2008 Woodie Awards
Retakes are for high school
David Mikalowsky
Issue date: 4/3/03 Section: Opinions
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It's nice to see that Lakeland can indeed be applauded for some of its changes in policy. This time, the effected area of campus life is the Registrar's Office. Recently, where proposed changes in how classes can be retaken are for the better.
In the old system, a student could take a course as many times as he or she wanted. The transcript would show only their best grade in that class, without a record of their past achievement in that course. Now, a student is limited to two retakes of a given course, with all attempts appearing on their transcript and only the most recent grade-not necessarily the better-counting toward their GPA.
I'm glad that Lakeland is trying to adopt this policy. This is college after all. If someone can't pass a course in three total tries, than he or she needs a different kind of help than more retakes. As far as I'm concerned, one retake should be sufficient. And why shouldn't one's past achievement in a course be reflected on his or her transcript? An employer could actually see that improvement in grade as a sign of initiative and determination to better one's self. Those are most definitely admirable qualities.
I don't see why the college should hide anything from the students, or their potential employers. The school doesn't need to serve as a "safety filter" protecting a student's future, nor should it. I think this move to make the college just a little bit more professional and a little less coddling is a great one. I'm sure there are other areas of the school that could stand to be improved in a similar manner.
In the old system, a student could take a course as many times as he or she wanted. The transcript would show only their best grade in that class, without a record of their past achievement in that course. Now, a student is limited to two retakes of a given course, with all attempts appearing on their transcript and only the most recent grade-not necessarily the better-counting toward their GPA.
I'm glad that Lakeland is trying to adopt this policy. This is college after all. If someone can't pass a course in three total tries, than he or she needs a different kind of help than more retakes. As far as I'm concerned, one retake should be sufficient. And why shouldn't one's past achievement in a course be reflected on his or her transcript? An employer could actually see that improvement in grade as a sign of initiative and determination to better one's self. Those are most definitely admirable qualities.
I don't see why the college should hide anything from the students, or their potential employers. The school doesn't need to serve as a "safety filter" protecting a student's future, nor should it. I think this move to make the college just a little bit more professional and a little less coddling is a great one. I'm sure there are other areas of the school that could stand to be improved in a similar manner.