The New (old) Course Retake Policy: An Insight
More equity? Too late? GPA booster? The Underground answers this and more questions.
From this fall on, UTSC students can breathe a little easier. Effective this academic year, undergraduate students will be able to retake up to 1.0 credit—or two courses—of a failed or passed class, with the hopes of improving their cumulative grade point average (CGPA).
This new policy results from nearly a year of conversations between student groups and UTSC faculty. The Underground is pleased to break down this SCSU initiative, how it came to be, and what it means to the post-pandemic student.
SCSU’s course retake policy announcement. // Picture via Instagram, THE UNDERGROUND
A new student deal.
The second attempt for credit policy—also known as SAC or course retake policy—gives undergraduate students a chance to replace a grade they’re not satisfied with by redoing a class.
This measure is intended for students who need to:
Get a better grade in a course required for a limited program;
Satisfy a course prerequisite;
Or showcase an improved level of performance for future academic endeavours, such as grad school.
Once a student passes their second attempt, the first one will become “EXT” or “extra course, not for credit,” according to the Registrar’s Office. Only the new attempt will count for credit and be calculated into the student’s CGPA.
In the same fashion as policies at UTM and UTSG’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), the course retake policy only applies to UTSC courses and students as an effort to attain a more equitable environment across all campuses.
“I was really persistent that UTSC students should have the same opportunity to excel at their academics. So, I really hope that this policy allows all three campuses to be united and consistent with their policies,” said SCSU President Amrith David, a pillar for the passing of the SAC.
Amrith David, then SCSU’s VP Academics, said that the SAC is a step towards more fairness. // Picture by Rodrigo Huerta Aguirre, THE UNDERGROUND
From West to East
Before the SCSU picked up the course retake initiative last year, UTM had already officialized the policy in early 2019. The same year, the SCSU started advocating for a similar policy in the Scarborough campus, yet work was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, FAS approved a similar motion to the SAC, allowing students to retake up to 2.0 credits.
Finally, in 2022, the matter regained importance in Scarborough. Amrith, then SCSU’s VP of Academics, told The Underground about an instance when he retook a course to boost his average. When Academic Advising told him that would not be the case, he took the matter into SCSU’s hands.
“I thought that was really unfair,” he said. After researching and finding out that UTM carried the SAC, he started an eight-month-long process of collecting petition signatures, speaking with chairs of departments, Vice Deans, and even members of the University of Toronto Mississauga Student Union.
“For me, it was a sense of equity. UofT students were all categorized as UofT students, but students at UTM can get this policy and can excel at their education,” Amrith said.
On March 22, with the help of Vice Dean Teaching, Learning & Undergraduate Programs Katherine Larson (now on administrative leave), the motion to change Section 6C.4 in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar Regulations (2023-24) was presented as a recommendation to the UTSC Academic Affairs Committee. The Committee on Academic Policy and Programs then approved it on April 13.
“I think we were actually able to address some of the concerns or the questions far before taking it to Academic Affairs,” said Shelby Verboven, Registrar & Assistant Dean Enrollment Management and a key player in the process. Extensive consultation and several iterations helped craft the policy and reach a point of no opposition when the motion was presented.
A timely measure.
While headlines with warnings of new COVID-19 waves swing in the news from time to time, the aftermath in students’ well-being seems to persist. A 2022 study revealed that first-year postsecondary students in Ontario faced challenges not only related to coursework but to “individual skills and aspects of the learning environment.”
“A lot of students have a lot of academic barriers. Students are exhausted. Handing in assignments is very late for everyone,” said Amrith while recalling some of the reasons why the SCSU pushed the initiative forward. “I feel like this policy gives them a second chance.”
A 2021 policy brief by the Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development Policy Bench noted that regardless of the implementation of flexible instruction methods (hybrid or in-person), there is a need for “policies to reduce achievement gaps” in a post-pandemic setting. “I think [SAC] is a great tool to have in the toolbox for students, and I would always recommend that students seek advising to find out if this is the right policy for them to use in their academics, or if there are other policies,” said Verboven. “I look forward to working with them on changes or ideas that we may have,” she added.
Amrith stated the SCSU’s desire to introduce several other initiatives—some with petitions already circulating campus. A course relief policy, a much highlighted (and long advertised) credit/no credit extension, a new wellness centre and even a renegotiation of the U-Pass are ideas on their side of the table. It’s a matter of time to know how much (or whether) the faculty will concede. With the course retake policy being accepted, undergraduates at UTSC can be hopeful for these changes yet.
We would like to thank Amrith David, the current President of SCSU, for taking the time to talk to us about this initiative!
