being offered, the BSS Faculty at RUG also stands to lose long-term. We can understand that the choice to offer pass/fail courses, thereby limiting fraud, stems from trying to maintain the current reputation of the faculty and its accreditation. However, failing to provide a grading scheme comes at a long-term cost, as it does irreparable damage to the reputation of the Faculty and the education it offers. Simply put, there are diminishing reasons for current students at the BSS to recommend the Faculty to prospective students, whether that be siblings, friends, or former classmates. The damage to reputation grows every day that attempts to provide a numerical grading scheme with online examinations are not made, and should not be discounted or dismissed by the Faculty.

No one could have expected or been prepared for a global pandemic last March. Over the course of a month, everything changed, and everyone accepted sacrifices in adapting to the new normal. In comparison to the wider world, the sacrifices asked of students were minuscule. In this line of thinking, we understand and empathize with the reasons provided by the Examinations Committee as to why a grading scheme is difficult. However, we argue that this difficulty should not be confused with impossibility. The Faculty failing to provide a numerical grading scheme this far into the pandemic is, indeed, a failure to adapt. The BSS Faculty has admitted themselves that they do not know when in-person examinations may resume and that the continued measures will continue at least for the rest of the academic year. This means that even greater than 1/3 of our resulting diplomas could be considered as “empty space” from external graduate programs. And from above, the decision to delay numerical grading of courses damages not only the students but also the faculty. Taking this all into consideration, we strongly urge the BSS Faculty to adjust, as other faculties and schools have, and prioritize the grading of exams and courses while they continue to be online.

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To those signing the petition:

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